Eliud Kipchoge & David Bedford | Full Address and Q&A | Oxford Union

[Music] [Music] good evening I think I am nowis I'm real nervous and when we say I'm happy to stand here in Oxford I'm really happy to talk of myself and my success in sport particularly in athletics I already start by introducing myself that I am a looot of chalk I was born long time ago in 1984 in western part of Kenya and I attended most of the primary schools where two primary schools go to secondary school and you know I was I didn't care that Chinese I call it to further my studies by going to the college but reason is normal that's the way in Africa reason is that my reason occurred was that I was born and raised by a single parent and we had that really really limited resource to really to pay for my school fees we are four in the family and our mother a tight chop of teaching in a Canaan kindergarten and the moment I was finishing secondary school my mother had already quit a job and the only source of life Ruth luckily it was actually selling the local crew that's what actually you were hitting that's what makes us what makes me to stand here today is that it get small money to buy clothes and buy food out of the local prune my neighbor was running and I say I want to be like him and I've a chance actually of both on a plane to Europe and I start training because I had no other is a waiter go to college and be successful or look at other means I trained and in two years time I met my neighbor with circly my coach now partisan he gave me my facilities and program Oni used to check all those programs every two weeks those two weeks actually went to his farm I need chatted what happened three and I was ok he told me you are ok and [Music] continued like that in the year 2001 there was a very good organization cross country in Kenya and I tried my best and I it was a 6 Series and I won five out of six 2002 that was my first holding I won a national championship that's junior in cross country by a got a chance to represent Kenya in Idol on 13 Tapley and was placed the fifth position I go back to Kenya to Train I had no chance of going back again coming back until I trained very well join the club all that here global sports communication that year in December put in a come apart exam and I wanna cane the status that the cross-country Series in Kenya six out of six I won a national champion tree championships I gotta call the metal in West Coast country in the Sun in in Switzerland and three months four months down the line that was I cannot halt by winning 5,000 meters in in France that's in Paris between the two because SH mlq gentleness that was the beginning of my life in sport in 2004 I qualified for Olympic Games to the city whereby Olympic was born 13 Athens and I was blessed at that I got a bronze medal thousand and five dozen and firefight really I didn't attend any championship but I went to wall cross country and I was four Ksenia category the Synoptics I caught a bronze medal in wall into in Russia 2007 I got a silver medal in World Championships in Osaka that's in Japan thousand innate I got a silver medal in 5000 meters in Olympic Games in baekje thousand anion I was sucker in number five in 5000 meters in World Championships in Pauline to entertain I got a silver medal in 5000 meters in communal games in India 2011 I was number four in 5000 meters in Tohoku 2012 that was actually my low moment I missed the chance to Olympic Games in London that was that my 10-year career in track and field those 10 years I managed Tran under 13 minutes for all 10 years I managed Tran 3 to 3 in 1500 meters 315 a mile 727 in 3000 meters - all about 6 in 5000 meters and 2649 in 10,000 meters I know as I can say I am the first human being Tran under 27 in 10 kilometers in a road inside Silvestri in my treat although although it was not recognised but I ran to in service 54 that was at the hip over of new year I had a big plan with my coach and my management after ticket in track and field then I change my mind and make transformation to the road and in 2013 I tried my first marathon in number and I ran a 205 30 that was my first merit the second Martin was in Pauline thus in 2013 a K'naan in September and I ran my personal time those those days that's included that I ran 204 zero five and I was second P I in Wilson Casa Marina world record 2014 I ran 205 f00 and I was i won I wrote at a marathon 30 Aachen I went to Chicago on Iran 204 11s that was my second fastest time in 2015 that was my first time in London and I won in London for my for the first time with a time of 204 42:30 I can I go back to Pauline and I ran a 204 0 0 although I had a party when my insults proved out of the shoe but I say because I prepared very well and I planned very well she the insoles canno cannot interrupt me but I want raised by 204 0 0 the following year 2016 I came back to London for a second time thank you for welcoming me for a second time I run the second fastest time in history that's two or three zero five I missed you a couple of seconds I missed your wall socket and some months back really I was reappointed to the team of Kenya two Olympic Games in Rio I won a marathon interview that suddenly became Cecila yeah I gotta call 2-methyl some two months after curtain to the cult method then they came this project called tube the bracken - project organized by the Nike and I was offered a chance to actually be one of them tOSU actually going to try Tran and at two hours it wasn't unthinkable and I think most of the people still and think about I say yes I choose to be one of them I took time I trained for seven months and on fifth on 6th of May 2017 in Monza that's a formula on top I manage Tran two hours flat and 25 seconds and I'm happy to say and standard 8 that the world is only 25 seconds away tour local is full of challenges and we need to challenge ourselves I took a challenge to run that fast it is really it takes it consumes a lot of energy especially mentally but I took myself and accepted to be challenged and I challenge the times the owner luckily was no attack early except when I when I go through the the truths for