This content is a personal narrative and motivational talk by an elite athlete, detailing their journey from humble beginnings in Kenya to achieving world-class success in athletics, emphasizing the crucial role of self-discipline, preparation, and mindset in overcoming challenges and reaching peak performance.
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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
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]
[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
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
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
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
actually be one of them tOSU actually
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
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
doing
after actually accommodating select
explain in your mind self discipline can
help you in to acquire cut ratings can
save your feelings
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
I'm a strong believer in in believing
what actually if you believe what you
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
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
that
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
great thank you thank you that question
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
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
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
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