It will be the sixth time the pair have faced each other over 26.2 miles in their careers.
If you thought you had seen the last of Kenenisa Bekele running a competitive marathon against Eliud Kipchoge, think again.
The dynamic duo, aged 43 and 40 respectively, are both set to grace the elite field at the TCS New York City Marathon (November 2).
Bekele has only competed in the 26.2-mile event in the Big Apple once, finishing sixth in 2021 in 2:12:52, but this will be Kipchoge’s debut at the meeting, marking his finish in all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors.
After brilliant track and cross-country careers, the pair moved to the roads and set records in their debut marathons. Bekele won the 2014 Paris Marathon in 2:05:04, bettered by Haile Gebrselassie, Paul Tergat and Sammy Wanjiru, while Kipchoge beat the field by more than two minutes in 2:05:30 at the 2013 Hamburg Marathon.
They first clashed at the 2014 Chicago Marathon and have since met each other on four other occasions over 26.2 miles: 2016 London, 2017 Berlin, 2018 London and the 2024 Paris Olympics. They were both due to run the 2020 London Marathon due to Covid-19, but Bekele pulled out at the last minute due to injury.
Before New York, here’s a rundown of their five previous marathons over the years:
2014 Chicago Marathon – Bekele 4th and Kipchoge 1st
A decade after their famous battle over the 5,000 meters at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Bekele and Kipchoge met on the roads for the first time at the 2014 Chicago Marathon.
Kipchoge was more experienced over 26.2 miles at this stage in their careers and finished second a year ago behind compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who broke the world record of 2:03:23 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.
His debut win in Paris earlier in the season meant Bekele was confident heading into Chicago, but the Ethiopian knew he would have to be at his best to beat Kipchoge.
Unsurprisingly, they both flew out of the traps and the leading pack crossed the 5km and 10km marks in 14:43 and 29:30 respectively. Just one second separated Kipchoge and Bekele at the halfway point, 62:11 and 62:12. Neck and neck at the 30 km mark. they passed in 88:46 and 88:47; it was still everyone’s title in Chicago.
Bekele’s next 5km was much slower, but he fell behind the leading trio of Kipchoge, Sammy Kitwara and Dixon Chumba. Kipchoge’s tail was up by this stage and at 40km he opened up a six-second lead over Kitwara before finishing in 2:04:11.
It was fourth place for Bekele, who clocked 2:05.51, one minute and 40 seconds behind Kipchoge. This was only the beginning of their many battles in the marathon.
2016 London Marathon – Bekele 3rd and Kipchoge 1st
Fans had to wait two years for Bekele and Kipchoge to next clash over the 26.2 mile distance, but they were not to be disappointed when the Kenyan put on a masterclass in London.
Kipchoge has already won three major marathon victories in Chicago in 2014, London in 2015 and Berlin in 2015, and was the defending champion heading into the British capital.
Expectations were therefore high, especially with the Rio Olympics on the horizon, and Kipchoge obliged, winning the race in a course record of 2:03:05.
It was also the second-fastest time in history and just eight seconds off Dennis Kimetto’s world record from the 2014 Berlin Marathon.
Bekele finished a career-high 3rd in London and ran 2:06:36 to see off Ethiopia’s Gebreslasi at the bottom of the podium.
2017 Berlin Marathon – Bekele DNF and Kipchoge 1st
It was expected to be one of the closest battles in the marathon between Bekele and Kipchoge, both in good form over the distance. Bekele won last year’s race in a personal best of 2:03:03, which puts him second on the all-time list.
Meanwhile, Kipchoge was not only the reigning Olympic marathon champion, but also attempted to become the first person in history to run a two-hour marathon in Monza in the Nike Breaking2 project. Two years later he achieved the feat in Vienna.
Both Bekele and Kipchoge got off to a good start in Berlin, clocking 14:28 and 29:04 for 5km and 10km respectively in rainy conditions. Nothing separated the pair at the halfway mark as they went 61:29.
By the 25km mark something was noticeably wrong with the Ethiopian, who however had dropped 21 seconds back to the lead. That gap was a minute at 30km and Bekele was soon out of the race.
Kipchoge showed unparalleled strength beating debutant Gaye Adola by 14 seconds in 2:03:32.
2018 London Marathon – Bekele 6th and Kipchoge 1st
The elite men’s field for the 2018 London Marathon was a talented one, with Kipchoge and Bekele joined by the likes of Mo Farah and reigning champion Daniel Wanjiru (in October 2020, Wanjiru was banned for four years due to anomalies in his athlete’s biological passport).
Kipchoge arrived in London as favourite, having won so convincingly in Berlin. Bekele, however, was faster than the Kenyan at this point in his career (2:03:03 vs. 2:03:05).
As with their other marathons, barely anything separated the pair at the halfway point and they clocked a blistering 61:00. Meanwhile, within 30 km, Kipchoge had already established a difference of one minute and six seconds with his rival.
He did not look back. Crossing the line in 2:04:17, Kipchoge won London for the third time in four years, with Bekele sixth in 2:08:53.
Later that season, Kipchoge broke the marathon world record in 2:01:39 in Berlin, before Bekele ran 2:01:41 for victory in the German capital a year later.
2024 Paris Olympics – Bekele 39th and Kipchoge DNF
Many fans thought the last time Bekele and Kipchoge would be seen racing in the 0-head marathon was in Berlin, but five years later, the distance running greats both competed at the Paris Olympics.
In his fourth appearance at the Games and first since London 2012, Bekele arrived in Paris on the back of a masters world record of 2:04:15 for second place in the London Marathon.
Now Kipchoge had seen the late Kelvin Kiptum break his own world record of 2:01:09, but was still competing in major marathon events, finishing 10th in the season opener in Tokyo.
With both athletes in the final stages of their careers, this race was as much about representation as competition, with the opportunity for both men to wear their country’s colours.
On the undulating Parisian course, Kipchoge got off to a good start and was part of the leading pack through 10km in 30:59. The reigning two-time Olympic champion, on the back of an unprecedented three consecutive golds at the distance, pulled out at the 30km mark, however, due to a recurrence of a back injury. It was his first DNF in a marathon.
A decade after his marathon debut in the same city, Bekele finished 39th in 2:12:24.
Was it their last dance together? Not only yet. The pair will meet at the New York City Marathon this Sunday, where a packed crowd is almost certain to celebrate the two sporting legends.
