{"id":44945,"date":"2015-10-29T10:15:34","date_gmt":"2015-10-29T14:15:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/?p=44945"},"modified":"2016-07-14T16:04:09","modified_gmt":"2016-07-14T20:04:09","slug":"wilson-kipsang-interview-kenya-nyc-marathon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/fitness\/wilson-kipsang-interview-kenya-nyc-marathon\/","title":{"rendered":"Marathon Champ Wilson Kipsang on Training, Heart and Running NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Wilson
Photo Courtesy of NYRR<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

ITEN, KENYA<\/strong> \u2014 For someone who runs very fast, Wilson Kipsang is a man who can\u2019t be hurried.<\/p>\n

A downpour last Friday morning marked the arrival of Kenya\u2019s short rainy season, turning the dirt roads of Iten to mud, and forcing him to push back his training run to midday. With the New York City Marathon<\/a> just over a week away, it was a relatively short run, but then again, the defending champion is a busy guy. Two years ago he opened the Keellu Resort Centre, a hotel that has become an unofficial headquarters for up-and-coming runners, and he can\u2019t pass through the restaurant without greeting every patron by name.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s chilly at 8,000 feet in the western highlands and a small charcoal brazier burns briskly in the corner as guests sit working or chatting while sipping milky tea. Kipsang finally extracts himself from a conversation and with an easy smile he beckons the way upstairs to his office, a converted guest room bedecked with finish line photographs, trophies and a framed portrait of Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 30 Best <\/a>Marathons in the Entire World<\/a><\/p>\n

Kipsang hails from the Kalenjin tribe, which has produced many of the world\u2019s most dominant distance runners. He set a marathon world record in Berlin in 2013 with a time of 2:03:23 \u2014 a record that was broken by his fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto a year later on the same course. But that record may not hold for long either, if Kipsang has anything to do with it. The 33-year-old former police officer opened up to DailyBurn about his style of running, the importance of investing in his community and what drives him to keep chasing after his goals.<\/p>\n

Meet Wilson Kipsang,\u00a0Defending NYC Marathon Champ<\/h3>\n
\"Wilson
Photo by Emily Johnson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The NYC Marathon is almost here. Are you ready?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I’m looking forward to go and defend my title. I\u2019ve trained and prepared very well \u2014 fully, fully, fully prepared. I’m ready for it.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard about the \u201cdeath runs\u201d that runners around here do every Saturday morning, up to 50 kilometers (31 miles) up and down the Rift Valley escarpment. You won\u2019t be out with them tomorrow, will you?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

(laughs) For me now, I\u2019m tapering, coming down. So I don\u2019t really push so much in training. Tomorrow will be a long run, but it will be my shortest long run, just 25K (15.5 miles). We have also named some training routes the Boston or London route so as we prepare we can compare our time to the real course. What they named Boston has a very big hill (to mimic the notorious Heartbreak Hill<\/a>).<\/p>\n

You grew up running barefoot. Can you tell us about your running style?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, sometimes running style is something you have to work on, and it can be very difficult to change because you run in the posture where you feel you run easy. It differs for some people, but for me, I really step so much in the front. I don\u2019t land with the whole foot, just land on the front. When you are running in the front, you find that the revolutions, the frequency of them, can be much faster.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> 5 Expert Tips for Proper Running Form<\/a><\/p>\n

Many runners in Iten seem to swear by the benefits of the traditional Kalenjin drink \u2018<\/em><\/strong>mursik\u2019 (boiled milk which is then cooled, fermented, and mixed with ash). Do you incorporate it into your diet as well?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Yeah, I think mursik, <\/em>the traditional fermented milk, is really good because we are used to it from childhood. Just after taking dinner of ugali<\/em> (cooked maize flour) and vegetables, the accompaniment is mursik<\/em>. The milk contains many nutrients, and when it is fermented [it becomes] sweet. I like it so much.<\/p>\n

