Runners Stunned By Surprise Visit From Eliud Kipchoge

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Lincoln High coach Eric Dettman had warned the cross country team a few days ahead of time that it might be visited by a "guest speaker": Better be prepared to have something on hand in case autographs were available. 

On Tuesday, the final day before the Portland Interscholastic League district meet, Eliud Kipchoge strode through the door at Lincoln High in downtown Portland and was greeted by stunned faces.

Thanks to a connection at Nike, Kipchoge's appearance was something that had been in the works. 

It was just 44 days since Kipchoge had shown the world what a marathon in less than two hours looked like. 

"I first heard about it three weeks ago at a team dinner," Dettman said. "It didn't come to fruition until Sunday."

The runners on Lincoln's team had no idea. 

"That was really crazy," said junior Mateo Althouse, who finished third in the PIL meet on Wednesday. "It's truly a blessing getting someone of that caliber of an athlete coming by here and it was inspiring."

Kipchoge spoke to the assembled team for 15 minutes, answered questions for another 20 minutes and then took photos and signed the runners' shoes. 

"It was super cool," freshman Kate Peters said after winning Wednesday's district title at Lents Park. 

She, like many others, had watched Kipchoge's barrier-breaking attempt live from Vienna, Austria. 

Kipchoge's presence and his words were motivational. 

"(He said) hard work and dedication pays off. You have to see racing as an opportunity and be optimistic," Althouse said. "You want to reflect that same mentality in your races."

Lincoln will have a little more time to reflect on Kipchoge's words. The boys and girls teams both qualified out of Wednesday's meet for the Oregon state championships next week in Eugene.

"It's so great to be around someone who views running as something that's very spiritual for them, that challenges them," Lincoln assistant coach Marie Davis said. "His message was that it's not always going to be easy, but believe in yourself."