Coach’s motivation that propelled John Korir to Chicago Marathon victory
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 15.10.24. | 14:42
Korir credited his coach Ron Mann for instilling in him the confidence to aim high and push past his perceived limits.
John Korir is still enjoying the sweet smell of success after emerging victorious in the 2024 Chicago Marathon held on Sunday 13 October.
Korir won the marathon in 2:02:43 with the result making him the sixth-fastest man in world history, and the second-fastest ever performance in Chicago.
Ethiopia’s Huseydin Mohamed Esa came in second in 2:04:39 while Kenya’s Amos Kipruto completed the podium in 2:04:50.
Speaking after the race, Korir revealed that his primary focus was not on breaking a world record but simply securing the win. He was however pleased with himself for surpassing his expectations.
He credited his coach Ron Mann for instilling in him the confidence to aim high and push past his perceived limits.
“When we came here, we weren’t aiming for the record, just the win. But both my coach and Wesley Korir (my brother) told me, ‘Just believe in yourself, you can do it,” he said.
He was further grateful to the organizers for offering him the opportunity to showcase his skills in Chicago. His elder brother Wesley was also a driving force to his success.
“It feels good. I want to thank the race directors for inviting me, Asics for their support, and especially my coach and big brother Wesley,” he revealed.
Training regime
The runner went on to reveal the training regime he applied in preparation for the record-breaking run.
“There is a training coach who gave me something called 'Signature' where you run 3km and then 400m and you run 3km again and 400m again,” he told Citius Mag.
He admitted that it was tough endurance training which he did not like, but trusted his coach regardless.
“It is hard but I enjoy running so it’s okay. I usually do that like 10 days before the marathon. My training was good, and my coach told me I could run 2:02, and I believed him,” he continued.
He draws inspiration to break the world record from the late Kelvin Kiptum who set a historic standard by finishing in 2:00:35, becoming the first man to complete a marathon in under two hours and one minute.
His performance reduced the world record by 34 seconds and surpassed the previous mark of 2:01:09, set by Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin in 2022.
“If Kiptum could run the fastest time last year, I would try to run my personal best,” Korir concluded.
On his side, Wesley congratulated his brother saying, “You believed and you did it!! Congrats brother you have now completed the puzzle !! the only position I never got to achieve at the Chicago marathon in more than 10 years I raced this race !! you did it.”
