Eliud Kipchoge breaks silence about his relationship with Jim Ratcliffe and why the pair have maintained contact.
Two-time Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has finally revealed how his relationship with Jim Ratcliffe started.
The five-time Berlin marathon champion's relationship with Ratcliffe dates back to 2019, when Ineos orchestrated his attempt to become the first man to run a sub-two-hour marathon.
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The 2014 Chicago marathon champion successfully completed the challenge, clocking 1hr 59min 40sec in Vienna, although it did not count as a world record as it was not run under race conditions.
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"Jim is a very good man. We talk every day through WhatsApp. We text each other all the time," Kipchoge told the Daily Mail.
"I met Jim in 2019 in Monaco and he had an idea that it had not been since 1954 (Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile) when a human made history in sport. He offered me a chance to try and make history and I used that chance in a good way. I managed to run under two hours. He is a real enthusiast as far as sport is concerned," he added.
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While that might be the case, Ratcliffe’s sporting empire is currently crumbling around him. Earlier this month, it was announced that the Ineos Britannia sailing team had abandoned its challenge for the next America’s Cup.
In February, the All Blacks launched legal action against Ineos, accusing them of failing to pay the first of this year's instalments as part of their sponsorship deal, a dispute which was recently settled.
Questions have also been asked of the petrochemicals company’s long-term future with the Mercedes Formula One team, of which they own a one-third stake, and the Ineos Grenadiers cycling outfit. But despite Ineos’ financial challenges, Kipchoge is confident they will continue to back his Kenyan-based running group.
"Jim is a real running fanatic. Ineos is a good company and we are together as one with NN Running Team. We have a good connection in Kenya. They are trying to build a cycling academy because we believe an African can one day be a champion of the Tour de France.
"So we are together, we really want to drive sport across the world. We are together with all types of sport where Ineos is connected.
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"It is really fun to get the knowledge from football, from cycling, from F1. We mix all of that and put it in one package and share it and come up with one brilliant idea. It feels wonderful."
Will Kipchoge redeem himself in London?
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Kipchoge insists he is also feeling wonderful ahead of his London Marathon return. This will be his first race since Paris 2024, when the defending champion failed to finish for the first time in his career, dropping out after 19 miles citing discomfort around his waist.
Kipchoge will be up against last year’s London winner Alex Mutiso and Olympic gold medallist Tamirat Tola. But he still thinks he can triumph for a record-extending fifth time in the capital.