Do we like Eliud Kipchoge?
Our score: 8 out of 10. A clean record, a long run of climate and education work, and one gap: we found nothing from him on LGBTQ+ issues either way.
Kipchoge was raised in Kenya by a single mother, and he credits her with his consistency, discipline and work ethic. He started on the track in the 5000m, winning a world title and Olympic medals, before the marathon made him a household name. He has now competed for 23 years.
The peak: back-to-back Olympic marathon golds, two world records, and being the first man under two hours in the marathon, in a 2019 run that wasn't an official record. Most people would have hung up the shoes. He launched a World Tour instead, planning a marathon on every continent, Antarctica included, over about two and a half years.
The nastiest thing in his story is something done to him. After fellow runner Kelvin Kiptum died in a road crash in 2024, unverified social media claims linked Kipchoge to the death, and he says he and his family were then threatened. He asked how on earth he could be involved, and said his mother told him “this too shall pass”. The article doesn't say who made the claims or threats, and nothing in what we read supports them.
On the harm check, we found nothing nasty from him about LGBTQ+ people, women, migrants or anyone else. We also found nothing positive on LGBTQ+ issues, so the record there is thin rather than proven. On the planet he is on the record, with a climate interview headlined “Look after our planet; it's our only home”, and his foundation backs conservation.
The good stuff is practical. His tour raises money for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which backs environmental conservation and education in underserved communities. He called Africa the place “where my journey as a runner began”, and he made his first African marathon start in Cape Town in May.
The Melbourne win was classic Kipchoge. At 41 he ran a course record, said he believed his body is “still peaking”, and cheerfully added he was happy to run with the Gen Zs. He enjoyed the crowds, the Formula One track and the cricket ground finish.