Kenyan Victor Kipchirchir crosses the finish line to win the Buenos Aires marathon in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 18, 2022. The three-time Eldoret City Marathon winner will be racing in Barcelona on Sunday. [AFP]
Victor Kipchirchir, the long-distance athlete who has claimed Eldoret City Marathon titles three times consecutively is eyeing glory at the 2025 Barcelona 42km this Sunday.
His heroics; the back-to-back-to-back victories at the City of Champions have earned him the King of Eldoret status in athletics circles.
Kipchirchir hopes to write history with a fast time at the Sunday Barcelona Marathon before taking a two-week rest.
After the two weeks, he will be embarking on preparing for another thriller on April 27 when he defends his Eldoret City Marathon crown.
The 2016 Valencia Marathon winner said he had fully recovered from an injury that disrupted his 2024 season.
He said as he prepared for the Barcelona Marathon, he felt that he was in top shape and a 2:04 or even a 2:03 is achievable on Sunday.
"On Sunday, I am competing at the Barcelona Marathon. I will be feeling my body in Barcelona and if I run 2:04 then I will come and re-evaluate the possibility of defending my Eldoret City Marathon crown," Kipchirchir said.
He told Standard Sports in an interview that he has been shifting his training bases from Eldoret to Iten and to Kaptagat as he sought different experiences.
And in Barcelona, Kipchirchir says his sights are firmly on victory and personal best time.
"I will be aiming at winning the Barcelona Marathon with a personal best. I don't have a specific training base and I oscillate among the three high altitude training areas as I implement my programmes in preparation for races," said Kipchirchir.
Apart from the Eldoret City Marathon, Kipchirchir took part in the 2024 Hong Kong Marathon and placed fifth."After last year's Eldoret City Marathon, I picked an injury during training and I have been using cross-country races to gauge my recovery. I have emerged in the top 50 in the cross-country races. I used them as part of my preparation for the season," he said.
He added: "I ran Kapsabet 15km last month and I finished fifth and from those races I felt that I had recovered from the injury."
The marathoner said winning the Eldoret City Marathon three times was not a walk in the park.
"At times it appears to me like a miracle, but I think it is because I am competing at home. I train in Eldoret and when the race is staged at home I have the advantage. I also muster a lot of confidence whenever I compete in Eldoret," he said.
At the Barcelona contest, Kipchirchir will be taking on big shots that include former half marathon record holder Kibiwott Kandie as well as former Zurich marathon champion Mekuant Ayenew of Ethiopia.