Berlin Marathon 2017 Preparation – Joining Eliud Kipchoge For A Track Workout
by Tait Hearps of Sweat Elite
The ride in the van from Global Sports in Kaptagat to the track at the School of Law in Eldoret was quiet; most athletes were listening to the radio or had earphones in. They had departed later than usual to allow time for the dirt track to dry after the overnight rain. A couple sipped on electrolyte drinks, most had only consumed some sweet milky tea prior to leaving. Eliud said that before training, and before a race, he will just drink tea and eat either some bread or a banana.
We arrived and inspected the track; the dirt was still a bit heavy with absorbed moisture, but Eliud and coach, Patrick Sang, had a chat and deemed it sufficiently dry for the session to begin. There were around 40 athletes at the track, all jogged 8-10 laps for warm up, stretched, changed shoes, and were delivered the session by Coach Sang. Interestingly, all athletes were unaware of the session’s details until the coach told them, two minutes prior to commencing.
Five sets of 2000m, walk 100m, jog 100m, 1000m, walk 100m jog 100m. Paces were set at 5:50 for the 200m and 2:50 for the 1000m. The group was split into two, based on speed.
The groups commenced, gliding around the track with ease. Each group stretched out in single file, maintaining consistent pace. Laboured breathing dissipated within a few seconds of each rep ending, and the athletes enjoyed their camaraderie and jokes as they savoured the recovery. Eliud was paced by alternating runners for the first few reps; they substituted in and out, in order to keep up the pace.
The session continued and it was evident that many of the athletes were becoming more fatigued, however Eliud looked comfortable. As we discussed pacing Sang said it was a difficult thing with an athlete of Eliud’s calibre, as even in this session some of the other athletes were “beginning to fall apart.”
As Eliud completed another lap, comfortably passing by, “BERLIN WR” emblazoned across his chest, I commented on Eliud’s great form to steer the conversation towards the big question… Will it happen? I asked Sang about his expectations for Berlin.
“Eliud is running well at the moment, but you know, it’s hard to know how someone will race; it comes down to many factors on the day.”
“An athlete can have a poor preparation, but then on the day they run very well. The most important is the mind; preparation can be amazing, but if they don’t have a good mind for the race, you know, the preparation doesn’t matter and they can run very poorly.”
The final set was completed in the requisite pace, Coach was happy. The athletes started warming down, some came to see Sang before departing, their reverence for the man was clearly discernible. I joined the athletes for the cool down jog. As we walked over to the shuttle that would take us back to Kaptagat, I had a few words with Eliud. He said he was feeling good, but when asked about whether his shirt was prophetic he bashfully laughed it off. His humility is breathtaking to observe, but his self-belief is evident in his quiet confidence: it was going to be fascinating to watch the result of the months of hard work this group of men had put in unfold on the roads of Berlin in just over a week.
