Wilson Kipsang with Gidi and Ghost.
2014 New York and London Marathon champion, Wilson Kipsang, was the second high-profile guest that Gidi and Ghost hosted in studio during the station's live broadcast from the 64 Stadium in Eldoret.
Kipsang talked about his 13-year journey to athletics super-stardom which quite contrasts with that of a fictional Radio Jambo character known as "Ngebe" (Kalenjin for "let's go").
The Ngebe character came up thanks to one caller who criticised some of his friends for training for years so as to make it as athletes and win big money but the most shocking thing is that they have never even won the Kass FM marathon. Ngebe, who is said to have finished 49th in the Kass FM marathon, does not do any other thing other than just train for races which he does not even win.
The 33-year-old talked about his training regime, his diet and offered insight on how he came to achieve success on the track through sheer hardwork, committment and determination.
The following an some excerpts from his interview with Gidi and Ghost.
On when he started running and what pushed him to marathon races: I started training for races after completing school in 2002. I trained for 5 years before I got a chance to run outside Kenya.
On the first race that he won: I won my first race in 2007 when I emerged victorious in the Tarsus half marathon in Turkey. NOTE: Kipsang won that event with a record time of 1 hour 2 minutes and 5 seconds. The record still stands to date.
On his venture into full marathon races and first success: For three years after turning pro I mostly participated in half marathons, 15-kilometre races and 10-kilometre races. I ran my first full marathon in 2010 when I finished 3rd in the Paris Marathon. NOTE: Kipsang won his first marathon race in the same year after finishing first in the Frankfurt marathon.
On what it takes to win races to set records: Winning takes a lot. You have to sacrifice so many things and also train hard and eat well. It is not as easy as many people think. I train three times a day. Even with all that efforts success can take long to come because running is not easy. Patience is key and one must take good care of their body because without a healthy body, nothing will be achieved. It took me 10 years to set a world record (Berlin 2013).
On how he eats: I watch what I eat. I mostly eat carbohydrates because I need energy. My meals usually have 80% carbohydrates, 10% proteins and 10% vitamins. The meals also have very little fat. People may think we eat little food when they see our portions but I must point out that we eat so many times in a day and each time we take just small portions. Most of our supplements are in drinks because we train hard and therefore we can not eat immediately after working out at times. Eating immediately after a hard work-out stresses the body because it is not yet ready to absorb the taken meal. To counter that, we take drinks that have supplements.
On how he felt after winning London marathon twice: I see that as a unique opportunity. I won it for the first in 2012 when I started running the World Marathon Majors and the second time I won it, I did so with a course record (2:04:29) that is yet to be lowered. It was not easy to win it with that time. I am also the only marathoner to run six sub 2-hour-5-minutes marathons (NOTE: Frankfurt 2010 and 2011, London 2012, 2014 and 2015, and Berlin 2013).
On his greatest rival: In Kenya we have many talented runners and all pose a great challenge. If I were to single out I can say; Dennis Kimetto (world marathon record holder) who can run fast, Geoffrey Mutai (he has run 2 hour 3 minutes 2 seconds) and I can also add Geoffrey Kamworor and Eliud Kipchoge who are catching up well. I must however point out that consistency must be key in determining great runners.
On why most marathon records are broken in Berlin: The course is very flat and their is constant provision of water. Also the weather is usually very good.
On if marathon record holder get paid for every year their record remains unbroken: No such payment is given but breaking a record increases your market value and therefore it puts you in a good position to command a high appearance fee for races.
On challenges faced by Kenyan athletes: Yes we do. When we win people celebrate but only few understand the costs we have incurred to win. From training to the finish line we are all alone.
On Athletics Kenya: They have tried but they need to change the constitution being used to run it. It has no structure to assist athletes who lose money from races they win. There is no system put in place for follow up to be done when athletes do not get paid for races.
On doping: That issue is so doping and all I can say our athletes use some drugs without knowing. They could be buying supplements or medication, for let's say a cold, which have banned substances and they do not know about it. Our athletes needs to be educated.
On agents making athletes dope: I can not dispute that. There are some who like shortcuts so that they win races after training only twice and hence make money quickly. It is wrong and that habit has to be stopped. Some agents do that so that their athletes can break records and hence raise their profile.
On his favourite football teams: I am not a big football fan but I follow Harambee Stars keenly locally and outside our borders, I support Chelsea.
On his next race: As of now am on holiday but will start rigorous training soon. My next race may be in April next year but I am not sure which race it will be. I will get a clear picture as time goes on.
To listen to his Wilson Kipsang's full interview with Gidi and Ghost, click play in the audio clip shared below.
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