the fans in the whole world most of them was not accept in fact I had a friend in India who told me that the guy is 50s now and they told me he will die before we see a human being running towards blood I met him one Monaco in New York and I choked with you you will never talk and because you have seen me running 12 two months ago I was invited I call it ran in Pauline marathon and I might victorious by ran into a tree tattoo in Pauline and I want to say actually all what I have done is to to some factors as as I am saying always you cannot in order for you to be successful you need to consider some factors one is self-discipline certainly is very well preparation that Lee is well okay you should be well organized totally suit is you should think positive fifth is actually working with people and we start with self this P I can say is self discipline starts with you it's not at a path it's that's with you start to examine yourself and when you start to examine yourself so self this will it means it's doing what's right rather than doing what you feel like doing that's the minimum of self discipline after actually accommodating select explain in your mind self discipline can help you in to acquire cut ratings can save your feelings cut back cut you on back on the course when you when you try to thin otherwise then when you are selling this plane you got me easily come back think positively tell us you the thing torkoal to the writing in the moment for long-term phenomics oh can you handy self-discipline oh can you can't fit this self-discipline one is that you should stick to your priorities secondly is that toward the Mac exercise when you decided to do something to it no excuses then we are self discipline that leads that learn to say no and that's final fertile is that you met discipline your lifestyle this plane is not one time event celeb discipline is like peeling the muscle it's like going to the gym you cannot call the team today and build your muscle you should cut a program and go slowly by surely that's the way to building a muscle and that's the way discipline that's the way you can hand and cultivate just yourself display remember only the discipline ones are free in life I repeat again only the discipline ones are free in life if you are in this plane you are a slave to your moods you are a slave to your passions that suffer remember there is a quote which says it's not even a quote but there is a sign which is there in one of the nicer schools in Canada it is place the best time the planet 3 was 25 years ago that was the best attempt planetry it's there in the in the world in the world of tetanus our school in in Canada the pasted the second and the best time is today plant the tree of self-discipline I repeat again when you visit that school that nasser school that kindergarten school in in in canada it's written the best time the planet tree was 25 years ago but the second and the best time to plant a tree absolute discipline is today just today is 30th is the best time for you to plant a tree of self-discipline second factor on how to be successful is planning and preparation remember in sport i believe in a plaza be well air biases to be natural is not important to be successful is not even in bother but how to plan and prepare is critical crucial that means when you are proud very well a new plant very well then success can come on maui then women can come on maui Dudley is that you should get organized in what you are doing Ford is that you should actually think positive in any probation you should think positive that's the traivor of your mind if your mind is really thinking positive then we're on the right track remember it says pleasure in what you are doing it was is what puts perfection in norwalk that was the the others are quote by Aristotle fifties teamwork I am here because of teamwork I am here because sport is a mutual interest I am here to talk of my success because I am really I am really I'm really on to Tim Oh Tim or actually elif's alone remember in sport we have got to call the heron's formula and if you are an hero then you offer a formula and that formula says hundred percent of myself is nothing compared to one percent of the old team and vice versa that's one person of the whole team it's nothing compared to hundred percent of myself and that's the meaning of team one sixth factor is consistency the law of consistency we should get motivated and motivation actually motivation makes you to move motivation makes you to go forth and in that mode fashion if you want to be consistent is tree on the other a nice base discipline and what makes you to claw is discipline and the and when you cook when you bring motivation and discipline then you can be consistent and when you combine all together they say if you want to grow consistency is the key I'm confident in saying that consistence is the key if you want to grow in a new profession with sport feet low feet all sorts of provisions if you're not consistent you cannot go in but consistency makes you to crow the 71 instructor be comfortable with being uncomfortable or being comfortable with with ping out of your comfort zone accept change in others I am saying change our Collison border I know it's an comfort it is not really comfortable to to adopt change but change in life of a human being in labor and elevation is really important but in chain you cannot be forced I can case in this house we are between 100 and hundred and fifty but apricot as a key to the kid of exchange if you have open your kid hope white and well lock and welcome J a change then you are on the right direction if you have closed the door and throw away the key then you will not be comfortable Jane is important we should accept the change in any situation the last factor is believing in yourself personally I believe in what I am free to run a pic marathon and win tax five months but when when I am in a starting line my mind start to ring what I have been doing for the last five months I believe in my trainings I treat myself as the best - I need a fly because my mind tells me were the best and I am living or not I've been