I was watching the 2016 London Marathon. Eliud Kipchoge won it with a unique technique;
he did not know that he was less than 10 second from the world mark for a
marathon. He has had a progression to
run the marathon since the age of 18 when he won the 5,000 meters on the track
at the Worlds. How can one progress from
5,000 meters to an elite marathon winner? Is it the same thing than a
progression in triathlon? We have seen
the progression of several triathletes: Alister and Jonathan Brownlee, Mario
Mola, Fernando Alarza, Dorian Connix.
What is in that progression?
Kipchoge,
31, is a sporting hero in Kenya, a self-made millionaire whose way of life
bears no trace of grandeur. Most of the time, in fact, he chooses to live like
a pauper.
The reason is simple:
When it comes to the marathon—the event at which he’s been undefeated since
2013—maintaining a ravenous hunger is not just helpful; it’s a fundamental
requirement.
“Athletics is not so
much about the legs,” Kipchoge said. “It’s about the heart and mind.”
What Kipchoge talks
about is not different for triathlon.
This is precisely what makes the difference in the progression from
junior triathlete to elite triathlete (Olympic distance). It is not about the body, it is about the “heart
and mind.” I will add education for triathlon.
I would like Fernando Alarza to win the Olympic Games at Rio, not
because he speaks Spanish like us but because he is what Kipchoge says about
the virtues of an athlete:
“I really want to make a big mark in
athletics, to be a legend and be a good example to kids,” he said. “I want to
go around the world and educate kids on the importance of activity… Given that
objective, what he would he say to an up-and-coming athlete who’s had his faith
in the sport washed away by doping scandals, who begins to wonder—with good
reason—if it’s still possible to reach the top as a clean athlete?
“Absolutely,”
Kipchoge said. “I’ll be the first to say it: If you train well, concentrate well, stay healthy, then
you can run a world record and win medals without anything bad.”
Cape Town Triathlon had
the four first finishers who has had a good progression from juniors to elite
(Olympic distance). Connix is well known
to us. One of our athletes was ahead of
him as a junior before he won the championship.
Our athlete is gone for many reason, just after finishing ahead of
Connix, he decided to come back to his own self and left the team. The things mentioned by Kipchoge were not
present to continue progressing on his own.
The four names above
has made a good progression from juniors to elite level champions; two of them
sub-23 champions; Alarza two second places as sub-23; Johny Brownlee is Johny
Brownlee. Three years to make the
transition as average from junior level champion to elite level champion.
Alarza appears to be
an example for the kids. Let´s see what
he can do physically, he is ascending and is better than most of the others
already.
You can see more on
Alarza.
