Eliud Kipchoge shares details on how to be a successful marathoner

World Marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has revealed that it takes time for an athlete to make a successful marathoner but with sacrifice and discipline, getting to the top level becomes a little bit easier. 

Kipchoge, a four-time Berlin Marathon champion, said in order to be successful in a marathon, an athlete needs to invest more time in training and also compete in longer distances to prepare his/her body for the full marathon (42km).

“Training for a marathon is not an overnight activity…it’s like going to a gym. If you want to get the muscles and become fit, you need to go to the gym more frequently to achieve your target.

"A marathon requires you to train for a long, covering longer distances. This ensures that your body takes all the training and can cover all the distance,” he said.

He added that for one to be successful in a marathon, an athlete needs to ensure 100% of their time is committed in training and they should not be complacent. 

The four-time London Marathon champion also insisted that in order to be a great marathon runner, one does not need to be perfect.

“Marathon doesn’t need perfection…it needs consistency. In order to be successful, you need to dedicate your time to training every single day…you can’t be successful if you don’t take the training seriously. After training effectively for four or six months, you’ll be good to go,” he said.

The 38-year-old also revealed that he prefers training on the track since he is able to test his muscles and see how far he can go.

“Doing track training enables me to test my muscles whether they can accommodate all the speedwork and also testing my heart rate,” he said.