Simon Freeman on what makes the Kenyan the best female middle-distance runner on the planet

Faith Kipyegon is full of surprises, but perhaps not in the way you might think. You could point to the fact, for instance, that the scale of her recent world record-breaking spree wasnt entirely expected by fans or observers.

At the Rome Diamond League on June 2, the two-time world and Olympic champion posted a 1500m world record in 3:49.11, becoming the first woman ever to break 3:50 for the distance. Then, on June 9 at the Paris Diamond League, the world mark for 5000m was demolished with 14:05.20. The mile followed in Monaco last month, almost five seconds savagely sliced off the previous mark with a run of 4:07.64.

For those close to Kipyegon, however including her training partners and her coach those standout performances were part of a trajectory that has seen her star steadily rise. So what has helped her achieve these feats? It turns out that the answers could be deceptively simple.  

I recently went on a trip to Kenya, during which part of my time was spent with the NN Running team at their camp in Kaptagat. The first chance I had to meet Kipyegon and the other athletes including luminaries such as Eliud Kipchoge and Geoffrey Kamworor   in person was at a track session at Moi University, located to the south east of Eldoret. 

Arriving at the track before sunrise, my first impression was that it was something of a cliché that the greatest distance runners in the world would choose to use such a basic facility. 

But I told myself that perhaps that is part of the reason why they are so good there are no distractions, just a 400m red clay oval with a deep groove worn into the surface on the inside lane (there are no actual lanes painted, of course). 

Kipyegon was at the track long before the other athletes who would be joining her for the session. She quickly changed and started a warm-up, circling the outer edge of the track in a clockwise direction. She did not seem concerned that her team-mates were not yet there. She just did what she needed to do, in silence, by herself. 

Ultimately the 29-year-old completed the session in the company of one other athlete. Despite coach Patrick Sang telling me all the athletes in the NN Running team enjoy their training, the over-riding sense I got was one of the utmost seriousness. After the session had concluded, I asked team physio Peter Nduhiu about how Kipyegon is seen by the rest of the team. The seriousness that I witnessed at the track seemed to be one side of a very different personality when the woman who is seen by many as one of the all-time greats is not training or racing. 

Well, Faith is a very good person, Nduhiu explained. I would say she is the kind of person who will mix with everyone, in a very amiable manner. Shes okay with everyone and very comfortable to be around.

When I asked Kipchoge and Kamworor what it is like to have Kipyegon in the camp, their answers were the same and unequivocal: she is a pleasure to spend time with and at the same time fiercely focused in training and racing. Both remarked on her ability to switch into work mode when it was called for, but also to be completely relaxed around the camp at other times. 

Talking with her, I wanted to understand why she wanted to live for six days per week in the camp apart from her husband (2012 Olympic 800m bronze medallist Timothy Kitum) and young daughter Alyn, who live barely a few kilometres away. Its the same schedule that all the NN Running team athletes maintain in camp from Monday morning until Saturday night, with Sunday at home.

Its a lot of sacrifice, she said with a big smile. To be in camp for all the week, Monday to Saturday. I just stay with my daughter for two days and then Im back here [in Kaptagat] on Monday. So it takes a lot of dedication and discipline. But this is my career. This is my office.