The man who ran the fastest ever marathon will be running the London Marathon – armed with Nike’s new Flyprint technology.
Eliud Kipchoge, who ran the Berlin Marathon in a record time of 2:00:25 in 2017, will be returning to the 26.2 mile circuit on Sunday in England’s capital.
And with the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint – designed to ‘achieve previously unimaginable performance solutions’ – Kenyan runner Kipchoge is aiming for a world record run time.
The 33-year-old said: “Really, I have done a lot in the marathon. I have run well and think that that’s what I really needed in my life, what I need to leave a mark in this world.
“But that’s not enough. For now, I am really focused for London. But at the back of my mind, I am not a record-holder in the long distance.
“So, at the back of my mind, my main calling is to run a world record.
“A face has 300 muscles, and one of the muscles is whereby if you smile, then it actually just traps the pain.
“So, if you are in pain, you should try to forget that pain and the only way to forget the pain is to really smile and be happy and enjoy running.
“So, I am enjoying running by actually smiling and really getting really focused at the end of the race.”
Driven by the athlete’s feedback following from last year’s Berlin Marathon where he battled heavy rain and 99-percent humidity over the course of 26.2miles to win, the footwear is a continuation of last year’s Vaporfly Elite, made famous during Breaking2, and is the first articulation of a new upper innovation for the brand called Nike Flyprint – the first 3D-printed textile upper in performance footwear, designed to help the world’s fastest distance runners run even faster.
Nike boast that the new technology is lighter and will improve performance and speed among other points.
Kipchoge himself was left impressed with the trainers – which he will debut in London.
He said: “The Vaporfly Elite, which I used all of last year, that sole is really great. It absorbs all the impact from the ground. That’s the first thing.
“The second thing is that when you run with this kind of shoe with all the inefficiency inside it, to recover, it’s really fast. That’s the beauty of the shoe. Recovery is really high.
“And then the technicians came out with a newer one, and with this they have really been big on how to handle the rain assistance in all the marathons. And I think this is the best because there’s no absorption with water and it cannot absorb any water.
“So, it’s really a plus to me and to runners who will be running in some months when the weather is not really friendly.”
And the professional runner had some helpful advice for fellow runners on Sunday.
“If I complete all my trainings in a good way, then my mind will be more relaxed on a race day,” he added.
“So, I just try to really be calm and be stable each day, and that is what I have been doing for all these months in preparation for my next race.
“The course is really fantastic, and I can say it allows for anything, which is important because you can go out and can do anything you want out there.
“First is that, personally, I treat challenges as a part of running. Life in the marathon means that challenges will arise along the way.
“But a challenge in sport, is not a challenge forever, you can say… ‘5K to go’ … it’s not a challenge forever. And so, I accept them, and I deal with it as it comes.”
Source: uk.sports.yahoo.com
Facebook Comments