Last week, Kipchoge made history running a sub 2 hour marathon. It was great watching the footage as he made the last 200 metres.
The place was chosen for the ideal conditions, clean air and flat terrain. He had the backing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Britain’s richest man and Nike provided the shoes.
It was wonderful to see the streets lined with people supporting and encouraging him on the last stretch. What impressed me most was that he ran the race with the help of 42 pacemakers, many of whom are world class runners themselves, As it was clear he was going to break the record, they held back and let him cross the finish line alone.
Kipchoge celebrated crossing the line with his wife and his pacemakers. With the encouragement of everyone along the way, this was truly a moment to be marked down in history. This can be compared to Roger bannister running the sub 4 minute mile in 1954 and Bolt the sub 10 second 100m sprint in 2009.
Kipchoge acknowledged this was only done as a team. And it was celebrated together as a team. Everyone was as happy for him as he was.
It is incredible what can be achieved together with other people, especially with so many people who have your back.
Who is part of your team? Who has your back?
Footnotes