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Marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya (2:01:39), has launched the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation.
The purpose of the foundation is prioritised around childhood education and reforestation in parts of Kenya.
On his foundation website, he wrote, “I grew up with a strong sense of togetherness with the people in my village. We were breathing together. We call it “umoja” in Swahili; it means that we are all part of the community and it’s all in the little things we can do every day for our children, friends, neighbours, strangers.”
Kipchoge emerged from Kapsisiywa, Nandi County, in the early 2000s as a talented distance runner. In 2002 he won the Kenyan trials for the World Cross Country Championships. He went to finish fifth in the event, which took place in Dublin, Ireland.
The 36-year-old is now a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the marathon (Rio and Tokyo) and the world record holder from the 2018 running of the BMW Berlin Marathon. He won eight major marathons in a row between 2014 and 2019.
“As an athlete, I have the privilege to travel the world and I see that the world is a village. I want the world to breath together. Through education and through environment conservation, I hope to share my experience and my solidarity to those who need it.”
