Precious Roy wrote:
The OP is right. Kipchoge should have stopped just short of the finish line, grabbed a microphone and done a live ad spot for Disney. "Announcer: Eliud Kipchoge, you are about to break the world record. What are you going to do next? Kipchoge: I am going to Euro Disney!!!!" (runs across finish line with seconds to spare to get WR). He could have made an extra $5 mil with something like that.
And scene.
But seriously, it is really sad that compared to just about every other sport, Kipchoge is comparably getting pennies in financial reward for his accomplishments. He should be very marketable. He is a fascinating guy who does a much better interview that 95% of the top sports figures and comes up with some amazing quotes on his twitter feed.
This is silly, but also a really good point. The world today financially rewards personalities who are NOT AT ALL like Kipchoge. A couple crazy stunts, a couple celebrity hookups, and a lot of self-promotion are the ticket to the top fame-wise.
It's just not a good match for Kipchoge, for distance runners in general, or honestly for most of us. The best comfort I take from this is the fact that the reason Kipchoge got to be the titan he is today is his hard work and focus, and had he been a lesser man, he would be a lesser runner.