Marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya arrived in Bangkok on Wednesday, to participate in the Bangkok Marathon on Sunday, part of a collaboration to position Thailand as Asia’s premier destination for runners worldwide.
Kipchoge, visiting Thailand in his role as an ambassador, will attend the Amazing Thailand Marathon Bangkok, where he will join the 10km mass run alongside 33,712 runners from 77 countries.
The event is expected to generate more than Bt900 million in revenue.
On Sunday, Kipchoge and his wife will also be granted an audience with Their Majesties the King and Queen to present running jerseys and report on the event.
The two-time gold medallist won at the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. In 2019, he ran a marathon in Vienna, achieving a time of 1:59:40.2, becoming the first person in recorded history to complete a sub-two-hour marathon.
The Bangkok Marathon will be divided into distance categories:
· 42.195km and 21.1km races (both starting at 2pm from MBK Centre)
· 10km race (starting at 5.45pm at Sanam Luang)
· 4.5km race (starting at 6.30am at Sanam Luang)
According to NN Running Team’s online statement, Kipchoge expressed his belief in the tremendous potential of the Asian running community and his enthusiasm for collaborating with Thailand to promote the sport in the region.
“I have always said that I want to make this world a running world, because a running world is a happy world, a running world is a healthy world and a running world is a peaceful world. This partnership contributes to my personal ambitions,” Kipchoge said.
