Eliud Kipchoge wants all of us to plant trees

When he isn’t training to win the Olympic Marathon, or starting a cycling academy and not paving the way for future Kenyan cyclists, the world’s greatest marathon runners are to save the planet. We are taking measures.

Kipchoge, who trains and lives in Kaptagat, Kenya, wants to adopt forests in all 47 counties of Kenya. He has recently been involved in the rehabilitation of 126 acres of Catgut Forest. KBC Digital Reported.Kipchoge lives in Kipchoge NN Running Training Center, It was the first focus of his afforestation initiative. In 2021, Kipchoge spoke at the United Nations Climate Change Conference, devoting himself to his environmental activities and inviting his fellow Kenyans to join. Kipchoge has been at the forefront of forest conservation and restoration efforts for several years.

“I won the first world championship in 2003 and succeeded in defending the Olympic medal in the marathon in 2021. I am lucky to say that I have a long career. Today I I would like to share with you the secrets of success, because I believe that you can apply it and help you succeed in the fight against climate change, “said the champion. .. You may be surprised to hear that Kipchoge is a climate change activist, but he says it’s a legacy he wants to preserve. “”Until a few years ago, I listened to what my body was telling me, trained, succeeded, and won almost every marathon in the race. But when I wanted to leave a legacy, I knew I needed to do more. “

Kipchoge kicked off his climate change behavior shortly after him INEOS 1.59 Challenge In Vienna, he made history by running an informal marathon recording time at 1: 59.40. Realizing that he was looking at him, he seized the opportunity to make a difference by partnering with the government and holding a less than two-hour tree-planting competition among his fellow Kenyans. Athletes encourage everyone to mark the celebration of life by planting trees. He says. “Can I change my birthday to plant a tree? Can I change my birthday to walking because of the noble causes of climate change? Change our anniversary and plant a tree Or do you walk? If you’re celebrating 60 years, plant 60 trees. If your child is 2 years old, run 2 km and plant 2 trees to commemorate the day. This world Will make a green world in just one year. “

Kaptagat is a particularly unique ecosystem with strong interrelationships of nature, humans and the economy, and years of deforestation have hit the region. In 2019, Kipchoge signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kenyan Forestry Authority and was able to work towards the goal of forest restoration. With the support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF – Kenya), this project was a success. The athlete states that through the Eliud Kipchoge Foundation, he will continue his pursuit of adopting forests in other counties in Kenya.

Kipchoge encourages other athletes, businesses and citizens to continue planting trees and take steps to protect their forests. He says his first inspiration for adopting vast lands in his home county is because he is an athlete and needs to breathe good air and run on soft ground. The only way he says he can meet these standards is to protect the environment. Kipchoge adds: “As an athlete, I train every day, which means I have to breathe clean air every day. This means I need to protect the environment and focus on it. Clean air and sports. Combined with the performance at, I got to think more about nature maintenance. “

His inspiration is working. According to a recent report, Kenya’s forest coverage is currently 12.3%, which exceeds Kenya’s constitutional target of 10%.

Kipchoge will continue to work hard to adopt more forests across Kenya, saying, “Every day is Earth Day for me. It’s our only home and our only business — and I. Only we can save it. “