‘Maurten’ to fuel Eliud Kipchoge in Vienna

The reality of life is such that there’s always going to be a dissenting voice shouting down any venture by man.

But that’s the beauty of freedom of expression.

However, some irresponsible voices will always ride on such freedom and punch holes into anything, and Eliud Kipchoge’s “INEOS 1:59 Challenge” will not be an exception.

Already, some critics are arguing that the Kenyan Olympic champion’s training partner, Geoffrey Kamworor, was aided to the half marathon world record (58:01) in Copenhagen just over a week ago by a special supplement “developed for American Air Force and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) programmes.”

But NN Running Team officials have rubbished these claims, maintaining that Kamworor used “Maurten”, an innovative sports drink that Kipchoge will also use in Vienna.

'Valentijn Trouw, who is the athletes’ manager at NN Running Club and Global Sports Communication (GSC), added that in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, Kipchoge will be handed his drinks from a bike to save the few seconds he would have otherwise lost slowing down to pick his bottle at drink stations.
INEOS and GSC are, meanwhile, yet to conclude the cast of pacemakers for Vienna.

“In Vienna, drinks will be handed out by a bike. We are yet to finalise the exact numbers of pacers,” Trouw told Nation Sport at the weekend.

He spoke three days after organisers in Vienna named more pacemakers to join the pool for the October 12 challenge.

The latest pacers enlisted are Marius Kipserem (Kenya), Eric Kiptanui (Kenya), Micah Kogo (Kenya), Chala Regasa (Ethiopia), Gideon Kipketer (Kenya), Stanley Kebenei (USA), Shadrack Koech (Kazakhstan), Moses Koech (Kenya), Thomas Ayeko (Uganda), Emmanuel Bett (Kenya), Timothy Toroitich (Uganda) and Kaan Kigen Ozbilen (Turkey).
Kebenei, Koech and Ozbilen are Kenya-born distance running stars.

Kipchoge, meanwhile, says he’s ready for the Vienna challenge and his training has been “perfect.”

“I’m feeling good and to sum it up, I’m ready for the challenge,” he said in his final media teleconference on Thursday.

“The training has been going on well for the last four months and with about three weeks to go, I’m happy with the way I’m training. I can say I’m ready for the challenge!

“I’ve never changed anything at all in my training, the only thing is the mental change, to accept that I’m actually going to make it on October 12. I’m pushing my mind through a barrier.”

Kipchoge is more than confident that after falling just 26 second shy of breaking the two-hour barrier in Monza, Italy, in 2017, he has what it takes to make it this time.

“There’s a saying in my tribe that a rabbit cannot escape for two seasons. It escaped in one season in Monza, and this season, it will not escape in Vienna.”