After dominating competitive marathon running for over two decades, 41-year-old Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge has announced a transformative new chapter in his legendary career. The two-time Olympic champion, widely regarded as the greatest marathoner in history, revealed he is transitioning from elite competition to a global running initiative designed to inspire communities worldwide.
Kipchoge emphasized this shift represents not retirement but evolution, stating: ‘What I am doing is not retiring. I am evolving. I am running for purpose.’ His ambitious Eliud Kipchoge World Tour will span two and a half years and feature marathon events across all seven continents, including the challenging conditions of Antarctica.
The initiative operates under ‘Eliud’s Running World,’ a platform promoting global running participation while supporting humanitarian causes. Each marathon will raise approximately $1 million for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, focusing on education, environmental sustainability, and health initiatives. In Kenya, Kipchoge plans to build libraries across all 47 counties, believing that ‘there is knowledge in books’ essential for global connectivity.
Kipchoge’s perspective has been shaped by his unprecedented achievements—including 11 World Marathon Major victories, two Olympic gold medals, and becoming the first person to break the two-hour marathon barrier in 2019—but also by concerns about athlete welfare systems. He has become increasingly vocal about the inadequate protection and compensation for athletes who don’t reach elite status, citing the case of Evans Kibet, a Kenyan runner now imprisoned as a prisoner of war in Ukraine after being lured by false promises.
‘Talent does not look like talent if you do not nurture it,’ Kipchoge observed, comparing undeveloped athletes to uncut diamonds. He criticizes sports federations and governing bodies for failing to provide proper education, mentorship, and safeguarding, particularly for those who don’t immediately succeed.
The running icon has long advocated for clean sport, warning that pressure for quick success contributes to doping and ethical shortcuts. He believes sport should be treated as a profession with long-term perspective rather than a gamble, and has extended his mentoring to athletes in boxing, judo, and rugby.
Kipchoge’s philosophy values discipline over glamour, process over outcome, and purpose over applause. While his competitive fire remains, its meaning has transformed: ‘I have nothing more to prove to the world. What I want now is to sell the spirit of running to the next generation.’