This archive report was first published on 20 October 2019.
On a historic day in Mombasa, President Uhuru Kenyatta awarded the prestigious Elder of the Golden Heart (EGH) award to marathoner Eliud Kipchoge on October 20, 2019. The ceremony took place during the Mashujaa Day Celebrations.
According to President Uhuru, Kipchoge's remarkable achievement of completing a marathon in under two hours is a testament to the power of hard work and determination. The President stated, "I wish to invite and recognise Eliud Kipchoge with the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart. Eliud has proved that everything is possible by becoming the first human being to complete a marathon in under 2 hours."
The EGH award is the highest honour a civilian can receive from the President for outstanding performance. It is divided into three classes: Chief of the Golden Heart (CGH), Elder of Golden Heart (EGH), and Moran of the Golden Heart (MGH).
Eliud Kipchoge made history by becoming the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, completing a course around Vienna's Prater Park in 1 hour 59:40 minutes on a cool, misty, and windless autumnal morning.
Guided by rotating seven-man teams of pacesetters and an electric pace car, Kipchoge averaged around 2.50 minutes per kilometre.
