Kipchoge: The Last Milestone
An unexpectedly insightful and rewarding documentary on the Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge.
On paper this film has all the makings of a routine documentary: it’s a piece about a sportsman which, while touching on some details of his life and intercutting words of appreciation from admirers and colleagues, concentrates on the preparations for a major sporting event, one that then becomes - win or lose - the climax of the film. Save for the fact that this climactic event is not a match or a competitive race but an attempt to achieve a new world record, these ingredients are standard fare for this kind of movie. Yet as it turns out Kipchoge: The Last Milestone is an exceptional work and one of the best documentaries of the year.
The unusual appeal of the film stems from several features, a central one being the qualities of the man at its centre, the Kenyan long-distance runner Eliud Kipchoge. Despite his successes, which include a record-breaking win in the 2019 London Marathon, he possesses inherent humility. All of his efforts are concerned with living up to the responsibility of being a potential inspiration for other Kenyans due to the fact that he sees the sport of running as being an inbred enthusiasm for the people of his country. He believes that its colonial history and its striving for independence are factors which have bred a determination and an acceptance of pain when that is unavoidable, and he regards both of these as prerequisites for success in this sport. This is a viewpoint that can be seen as embracing a certain kind of nationalism in the best possible way and equally striking is Kipchoge’s belief that success in his discipline calls on mind as well as on body. Not for nothing has his outlook been called Zen-like.
No less insightful is the extent to which the film reveals Kipchoge as a runner who feels that what he does is part of a collective effort and we learn a great deal about the training process including the contribution of those who run with him. Not only do they act as pacemakers but, by running in patterned positions chosen to increase the amount of still air around Kipchoge himself, they contribute to his chances of success as he prepares to run a marathon under two hours. That is, of course, a situation in which every second counts. Putting all this in context, the film refers back to 1954, the year of Roger Bannister’s four-minute mile and, although it also touches on earlier moments in Kipchoge’s own career, the chief focus is on 2019, the build-up to his endeavour to beat the marathon record and the actual attempt in Vienna on 12th October in that year.
Kipchoge: The Last Milestone is directed by Jake Scott, the son of Sir Ridley Scott and a filmmaker not above using such clichés as slow motion for a race or having a boy stand in visually for the young Eliud when his early days are mentioned. He is guilty too of pushing rather too hard at the end to build up the notion that behind Kipchoge’s story is a message, namely that ‘No Human Is Limited’. But these are minor defects in a film that can readily withstand them because of its individuality. That is to be found in the deeply rewarding personality of Kipchoge himself and in the exploration of the thinking behind the training including the contribution that comes from modern technology right down to questions about the use of Nike Vaporfly shoes. There is much in this engaging film that is to be found nowhere else, and that gives it a special value. It also ensures that you do not have to be a sports enthusiast to be caught up in this fine documentary.
MANSEL STIMPSON
Featuring Eliud Kipchoge, Patrick Sang, Peter Ndungu, Bernard Lagat, Kipchoge Keino, Sebastian Coe, Victor Chomo, Denis Noble, Julien Wanders, Jos Hermens, Fran Millar, Robbie Ketchell, Tom Kerrison, Sir John Ratcliffe, Valentijn Trouw, Sir Dave Brailsford.
Dir Jake Scott, Pro Ross Plummer, Garfield Kempton and Geraldine Hawkins, Ph Thomas Dirnhofer and others, Ed Paul Trewartha and Struan Clay, Sound James Benn, Animation Steve Small and Studio AKA.
Ridley Scott Creative Group/RSA Films-Universal Pictures.
87 mins. UK. 2021. Rel: 23 August 2021. Cert. 12.