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Jacob Kiplimo has weighed in on some of the challenges he had to overcome to record an impressive second place on his full marathon debut in London on Sunday.
Jacob Kiplimo could hide his delight after securing a memorable podium finish on his marathon debut in London on Sunday.
Kiplimo took to the streets of London for the first time in the 42km race, facing off against some seasoned marathoners, but by the end of the race, he was celebrating a second-place finish.
The 25-year-old clocked 2:03:37 for second place behind Kenya’s Sebastian Sawe, who timed 2:02:27 to win the race, while defending champion Alexander Mutiso, also from Kenya, beat Dutchman Abdi Nageeye at the tape to claim third place in 2:04:20
Kiplimo could not hide his joy after such a memorable debut race in the English capital.
“I’m so excited about what I did today. I think my body was okay from the start to 30k. Then I started feeling a little bit of cramps in the leg, but I kept just pushing,” Kiplimo told Lets Run.
It was, however, not easy for Kiplimo who had to be patient after the leading pack dropped him early in the race before Sawe took off at the 30km mark and left everyone for dead.
“I knew that Sawe is already left so I was trying to close the gap but unfortunately, the gap was a little bit bigger so I had to keep my body focused to finish well,” he added.
“I came to run my own race, not with someone. So, when I saw the guy has already left, I tried to push and follow him.”
Having tasted the marathon and seen how sweet it can be, the five-time World Cross Country champion now hopes to do even better in his subsequent races although he is yet to determine where he will run next.
“Now I have confirmed and I am going to prepare well. I will sit with my management and decide the next race,” Kiplimo further said.
Kiplimo had smashed the world marathon record in Barcelona in February which served as a perfect preparation for his full marathon debut in London.
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