If anyone can say they are the greatest marathoner of all time, it’s Eliud Kipchoge.
Kipchoge, a Kenyan runner who has cemented his name as a marathon legend, won the marathon majors in Berlin, London, Tokyo, Chicago, and ran the Boston, Sydney, and New York marathons as of 2025.
Now, at 41 years of age, one might expect for him to retire as a professional athlete. However, Kipchoge is not done running marathons. He may not be gunning for a major title or a world record, but he refuses to quit what brings him the most joy: running. This begs the question, why should we run?
“My dream is to make this world a running world,” Kipchoge said in an interview with INCH Magazine. “A running world is a healthy world. A running world is a wealthy world. A running world is a peaceful world. A running world is a joyful world.”
What does he mean by all this? Firstly, running is healthy as a form of cardio. It strengthens your heart and improves blood circulation, which boosts cardiovascular health and lowers risk of heart disease. However, health is not only physical: running contributes to mental strength as well.
You probably have heard of runner’s high, but what is it, exactly? According to Dr. David J. Linden, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, “runner’s high” is traditionally misattributed to your brain releasing endorphins, but which do not pass the blood-brain barrier to cause mood change.
Instead, he proposes the idea that the “euphoric” post-run feeling is caused by the body’s release of endocannabinoids, similar to the effects of cannabis. Your body produces endocannabinoids naturally, and production increases throughout your bloodstream after exercise.
“These mood-improving neuromodulators,” said Dr. Linden, “promote short-term psychoactive effects such as reduced anxiety and feelings of calm.”
So, if you are ever feeling anxious, go for a run–science proves you will feel better!
Still, you might be asking yourself why you would run when there are other forms of fitness. There are many ways to exercise or engage in cardio, like weight-lifting, bodyweight exercises, biking, swimming, or even walking. Nevertheless, running uniquely builds “wealth,” as Kipchoge has coined, in other areas of life.
As Kipchoge has shared, he believes pain is a part of success and you need to convert the pain into “a positive thing.” He emphasized that success does not come “on a silver platter.” Instead, “you need to work for it.”
“Only the disciplined ones are free in life,” he said, while speaking at Oxford. “If you aren’t disciplined, you are a slave to your moods. You are a slave to your passions. That’s a fact.”
Running is hard. Pounding steps and huffing and puffing for extended periods of time is difficult. You reach a point where you feel like you’re running out of air and your legs cannot go on anymore. But this is why I run:
There is nothing more rewarding than going through tough things and getting out on the other side, knowing that you can overcome challenges, setbacks, and pain. It will also teach you that by staying disciplined, you stay consistent. If you can make yourself run, even for just 10 minutes, you can gain discipline to excel in other areas of your life because you’ve proved that you can show up for yourself.
Also, at least to me, running does bring happiness—especially if you run with a friend! But even if you don’t, the building and growth, running on days you want to and days you don’t want to, builds a sense of accomplishment. Perhaps you can extend this passion to others and bring people together. Start with one, then bring another, and another, and another. Eventually, you’ll have a little running group, which is one of life’s greatest pleasures—chatting away and letting the miles fly by.
Let Kipchoge’s words inspire you to lace up your shoes, head out the door, and run. Let’s make this world a running world.
