A few weeks ago my son, Kian, started learning about a marathoner named Eliud Kipchoge. Immediately, Kian was enthralled by his story – it so motivated him that when he heard that Kipchoge grew up running to school for fun, Kian wrote in days on our calendar that he needed to run to school too. Over the weekend, we watched Kipchoge: The Last Milestone together, and learned so much more about the legendary runner!

Kipchoge was born in 1984 in Kenya (my mother’s birthplace too!). He graduated from secondary school in 1999 but wasn’t a serious runner at that time. Two years later, he met his trainer Patrick Sang, and by 2002 he started winning various races. He largely participated in the 5000m (about 3 miles), where he won bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and silver at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In 2012 and 2013, he started running more and more half marathons and marathons – in his debut marathon in Hamburg, he beat the field by over two minutes and set a course record. He went on to place gold in the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics in the marathon.

In May of 2017, Kipchoge was one of three participants in the Nike Breaking2 project, to break the two hour marker in the marathoner. Kipchoge finished in two hours and twenty-five seconds – barely missing the two hour goal. For a sense of just how difficult a two hour marathon is, consider this – it means holding a pace of a 4:34 minute mile for 26 miles or 2 hours. Most of us couldn’t hold that pace for 30 seconds.

The Last Milestone movie charted Kipchoge’s journey to break that two hour barrier. The final race took place in Vienna, and Kipchoge had the benefit of a pacer car and a team of 41 runners who took turns running around him in a formation designed to shield Kipchoge from the wind. This team of runners were a global mix of Kipchoge’s peers – a mix of competitors and friends, who were all working together to try and let him have the spotlight in this goal.

Throughout the film, Kipchoge states a personal mantra – “No human is limited.” At first it sort of feels gimmicky, but having seen and read a lot about him lately, I can attest that he truly means it and applies it to all walks of life. He means it to apply just the same to a farmer, or a teacher, or an engineer – and he puts forth this mantra throughout the film as a testament to what hard work and a zen attitude can achieve.

For his own part, Kian continues to run to school a few days a week, spreading the word of Eliud Kipchoge in his own special way. We are lucky and privileged to live in a city with many options to cover the 1.5 miles to school – a school bus, a city bus, a subway, a scooter, a bike ride, or just walking. But he insists on running some days, to live the message in Eliud Kipchoge’s heart – No human is limited.

-Reshma

"No human is limited..."