Eliud Kipchoge, a marathon legend from Kenya, finished the Porto Alegre Marathon in Brazil on July 12 with a time of 2:18:42, placing 12th overall. He completed the first half in 1:05:10, but slowed down in the second half.
Kipchoge, 41, has a strong connection to Brazil, where he won the 2016 Olympic Marathon in Rio. Reporters on the scene noted that he said, “Brazil remains in my heart and in my mind. Brazil kicked off my biggest moments in sports when I got my first gold medal.”
Kipchoge began his seven-continent tour in May at the Cape Town Marathon in South Africa, where he ran 2:13:29 for 16th place.
His current tour, called Eliud’s Running World, aims to have him run a marathon on every continent over the course of two years. Although he’s only 15 months removed from running 2:05 at the 2025 London Marathon, Kipchoge has been finishing well behind the leaders during his current tour.
In Porto Alegre, Ouria Zineddine of Morocco won the race in 2:08:52, almost 10 minutes ahead of Kipchoge. The women’s race in Porto Alegre was won by Kaoutar Kahhaz of Morocco in 2:33:01.
Kipchoge’s YouTube channel has a video of his Porto Alegre Marathon endurance challenge, and his final minute can be seen at the 2:44 mark.
Kipchoge held the marathon world record for five years, running 2:01:39 in Berlin in 2018. He lowered his own mark to 2:01:09 in Berlin in 2022.
However, Kelvin Kiptum smashed that record a year later in Chicago, and this year, two men dipped under the two-hour barrier in London. The current record holder is Sabastian Sawe of Kenya, with a time of 1:59:30.
Kipchoge’s next planned race is the Melbourne Marathon in Australia in October. He has not yet announced the locations of his races in North America, Asia, Europe, and Antarctica.
For Kipchoge, running a marathon on every continent is not just about competing, but also about inspiring people.
Kipchoge’s journey can be followed on his YouTube channel, where he shares updates and insights into his training and races.
