Eliud Kipchoge has not won a marathon in almost two years. Sydney might just bring good tidings, NIKE’s #JourneytoCompete

The #JourneytoCompete Program is a collaboration between NIKE running and RunBlogRun to encourage and reach young athletes as they journey through cross country and learn about the sport. Eliud Kipchoge, two time Olympic gold in the marathon, four time Olympic medalist, won his first title as a junior in World Athletics Cross Country Championships, in 2003. Eliud won his first World Championships senior title at 18, in Paris, in the 5,000m. Twenty-two years later, after winning sixteen of 22 marathons, Eliud Kipchoge is still racing, this time at the TCS Sydney Marathon! Special thanks to Deji Ogeyingbo, RunBlogRun senior writer, based in Georgia (Deji is in grad school) for this article! To learn more on NIKE running, please go to www.nikerunning.com.

Eliud Kipchoge has not won a marathon in almost two years. Sydney might just bring good tidings

There is always an aura that the very best of athletes in history always compete with. Even when they lose a few races, runners are still scared to face them. It’s largely because many feel it’s inconceivable to knock them off their perch. At 40 years old, Eliud Kipchoge will be running the Sydney Marathon. He has already defined the modern marathon. Sixteen victories from 22 official marathon races speak to a level of consistency that few athletes achieve. Eleven of those wins came in World Marathon Majors, and an unbeaten streak of ten races between 2014 and 2019 remains unmatched. Olympic gold medals in Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2021, a second-fastest marathon time in history at 2:01:09, and a career that has spanned more than two decades place Kipchoge among the rarest of talents. Yet the Kenyan has not stood atop the podium in an official marathon since his triumph at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

His absence from victory in subsequent races has created a quiet tension around his Sydney debut, offering the chance to see a different side of an athlete accustomed to winning. This will be Kipchoge’s first race in Oceania, and his first time running in Sydney. The city’s famous harbour, the Opera House, and its undulating streets present a course unlike those he has dominated in Berlin, London, and Tokyo. He speaks of the experience with anticipation rather than apprehension, noting the opportunity to explore a stunning city while competing against an elite field that includes 15 athletes with personal bests at or…