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Details of shoes Eliud Kipchoge gifted his long-term mentor Barrack Obama
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Reading Time: 2min | Tue. 11.11.25. | 10:21
Kipchoge, who recently announced his retirement from elite competition after the New York Marathon, has now shifted focus to a new chapter: the Eliud Kipchoge World Tour
On Thursday, 6 November, a heartwarming photograph of marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge and America’s first black President Barack Obama surfaced online.
The picture's overall scene conveyed a sense of mutual respect and admiration between the heroes.
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In front of them, on a table, was a glass display case containing a pair of white running shoes with red accents, suggesting they were of special importance.
And special importance they were. The shoes carried great meaning, as they were the same pair from his 2023 Berlin Marathon win, which made him the first-ever five-time champion there. They were his signed Nike Alphafly 3 shoes.
Though they were not the shoes from his 2:01:09 world record run, they still carry significance as they powered Kipchoge to become the first to win the Berlin Marathon five times: 2015, 2017, 2018, 2022, and 2023.
The two discussed leadership, legacy, and how the next generation can rise through sport and education.
However, the meeting between the marathon great and America’s first black president was not just about a gift exchange.
The two discussed leadership, legacy, and how sport and education can empower the next generation.
Kipchoge, who recently announced his retirement from elite competition after the New York Marathon, has now shifted focus to a new chapter: the Eliud Kipchoge World Tour.
The ambitious initiative will see him run seven marathons across seven continents over the next two years.
The tour aims to unite the world through running, with each event raising funds for the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, which champions education and environmental sustainability.
Launched in 2020, the Foundation has already supported projects such as school libraries, literacy programs, and environmental restoration efforts in Kenya and beyond.
The conversation between Kipchoge and Obama hinted at something greater, maybe a potential partnership between the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation and the Obama Foundation, both of which share a mission to uplift youth and nurture leadership.
“We also explored ways the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation and the Obama Foundation can work together on causes close to our hearts. Together, we hope to help young people believe that no dream is too distant and no beginning too small,” Kipchoge shared.
While Obama has never been a marathoner himself, the two men are connected by more than just global influence.
They share Kenyan roots and a deep commitment to inspiring others. Obama’s heritage traces back to Western Kenya, where his father, Barack Hussein Obama Sr., was born and raised among the Luo community.
