Kipchoge and Bekele virtual race excites the sports world

April 19, 2018 Kenya's Daniel Wanjiru and Eliud Kipchoge with Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele and Guye Adola pose for a photograph Action Images via Reuters

More than 100,000 fun runners from at least 100 countries competed in The MA RA TH ON Worldwide Team Relay races at the weekend.

A record 106,000 professional and amateur runners competed at The MA RA TH ON Worldwide Team Relay contest spread across the world at the weekend.

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge topped the billing as 100,000 plus people in 100 plus countries ran 1,000,00 plus kilometres as part of the 'Run as One' virtual team marathon.

Kipchoge, Geoffrey Kamworor Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele and Joshua Uganda's world 10,000m champion Cheptegei – athletes of the NN Running team formation – were among a host of world beating stars that competed.

The athletes combined for a staggering 21 laps around the world combined by recording a total of 842.658 kilometers. Many of them shared their experience proudly on social through #RunAsOne, a hashgtag which was used over 3000 times in the buildup and during the even.

Kipchoge, the Olympic marathon champion and world record holder, said: “As runners we have missed the feeling of excitement and nervous energy as we wait together on the start line with thousands of participants. We have missed the teamwork and camaraderie that comes through completing a marathon together.

"The weekend we were able to join as one to recreate that feeling, that excitement and hope. People from all over the world, from all nationalities, backgrounds and religions, stood on their start lines alone, but united. Everyone who ran their 10.5km, you were part of a team, who together completed a marathon in this global celebration. My teammates and I thank you, we are one. Keep running.”

The event also received support from the broader sporting community as Tottenham Hotspur FC cheered on Kipchoge and cheered on their fans on the challenge while ultra-running legend Killian Jornet set out to complete the 10.5km for his part of the challenge.

Teams of four completed a marathon by running 10.5km each and just by entering you were in with a chance to run alongside some of the biggest names in sport.

But it wasn't just running superstars who stepped up, Tottenham Hotspur football club, Olympic triathlon gold medallist from Germany Jan Frodeno and Spanish sky runner Kilian Jornet also competed.

Kipchoge, whose historic sub-two hour run in Vienna last October broke athletics barriers, teamed up with amateur runners from Brazil.

He ran 10.5km in 31:28 seconds, not the fastest time on the leader board, but this event was about much more than running fastest or coming first.

Bekele ran with Joris, Stephen, Andy and Tharkun from the Netherlands.

The Ethiopian ran his 10.5km in 32:57 on his own track that he built in Sululta, 25 minutes outside the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

The 5,000m and 10,000m World record-holder built a six-lane all-weather track which is home to many athletes training and dreaming of Olympic glory.

They call it Bekele's ‘field of dreams’. "It was a great pleasure to run my 10.5k as part of the MA RA TH ON challenge on my own track in Sululta," Bekele posted.

The event was organised by NN Running Team, an international team of elite long-distance runners managed by a company in the Netherlands.