Kipchoge eyes another glorious moment as he races in New York

This Sunday, a legend who has bestrode marathon and long-distance racing like a colossus will be on the streets of New York City as he eyes another glorious moment.

Two-time Olympic champion and former world record holder Eliud Kipchoge is a man on a mission as he prepares to line up in the 2025 New York City (NYC) Marathon on September 2.

The multiple World Marathon Majors winner will be running his NYC Marathon debut two months after placing ninth at the Sydney Marathon (the latest entry into the World Marathon Majors) and six months after a sixth position in London.

On Sunday, Kipchoge, who will be turning 41 three days after competing in NYC, said he is ready for his debut.

“I am ready for the 2025 New York City Marathon. I'm prepared and looking forward to it. The main target in New York is to run a good race,” the legend, who has been a professional athlete for the last 23 years, said in an interview.

He said one of his biggest missions is to leave footprints in every city of the world and that his running will not stop at NYC.

“Running is a movement and I want to welcome fans to join it. Let us leave my footprints in every city of the world,” Kipchoge said in Eldoret.

Additionally, in a video he released on Sunday, a week to the NYC Marathon, Kipchoge said he has sharpened his muscles in readiness for the upcoming contest

There was nothing different in his training regimen, Kipchoge said.

He said he will be looking forward to interacting with athletics enthusiasts in the US city.

“From 2024, starting in Chicago until now, it has been a lot of years and many experiences including ups and downs. And that is how sports is today you are up and tomorrow you are down,” said Kipchoge.

He added: “I will accept the outcome of the race and still move on while pushing.”

Aside from chasing glory, Kipchoge’s lofty ambitions in and out of competition are many.

He has set his sights on mentoring young male athletes at a time when the men’s dominance, especially at global championships is shrinking.

“The problem is the environment and the people surrounding the men athletes. They don’t express themselves on critical issues of life, they aren’t giving their knowledge and they don’t educate the boy child. The problem is us,” Kipchoge said as he hinted at the kick off of his new mission.

He challenged sports administrators to lay out a plan to rescue athletes from societal problems.

“Budding male athletes are ready to be mentored but are we trying to offer mentorship? The answer is no. They are always ready to be mentored. They are very good,” he said.

He promised to use his athlete representative position at the National Olympic Committee of Kenya to mentor and inspire young sportsmen and women, especially the boy child.

“I will listen to their cries and take them to sports administrators and I’m here to do the positive things,” said Kipchoge.

Ahead of the Sunday race, Kipchoge encouraged upcoming road and track athletes to take cross country seriously.

“Cross Country is the real deal. Athletes who are under 30 years of age should do their buildups through cross country racing and that is the only way to shift to the next stages including road races and track,” he further said.

On US soil, Kipchoge has one World Marathon Major title from Chicago.

He has won five times in Berlin, where he set and shattered his records and has four victories in London and one in Tokyo.

On Sunday, Kipchoge will be competing alongside compatriots Evans Chebet, the 2022 champion, 2021 winner Albert Korir and New York City half-marathon victor Abel Kipchumba among others.