This archive report was first published on 7 October 2019.
On Sunday, the St Paul's Catholic University Chapel in Nairobi hosted a special Mass for Eliud Kipchoge, the world marathon record holder. The Mass was organized by running enthusiasts, led by Victoria Kaigai, who gave a tribute to Kipchoge during the service.
"Today, we pray for our world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge," said Fr Stephen Mbugua, the priest in charge, in his opening prayer.
During the service, Kaigai broke down what it means for Kipchoge to run the marathon in under two hours this weekend in Vienna. "He is hoping to accomplish what no man in the world has ever done. He will be running 42.4 kilometres in one hour, 59 minutes," she explained.
"To accomplish this feat, he needs to run each kilometre at around 2.83 minutes, which is like running from Westlands to the Central Business District in five minutes," Kaigai added. "This will push his body and his mind to unknown levels and if he ever needed God, and Mother Mary and all the Saints, this is the time -- that is why we are here, praying hard. As Eliud also famously said, 'you cannot train alone and expect to make a fast time... 100 percent of me is nothing compared to one percent of the team.' We are, therefore, going to be Eliud's pacemakers in prayer," she concluded.
Fr Mbugua's homily drew from the morning's readings to extol the virtues of faith and working for love and for joy. It is such joy that Kipchoge hopes the world will celebrate when he crosses the finish line at The Prater in Vienna on Saturday before the clock strikes two hours, his mantra being "no human is limited."
On Monday, the organizers in Vienna are expected to make a final announcement on the timings of Kipchoge's run, which will be from 8am on Saturday, weather-permitting.
