UK Billionaire’s Special Surprise to Eliud Kipchoge Ahead of Record Race

Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge was stunned by a British billionaire ahead of his historic feat in Vienna, Austria.

On Monday, October 7, Kipchoge was treated to the opulence of travelling in a Ksh 1.4 billion jet, owned by one of Great Britain’s richest persons, Sir Tom Ratcliffe. 

Nation reported that Kenya Airport Authority staff at Eldoret International Airport on Monday,  October 7, received and saw off Ratcliffe’s Gulfstream G280, which was flown by two pilots from his British base to Kenya.

It then flew Kipchoge and his technical staff to Vienna, where they will land on Tuesday, October 8. 

Gulfstream, M-INTY, was registered in Britain on March 4, 2016, and is valued at $ 24.5 million (Sh1.4 billion). The plane flew through Cairo, Egypt, where it fuelled. 

Kipchoge, 34, has been rehearsing for the upcoming 42-kilometre marathon challenge dubbed the 1:59:00 where he seeks to break the 2-hour record time.

This will be Kipchoge’s second attempt at the challenge. 

Kipchoge was only 26 seconds shy of breaking the 2-hour world record in 2017 back in Italy expressed optimism in the upcoming challenge. 

The first window for Kipchoge was narrowed to October 12 to 14, with a target date being Saturday, October 12.

“Once the date is set, the exact start time for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge will be confirmed the day before.

“The start time will be between 5 am – 9 am local time (6 am – 10 am, Kenyan time),” organisers stated in a statement on Monday, October 7. 

In September 2019, a Spanish athlete in the company of her friends flew into Kenya to give support to and declare her love for Kipchoge.

Speaking on Wednesday, September 25, Paula Cobo affirmed that she was in love with the marathon champion in the full glare of cameras.

“I’m in love with him. I wish him all the luck in the world. I would love him to beat the record,” admitted the already blushing Spaniard.