Feel Better, Live More with Dr Rangan Chatterjee

Letting Go of Perfection: The Power of Process, Presence & Planning with Eliud Kipchoge #567

31 snips

Jun 24, 2025

Eliud Kipchoge, the legendary Kenyan marathon runner, shares his profound wisdom on life and athletics. He discusses how discipline brings freedom and how failure is a fertile ground for learning. Eliud emphasizes the importance of community, humility, and the process over mere success. His experience with setbacks teaches valuable lessons in resilience, while his commitment to self-trust highlights the journey of personal growth. With insights on planning and consistent effort, Eliud inspires listeners to embrace life's challenges with a positive mindset.

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INSIGHT

Goals Guide, Not Define Success

Goals are not just about the finish line; they are about the entire process and values you uphold along the journey.
Appreciating preparation and planning helps you understand your progress beyond the final result.

INSIGHT

Marathon as Life Metaphor

Running a marathon mirrors life with its challenges, setbacks, and need for persistence.
Continuously pressing on despite obstacles is key to both running and living well.

ANECDOTE

Pulling Out Was Hardest Yet Enlightening

During the 2024 Olympic marathon, Eliud experienced pain and knew he couldn’t continue.
Stopping mid-race was emotionally hardest, yet it taught him resilience and perspective.

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When life doesn’t unfold the way we hoped, it can be tempting to see that as failure. But what if it was those moments that actually shape us the most?

This week, I’m delighted to welcome Eliud Kipchoge back to the show for a second incredible conversation - recorded just days after he completed the 2025 London Marathon. Eliud is a Kenyan athlete who is widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time. He has won two successive Olympic marathons and 10 major titles. And of course, he’s the only athlete to have ever run a marathon in under two hours, which he did back in 2019 in Vienna as part of the 1:59 challenge.

But as you’ll hear in this conversation, his wisdom goes far beyond running as Eliud shares the life lessons that have shaped his journey - not just as an athlete, but as a human being.

You’ll also hear:

Why Eliud believes discipline is what creates freedom - and how keeping promises to yourself builds the self-trust needed to face life’s hardest moments
Why failure is not the opposite of success, but, instead, the soil where wisdom grows
How running has become a metaphor for life - with its highs, lows, unexpected challenges and the need to keep moving forward
How Eliud not being able to finish his last Olympic marathon taught him more than any victory ever could
The true power of community, humility, and purpose - and why Eliud still cleans toilets at his training camp despite being a global icon
How planning, consistency and positive thinking guide his life - and why he believes ego is something we must all learn to let go of

Throughout our conversation, Eliud speaks with warmth, humility and compassion. He challenges the idea that goals alone define success - reminding us that it’s the process, the discipline and the way we show up every day that truly counts.

Whether you’re a runner or not, this episode is an invitation to reflect on your own mindset, your values, and your relationship with setbacks. Eliud shows us that progress isn’t always linear - and that real growth often happens in the moments we never planned for.

I hope you enjoy listening.

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Show notes https://drchatterjee.com/567

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