Kenya: here’s the secret behind Eliud Kipchoge’s longevity

10/03/2020 Sports, World



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By now we know (almost) everything there is to know about Eliud Kipchoge. His background, consistency, family, coach, work ethic, longevity…. Name it!

Sunday’s London Marathon has been touted for weeks as the “race of the century” with Kipchoge, the fastest man in the marathon distance, against his Ethiopian rival and fellow legend, Kenenisa Bekele.

We know that Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder, will be looking to defend his title in London.

And we know that, for many years, Kipchoge has been training in Kaptagat.

What we may not fully know is the history of the team behind Kipchoge’s success.

Especially the legend’s physical therapist Peter Nduhiu who has been treating athletes at the Global Sports Communication camp consistently and reliably.

Bekele retires

On Friday, the world was shocked by the news that Bekele had withdrawn from Sunday’s race with a calf injury. Calf injuries are common in sport and it takes a great physical therapist to make sure they don’t happen …

“It’s been a difficult prep time, with blocking, when I couldn’t have my NN team around me. I was in good shape, but then I had a problem with my left calf after two fast training sessions very close together in the last weeks of preparation, “said Bekele when announcing his retirement.

“I’ve been getting treatment every day since then and I really thought I’d be ready, but today it’s worse and now I know I can’t run.”

“This race was very important to me. The time I spent in Berlin last year gave me great confidence and motivation and I was looking forward to showing it again, I have worked very hard for it.

“I realize that many people around the world have been looking forward to this race and I am sorry to disappoint my fans, the organizers and my fellow competitors. I will take some time to recover and get back in shape and I hope to return to London as soon as possible. next year. “

Jos Hermens, Kenenisa manager and director of Global Sports Communication / NN Running Team, said: “The covid-19 pandemic turned the world upside down and had a great influence on the world of sport in general, but it also had a great influence. specifically in Kenenisa Bekele’s preparation before the London Marathon.

“At the level we work at, there is a fine line between superior performance and staying healthy. Unusual circumstances complicated this situation, unfortunately. We will work hard to bring it back to the highest level.”

Three doctors

This situation (calf injury) is something that Nduhiu is well aware of. Nduhiu leads a team of three physical therapists (others being Mark Roig and Eric Muthuri) at Global Camp, describing his experience as “an interesting journey.”

The legend, Kipchoge, described Nduhiu with “magic hands” when we approached two days ago when the Kenyan contingent settled in his London bubble.

“My physical therapist (Nduhiu) is a great man and a friend … I have known him for over 15 years,” Kipchoge said from London.

“He is a good advisor, both in sports and in physical therapy and in life matters!

“Words fail me to describe him enough, but I can tell he has magic hands!”

Nduhiu acknowledges that preparations for Sunday’s London Marathon were quite challenging, but he was able to overcome the ups and downs that came with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This time it was quite challenging because the camp had been closed and I had to juggle between going home and inviting the athletes to the physical therapy session,” he tells Nation Sport. “I’m happy that the whole process went smoothly and we had no injuries,” explains Nduhiu.

He said that when he is done with the process and the athlete runs well and wins, that is when he feels good knowing that he did his part well.

Having worked with Kipchoge for 16 years, the physical therapist said he has had a good relationship with the Olympic marathon champion.

“Ours is not the doctor-patient relationship, but we have been close friends and seeing him win in any race is a great achievement for us as a team of doctors.”

“I’ve been planning with him (Kipchoge) and other athletes how they can attend physical therapy sessions and I must say that they always keep time and stick to my calls when I need them,” he said.

Nduhiu said that an athlete should immediately report how he feels after training and that the little problem can be managed while it is still early.

“When an athlete informs you after training how he feels, the problem will stop in due time instead of keeping quiet about the problem that could escalate and ruin the entire preparation process,” said the physical therapist, who has been in the profession for the past 30 years.

Played volleyball

He started the process with volleyball players who had practiced the sport in their youth before joining Athletics Kenya and accompanied athletes on various assignments around the world.

Since joining track and field, he has been able to handle several star athletes, including David Rudisha, when he broke the world record in London in 2012 during the Olympics.

Nduhiu said that an athlete needs discipline and good care to prevent injuries that normally arise from poor planning.

“Starting running before one is mature could affect an athlete’s performance and good planning is necessary with a good physical therapist who has to take care of the athlete and monitor progress,” he added.