\"Fermented
Photos by Emily Johnson: Keellu Resort chef (left); mursik drink (right)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

What inspired you to open the Keellu Resort here?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Setting up a hotel like this, for me, is a way of giving back<\/a> to the community. And also it\u2019s a long-term investment for me because when I retire, the income can sustain your family. It will keep you going. It\u2019s also motivation for the up-and-coming athletes, the young ones. They will see that Kipsang has run, he\u2019s set up a hotel like this, so running is good. You see? So the young ones can get motivated to train and run and maybe make money, and do something like Kipsang has done. It also creates employment in the community. I have 35 staff here, so the local community gets employed, gets salaries. We buy vegetables from the local community. So they benefit a lot. It\u2019s not only for me.<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong> The 20 Most Inspiring Runners in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n

Iten calls itself the \u201cHome of Champions” and it really is incredible how many people are out on the streets running \u2014 you even see the kids running to school. The town has become almost a Mecca for runners. How has it changed since you first arrived?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I came to Iten in 2005. When I first came here there were few athletes who were training\u2026 The locals didn’t really care about it much; it was just like any other activity. But you see, when the athletes who are known by the community start to do well, the community also starts to love athletics. Before, when races were done outside Kenya, people could rarely watch on the TV, but nowadays when it is London, Boston, everywhere, the community has on all the screens to watch, and to cheer them on. It shows a kind of passion, that people feel like they are part of it. So it\u2019s really nice, coming back to celebrations. And then there are more athletes coming after school and joining, so now 70 percent of inhabitants of Iten are athletes. If you visit the rental houses where people are staying at least two out of every three houses are athletes\u2026So it\u2019s something that\u2019s becoming more of a culture in Iten.<\/p>\n

\"Wilson
Photo by Emily Johnson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Do your children want to become runners?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have four children. They are eleven, eight, six, and one year old. They\u2019re still in school so I don\u2019t know yet if they’ll really run, but I think at least one will be interested\u2026It\u2019s all about developing that culture that they should really love athletics, from the bottom of their hearts. You don\u2019t need to push them. They<\/em> have to be the ones who decide that they want to run.<\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/strong>The 11 Best Running Camps in the U.S.<\/a><\/p>\n

What do you love most about running?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

What I love most about running is the competition. I like that kind of challenge, so that\u2019s what has really been keeping me in the sport, trying to beat the time of another athlete, another course record. For me if I run this time, next time I want to see if can improve that time. It gets me to train more so I can break this record. That kind of challenge has made me train and prepare so much for the race this year. That is it.<\/p>\n

Are you looking forward to being back in New York? What\u2019s your favorite thing about the city?<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

In New York I like so much, this thing, Times Square. You see a lot of photos, pictures, screens, lots of people, it\u2019s really nice. More, more, more crazy than Iten. And training in Central Park \u2014 it\u2019s a nice place to be.<\/p>\n

Iten, Kenya: Home of Champions<\/h3>\n

Want more insights into\u00a0the life of a typical elite runner in Iten? Meet Wilson Kipsang’s old friend, Elias Kiptum Maindi, who has won marathons all over Europe. See the home he built with his winnings, find out how mursik is made, and learn what he thinks of Kipsang’s chances on Sunday.<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/youtu.be\/9HlabBvscTQ<\/p>\n

To follow Kipsang’s 26.2 journey through all five boroughs, find him on Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and via the TCS New York City Marathon mobile app<\/a>. And be sure to check out this guide to running and spectating<\/a> this year’s course!\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Can Wilson Kipsang, winner of the 2014 NYC Marathon, do it again? DailyBurn caught up with the marathoner in Iten, Kenya to talk training, inspiration and more. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,24,6],"tags":[209,62,111,108,341,357],"class_list":["post-44945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cardio","category-exercise","category-fitness","tag-athlete","tag-interview","tag-marathon","tag-running","tag-tax1living-well","tag-tax2running"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44945\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyburn.com\/life\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}