It’s 5:55am on a wet May morning in northern Kenya. The sun is yet to rise, but a group of runners emerge from a mud path onto the side of a road. They briefly pause, each tightening laces or adjusting a watch; then, without warning, the group sets off into the darkness at a blistering pace. Soon all evidence of them has disappeared, save for their shoe prints in the dirt.

This is what Olympic preparation looks like for arguably the greatest distance runner of all time, Eliud Kipchoge.

The run concludes 30 kilometers later, back where it began, at the training camp where the 39-year-old is gearing up for what could be his final bow on the Olympic stage.

Kipchoge stood, once again, on the precipice of history, aiming to be the first person to secure three gold medals in one of the most iconic Olympic disciplines, the marathon.

Kipchoge’s commitment and daily acts of discipline have been the bedrock of his success, building a mental strength that he believes is paramount in the marathon.

The intense routine is fueled by a diet of traditional Kenyan food, including the fabled ugali, a carbohydrate made from maize flour and water.

Kipchoge is no stranger to rewriting history. In 2019, in Vienna, he shattered one of the most formidable barriers in sports by becoming the first person to run a marathon in under two hours.

With the Games upon us, Kipchoge remains laser-focused on clinching his third consecutive gold medal in the marathon.

He struggled today – Kipchoge did not finish the race.