Why did Kipchoge fail at the Boston Marathon?

On the Boston race on April 17, Kipchoge was always in the first group, taking the number one position from km 21 to 30. But he gradually fell behind when he reached Heartbreak Hill - the most difficult part of the Boston running with steep slopes. 3.3%, 30m higher at the 30km mark. In the end, the Kenyan legend only finished sixth after 2 hours 9 minutes 23 seconds.

This achievement is Kipchoge's worst statistic in 20 marathons from the beginning of his career. He returned 3 minutes and 31 seconds later than Evans Chebet - his compatriot made a spectacular breakthrough at the end to finish first with 2 hours 5 minutes 54 seconds, successfully defending the Boston Marathon championship.

Receiving the first defeat since London in October 2020, Kipchoge did not respond to the media. But through the announcement of the organizers, he considered April 18 as not the day for him to push the limit to a new level, despite his best efforts. Runner born in 1984 also emphasized "there is always tomorrow to pose new challenges".

Through this announcement, it is not possible to say whether Kipchoge will experience any specific problems while attending the 2023 Boston Marathon. But before going to this major, Kenyan athlete and coach Patrick Sang both said that the pre-tournament process was very strong and did not mention any problems. So, according to Let's Run, Kipchoge's failure at Boston was simply "he was technically beaten by his juniors".

In his pre-tournament statements, Kipchoge emphasized that he does not consider this year's Boston Marathon any different from other majors he has attended. Kipchoge didn't change his training plan to deal with the hills and headwinds - a Boston specialty. The record holder is confident that regular training on the route he and the NN Running team named "Boston" - with the hills surrounding the Kaptagat headquarters - is still effective. Like many other elites, Kipchoge also did not test the track before competition day, and claims to not need advice from anyone.

After the signal to start on the morning of April 17, according to local time, Kipchoge made a strong breakthrough when he crossed the first 5km mark in 14 minutes and 17 seconds and made sure to always be in the leading group in the first half of the race.

According to Let's Run, Kipchoge seemed to want to use this approach to convey the message: "I am the best marathon runner in history and I will do exactly what I usually do. And that is enough for me to fight. win". Moreover, this is not a bad approach, as Kipchoge has won more major tournaments than any other marathon runner in history.

Weather was also an important factor affecting Kipchoge's performance in Boston on April 17. The last time he failed at a marathon - London October 2020 - also came in nearly similar weather conditions. Compared to London two and a half years ago, the rain in Boston recently was not as heavy, but the temperature was colder, only 9 degrees Celsius.

Kipchoge also spends a lot of time in the lead. This is also not an unfamiliar position for the 10-time major champion, but it takes energy both physically, when he is affected by slight headwinds, and mentally when there is no pacer.

Before he fell behind from the 30th kilometer, in addition to Kipchoge, there were a number of other runners who took turns running in parallel. But he is still most affected by the headwinds, certainly more than Chebet - a fellow athlete who chose the strategy of hiding from the wind and saving energy in the early stages.

Kipchoge once set a time of 1 hour 59 minutes 40.2 seconds in Vienna, Austria, in October 2019 and became the only person in the world to run a sub2 marathon. He did this by playing with controlled surroundings, like no opponent and a rotating pacer team. But according to Let's Run, "Kipchoge seems to have forgotten that in Boston."

In addition, age may also start to affect Kipchoge's performance, although he has just broken his own world record with 2 hours 1 minute 9 seconds in the last tournament - Berlin Marathon 2022. But also Maybe he doesn't fit the hills and headwinds of Boston, making the tournament here so different from London, Berlin, Chicago and Tokyo - where he has won the majors 10 times.

"Or maybe Kipchoge just had a bad day. It always happens to marathoners, just not often with Kipchoge," Let's Run commented.

Kipchoge once expressed his desire to win all six majors. This means that New York - the only major fall tournament he has never won - will be Kipchoge's next competition. Sydney Marathon - the organization that recently applied to join the World Marathon Majors (WMM) - is also trying to negotiate to sign a contract to invite Kipchoge to the tournament in September.

It remains unclear whether Kipchoge will compete in New York, Sydney or any other tournament after the defeat in Boston. In addition, is Kipchoge really determined to fulfill his ambition to win all six majors? If so, will he return to Boston in 2024 to continue his journey or will he attend London next spring - the more familiar and successful route?

These decisions will directly affect Kipchoge's journey to win the third gold medal at Paris 2024. If he returns to Boston next year and continues to fail, it is not excluded that the athlete born in 1984 will drop out of the track and field team. Kenya to Paris. In the not-too-distant past, they excluded Mary Keitany from the 2016 Olympic team after she finished ninth in London that spring.

"Kipchoge repeatedly emphasized setting only one specific goal and not thinking about anything but the marathon he was aiming for. Kipchoge chased the Boston championship and failed. So what goal will Kipchoge set next? follow?", Let's Run commented.