I was not so lucky to grow up with toys as I grew up in a remote area of Kenya.
I wake up at 5am, by 6am I’m on the way to training. I come back and relax, have lunch, take a little nap, then train again at 4pm for an evening run. Then relax, dinner and bed at 9pm until the next day.
I enjoy the simplistic training and life in marathon. You run, eat, sleep, walk around - that's how life is. You don't get complicated. The moment you get complicated it distracts your mind.
To run a big marathon and win takes five months. When I’m on the starting line, my mind starts reviewing what I have been doing the last five months. I believe in my training, and I treat myself as the best one standing on that line.
Once in a while you can run very fast, but you cannot always go to the maximum.
Mentality is where the success is. I will teach the kids how to think in a positive way.
I started running because my neighbour, Patrick Sang, was an athlete and I wanted to be just like him. Patrick came from the same village as I do and my mother used to be his teacher. I was so inspired by his success.
I always tell people that this is a really simple deal: Work hard. If you work hard, follow what’s required and set your priorities right, then you can really perform without taking shortcuts. If you’re taking shortcuts, you can’t be free.
If you believe in something and put it in your mind and heart, it can be realised.
I’m not having any problems with my body so I don’t need to supplement. Growing older you don’t recover as fast, but all-in-all I’m doing well.
In the offseason I allow my body to recover, my mind to recover. I like to be with my family, to read books, and know what is going on in the world, to understand how people think.
I want to run with a relaxed mind.
You need to go near to the people and actually sensitize them about the sport - specifically running. If athletes can go near their fans, many people would develop a love for running.
Vienna is a city where they love sports.
I am just going to try to run my personal best. If it comes as a world record, I would appreciate it. But I would treat it as a personal best.
