Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge (2nd L) is surrounded by pace runners as he passes the 22km mark in the men's race of the Berlin Marathon on September 24, 2023 in Berlin, Germany.
Muay Thai, deeply woven into Thailand’s history, stands proudly as the country’s beloved martial arts and national sport. Alongside it, football, volleyball, and badminton maintain strong popularity within the country.
However, distance running may soon see a surge in Thailand, thanks to a visit by one of the world’s greatest marathoners, Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge.
Kipchoge, who turned 40 on November 5, heads to Thailand to promote distance running—a move that could have lasting impacts on the region’s running culture.
As a two-time Olympic marathon champion, Kipchoge dreams of uniting the world through running. To help achieve this vision, he has chosen to participate in a ceremonial 10-kilometre race at the Bangkok Marathon on December 1.
This marks his first competitive appearance over this distance since his second-place finish at Italy’s Castelbuono Giro Podistico Internazionale in 2014.
A statement from NN Running revealed that the Far East tour, organised in collaboration with Amazing Thailand, aims to position Thailand as Asia’s premier running destination.
The initiative aligns with Kipchoge’s global goal of creating a “running world.” Kipchoge expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: “I share in the big ambitions to grow running as a sport, to make people more happy and healthier. There is tremendous potential in the Asian running world, and I am happy to start working together with Amazing Thailand to promote running in the Asian region.”
Reiterating his passion for running as a force for global well-being, Kipchoge added, “A running world is a happy world, a running world is a healthy world, and a running world is a peaceful world. This partnership contributes to my ambitions.”
Although he is not competing in the main marathon event, this will be Kipchoge’s third race in a challenging season. In March, he placed 10th at the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:06:50. Later, in August, he was unable to defend his Olympic Marathon title in Paris, withdrawing at the 30km mark due to a hip injury.
Despite the setbacks, Kipchoge remains a symbol of perseverance. His second-place status as the world's fastest marathoner (2:01:09) is just behind the late Kelvin Kiptum's remarkable 2:00:35. Kipchoge had previously broken his own world record in Berlin in 2022, clocking 2:01:09.
His handlers confirmed that he will race again next year in the Marathon Majors. Reflecting on his evolving challenges, Kipchoge recently remarked on NTV’s SportOn: “It’s a new experience for me and I treat it as a new challenge. The first ingredient in life is challenge, so if something happens, dust yourself up and try again. So long as you keep on giving inspiration to people, then you keep going.”
While Kipchoge has aspirations of winning all the World Marathon Majors, including Boston and New York, his legendary status is already secure with multiple victories in Berlin, London, Chicago, and Tokyo.
For now, his focus on promoting running in Thailand signals his dedication to leaving a legacy that extends beyond race victories.
