Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge recently visited Manchester United’s training ground and Old Trafford stadium, where he shared insights and knowledge with the club’s performance team and players.
His visit occurred on Saturday, just ahead of United’s match against Liverpool. During his visit, Kipchoge was presented with a personalized Manchester United jersey featuring his name and the number “159,” commemorating his historic achievement of running a marathon in under two hours during the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.
Eliud Kipchoge’s statement
“From Barcelona to Manchester, it has been a great experience to visit the different teams within the INEOS Sports Family. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to visit Manchester United and exchange knowledge with the performance team and players,” Kipchoge said in a statement on his Facebook page.
This visit follows the recent announcement by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a minority owner of Manchester United, who revealed plans to collaborate with Kipchoge and his coaches to enhance the team’s performance at Old Trafford.
Kipchoge, who won the Olympic marathon titles in 2016 and 2020, held the marathon world record from 2018 until 2023, when it was surpassed by Kelvin Kiptum at the Chicago Marathon.
Known for his remarkable career, Kipchoge has run four of the ten fastest marathons in history and is widely considered one of the greatest distance runners of all time.
His achievements include a world junior record in the 5000m, victories in the 2003 World Cross Country Championships and the 2003 World Championships, as well as a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics.
Kipchoge switched to road running in 2012, quickly making a mark with a second-fastest half marathon debut and a marathon debut win at the 2013 Hamburg Marathon.
He has since become a dominant force in marathons, securing record victories at the London Marathon and Berlin Marathon.
Eliud Kipchoge Ineos
Kipchoge’s sub-two-hour marathon during the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna on October 12, 2019, remains a monumental achievement, though it was not recognized as an official world record due to the event’s non-standard conditions.
Kipchoge’s remarkable career has earned him numerous accolades, including the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart from President Uhuru Kenyatta and the 2019 BBC World Sport Star of the Year award. In 2023, he was also honored with the Princess of Asturias Award in the category of Sports.