to him for five four five months and I can run free I can run free and that's what actually has helped me to be successful last list that you should actually by believing yourself in May I flipped on myself and I ran against the unthinkable the scientists in the whole world are kahlúa peace in their lives and saying the first human being to run two hours or under two hours will be in the Year 2075 2075 we're still having the seven years for human beings run two hours for under two hours 57 years but I approved them wrong last May that by believing in yourself I believe on myself and ran unthinkable the impossible I trust that they're still in their lives and they are now thinking otherwise I'm a strong believer in in believing what actually if you believe what you are doing then you will be successful you know it tooks it took me seven months off at work and actually not even hard to work I can say it was really acted too thin and sometimes you can sleep and wake up and you know the six o'clock that's eleven but the seven months I trained to help me to actually consume all the tension all the nervousness and at the end of it I achieved photos few remarks let me hand there and I will come back for Q&A thank you I'm the I'm the desert rather than rather than the starter we had a very useful session up upstairs beforehand with some selected people which made us nice and relaxed some of the things some of the things that Elliott says I've really fascinates him one of the things that you you really get sports people talking about is the journey properly and if you put in perspective that when Ed iord was a young boy the world record for the marathon was to 720 or something like that probably Steve Jones Great Britain in Wales to 720 so his journey was understanding what the world record was mechanized knit being a kid and a million miles away from it having to having to get up to that level in the first place and probably by the time he got there had already moved again a bit further and then surpass it and I think that that while a lot of sports people talk about the the outward signs of their success medals and records and how much money they earned and things like that the real success and the real feeling of worthiness that sports people get is remembering their own their own personal journey from where it all started and where it finished and even if people don't go the whole way in a journey because there's other people who are better than them the fact that people have gone through that journey is is a real value it was certainly something that I forgot in 1981 when I owned a nightclub in Luton quarter mad hatter 1981 of course was the first year of the London Marathon and at hoppers 10:00 at night having had a few I have to say a pun sir bet me that I wouldn't run the marathon next day now I'd probably had half a dozen points already I took the bet it was a thousand pounds and and thought this was worthwhile doing I changed my lifestyle immediately you must remember that this was after I finished running and I was rather unfit but nonetheless I thought I'd do what I could do so I moved from beers to pina coladas thinking a health to drink would would be really helpful the club shut at 2:00 o'clock and by the time we got the punters out it was 2:30 and we went to a local restaurant known as the light of India but effectually known as the shite and had a carbo-loading meal there went to bed had to get up at 7 o'clock was the first on the mouth and started at 9 o'clock and I managed to get to the start line I had phoned the race director Chris Brasher who organized a London mouth and so he was started on the mouth and was and was actually here when roger bannister when the first four minutes he he was one of the Pacemakers later became an Olympic champion himself and I said is it okay if I won he said well you know why are you phoning me you know you'll do what you want to do because that's all you ever bloody do and and he put the phone down I went to the start feeling pretty confident because there was still quite a bit of alcohol in the system the first half was a dream first half was a dream I went through half weighing probably about one hour twenty something like that feeling quite good and confident and then the vindaloo started to work its way through the body and I started to adopt a slightly different run in style I was I was ill I was I was caught on television puking into a drain and the last three miles took me 45 minutes I ran three hours 45 which as you will know is somewhat slower than than then Elliot is doing but strangely enough having moved from that period of my life back into working with London Marathon as being the race director and one of the best things best job you could ever have be very slow it to the London Marathon and be in charge of pushing the elite fields together just absolutely astounding certainly for and exactly you just can't beat it and trying to work out which athletes you should have who are the best athletes and over the years we've had some wonderful competitive events in London and we've seen some amazing things khalid khannouchi in 2004 i think or something like that my men was going it would happen to you all ran had to break the world record in london two hours two hours 536 now you know Elliot would be two and a half minutes ahead of that but he broke the world record paula radcliffe run in to 1525 when the world record was to 1830 right just completely annihilated it deenis Theo's so on winning three times in a row something Elliot hasn't done yet but with him running in London in in April you won't get very good odds that he doesn't do it that's for certain you know just some amazing amazing performances paul tergat he mentioned Haile Gebrselassie Liz McColgan when he named a Martin you know just amazing amazing wonderful victories over the years and I've I've thoroughly enjoyed this last 24 hours a lead it came into London yesterday and we spent some time together and we are different people I'm old white hair he hasn't got white hair yet but he will do in time but the conversations about the two hours and I think this happening