Kipchoge reveals his "World Tour" as he transitions from elite marathons: "Running to serve humanity"... in Antarctica
Kipchoge wants to race seven marathons in seven continents to raise funds for his foundation... including Antarctica.
Eliud Kipchoge, the world's greatest marathon runner, ran what will likely be his final competitive marathon on Sunday, his first time at the New York marathon, finishing 17th in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 36 seconds - his worst time in 13 years - 6:27 minutes behind Kenyan compatriot Benson Kipruto, winner of the closest finish in history.
Kipchoge, winner of 25 marathons, including 11 Majors and 2 Olympic Gold medals, turns 41 on Wednesday, and despite his 17th place finish, he managed the Seven Star Hall of Fame, that honours the runners who have completed the marked World Marathon Majors: Tokyo, Boston, London, Sydney, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City. He will not stop running, although he admitted he will "embark on my new journey of running for other things, running for a purpose", he said to Olympics.com.
"A lot is in store which I will roll out after New York. It will be an interesting journey...to do other things". He explained he plans to run in extreme, challenging surroundings to get sponsors to raise funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which supports educational and environmental causes, mentioning he will run in Antarctica (where a marathon is held annually since 1995) and Saudi Arabia. "I want to do that extreme thing that can make somebody work hard and also get partners to rally for a cause", he said.
Speaking after the NYC marathon, via Let's Run, he announced his "Eliud Kipchoge World Tour", with the goal of running seven marathons on seven continents in the next two years. Not competitively, as his goals have shifted, and sees this as a transition in his career, rather than a retirement: "running for a purpose. And this purpose is the purpose to serve humanity".