at this time in Oxford is really quite amazing because when you read or if you read any of the stories leading up to the first four-minute mile that everyone thought was impossible and it was beyond human ability and then Roger Bannister here at if Lee Road smashes it and this is exactly where we are with the marathon now it's it's going to happen it's got some momentum and you know I'm I'm in the sort of the business that builds things up and make some sound great and everything else right but when Elliot tells me that I'll see it in my lifetime my god I'm gonna believe him and I think it's just been it it's a privilege knowing Elliot I am pretty certain he's not quite there at the moment but I think another couple of races and we will be talking about the greatest distance runner the world has ever seen and who have been some Haile Gebrselassie Kenenisa Bekele Amir was a topic now going back in time you know just you know some amazing people one o'clock nineteen World Records just amazing amazing performances in periods of time and at the moment he's only he's only two-time Olympic champion to different distances he's only one two three oh five not even the world record holder at the moment but he's only been beaten in one marathon and he will I am certain become the greatest distance runner the world has ever seen Elliot Jogi do you have another surge or not open up to questions now I'm on fire Elliott get more do what you want open up to questions yeah so we're now gonna open up to questions from the audience if you have a question raise your hand nice and high and wait for the microphone to come to you the microphones just for recording purposes not amplification oh yeah let's start with you looking looking back at the the reefs in Monza do you think there was any aspect of your preparation or even the the reefs conditions on the day that could have been improved leading to potentially and even faster time in in hindsight I think in Morse actually I think it was well-organized the conditions were perfect the organisation actually the setup and everything was a plus and I can say I everything was okay and I turned it anything to be had a tour for a subtract so it was really perfect that's why I really got that wonderful time great thank you for that question yeah hi Ellen so you have such a lovely technique I was just wondering is this something you've sort of always had or have you done a lot of technique work or mobility work to actually develop the technique that you have when you're running oh the comic actually comes from you know from our coach from my coach personally when you are training you know somebody is watching us and gives me a lot of techniques and I am really adopting thurman it has a left me alone okay thank you yeah let's just come to you across yeah thank you so much for coming to Oxford I watched your race at Monza stayed up all night in the u.s. to watch it was amazing and and you're right the race was perfect I'm wondering what you is the perfect race when you're not competing are you running alone with friends and what are you thinking about is it in Kenya where is it a perfect run on your own when you're not in competition where do you like to run what do you like to think about with total competition I can take the fabric furnace a leg Cranham with my friends but really when you having a really good rest and I we are you are choking and we are talking a lot yes so why would my friend Stan I have been chewing all training with them and running with them without being Kenya or is there a particular place miss Kenya Kenya yeah very quickly great thank you that question yeah we'll just come at ease thank you for being here you speak very very well and given everything you've achieved how will you approach London is it about winning London is it about setting the world record is it about trying to go sub 2hours and do you make a plan beforehand or do you adjust I was in Berlin when you ran and it was a horrible day of rain and humidity do you have to adjust your race strategy beforehand or do you plan the whole 26 miles and have a strategy and for London what will that be or will you need to improvise based on weather conditions etc oh when I'm brought interest and it relies on what how my training has been but to be specific was you asked about London is that in April I'm planning to run a beautiful race inland yes it's worth saying it's worth saying this just about because all all we've done so far is announced Mo Farah and Elliott but of course loads of other people have been signed up and we just were just not in to tell the story to win London is harder than winning an Olympic Games the best athletes in the world would be there and not only they are the best athletes because they're the best athletes but they will be coming wanting to be the very best athlete and the only way they become the very best athlete is to beat Elliott so so they will be they will be sent there will be several guys who were wanting to beat him significantly so he's going into a competition knowing that people want to knock him off his perch knowing that he's in a race where he's already got very close to breaking the world record and and perhaps if he had been looking at the clock a bit more and maybe did a bit less waving down the home straight then then maybe he would already be the world-record holder but these things happen so I believe in and he missed out on the world-record bonus as well by the way just just just were no takane he's waving to his friends and mum cost him a hundred thousand dollars right so you know don't think it doesn't matter but so so if the weather is good in London he will have a stiffest competition that is possible and when he says beautiful race I I take that to mean if he has to beat the world record to beat the others then that of course goes without saying so I have I look forward to it with anticipation and I've seen loads of these right I've seen loads of London's and I can't remember being as excited as I am now looking forward to to April great thank you for that question yeah let's go to you in the glasses hi Elliot thank you so much I'm really inspired thank you very much for sharing your tips as well on you know on the importance of discipline but I'm really interested in being someone who's so super focused where as balance come in you know sometimes you can be pursuing one particular goal and neglect everything else and so I'm interested in how you maintain a good balance while still pursuing you know your goals Thanks I think concerning actually the concentration and out one toe to toe paleness was what I have in my pot hands is you know in sport there we turn we have a total concentration and we call it cool concentration cocoon concentration in sport is whereby you think about a sport in a positive way so my mind actually fixed on the sport focused on my trainings and above all like I'll I'm really stuck on my workouts and all my programs I am doing it to the perfection it's like when I miss the one it's like missing a discussion well like class mess and you miss a discussion rabbi maybe you had a group of six people discussing a subject and I miss one twin then I will not even sleep well great thank you thank you that question yeah let's go right to the very back yeah great jumper thanks for coming speak today I'm a professional squash player and the most I've ever done in my training is loads of 400 or 600 s slightly designed to mimic a squash rally the one benefit of that is you know the pains not far away from ending at what point do you hit that pain in a marathon and how do you manage it throughout two hours potentially Oakley own to say that I'm really when I have a lot of pain fast let me started pain I'm trying to convince my mind to forget about pain pain but ting on the distance when I think on that system I am trying all means to go to that distance was I turned that pain to be in my mind and now folk and a little loose focus on what won't Ronnie so I'm really concentrating purely on the distance and forget the pain but after winning then you you you will not have that be but it comes later because marathon is hot and you know the second day you don't go up the stairs or don't understand when you're focusing on that distance do you break it down or do you think okay 30 miles to go 12 miles today ago or do you think okay let's just get next month then the next mile in Marathon actually the first half is just no more rap you don't concentrate even on the first year that's that's in month marathon starts after that when you are still running 15 K 20 K then you have you are everybody say where the marathon starts is after 30 kilometers that's why you feel pain everywhere in you important the muscle is really aging and the most prepared and well-organized athlete is really is doing well after 30 I personally own Khan III don't I don't say ten kilometers all to this 20 kilometer thought I will call it the pace but after that kilometers I'll change my own pace and if you are ready I color to follow me then we go together great thank you for that question yeah let's come down to ye thanks very much for the talk so my question was regarding the self discipline you actually talked about so I was wondering that how strictly do you follow the self discipline in your routine and and because you are actually you want to break the world record to make new world records and it's actually usually a matter of seconds and sometimes milliseconds so how strictly do you like follow and you actually look at at your goal and then and sometimes when you miss your recently short term goals and what would you do then what about this in my mind is infront of my head that's in front of my mind but to be self discipline is that I'm really committed to training that's why I'm really in the common Monday to Saturday and I told miss any chance of training I told miss any chance of fitness and that's the sign actually of of for a really aiming Tran a world record in truck I'm really going die till time as well by koja say in long run I'm really ornate it's 40 kilometers then be training or or or really or no training then I'm doing to the perfection concerning when I miss a world record I don't regret when I miss our ultra good I don't complain if I recruit and complained at the sign of self in discipline so I was born and raised in a society whereby they they actually make an example of a tree that tree as a lot of branches and when we are going up is still each branch so when you have a political copula and a top-ranked you fo get that branch in for the next if I miss our electrical I forget it I am for the next one great we have time for one wait maybe three more yeah let's come to you hi um in an earlier occasion you'd said that running for you is less about the legs and more about the heart in the mind and I'm curious about I mean there's a lot of information available on how a runner can train their legs but not so much on how one should go about training their mind so how do you go about training that and what is your advice to another runner on how you forget the right mind game before iran i thinik really physical training and mental training both of them are important but you can be fiscally fit but psychologically poor and you cannot win it if that if you aim ran and 5,000 meters maybe at a time of 14 minutes even if you are fit of running that 13 and a half minutes and your mind actually is poor then you can run 16 minutes but you are fit ran that in 30 that's why i'm saying i am not running on my legs alone but i am running on my head with my heart and my mind but during the time of training you should be physically fit and mental fitness actually plays a big role during competition you know if you don't rule your mind your mind will fool that's the way I'm taking this boat great thank you for that question that is all we have time for I say please join me in thanking Elliott and David you

Channel: OxfordUnion

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Keywords: Oxford, Union, Oxford Union, Oxford Union Society, debate, debating, The Oxford Union, Oxford University, Eliud Kipchoge, David Bedford

Id: Tc00mDtzIJU

Length: 49min 34sec (2974 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 05 2018