As he steps into the unknown and a different running rhythm, Cheptegei says he will give the marathon the respect it deserves.
“Marathon has no respect for persons. I want to approach this marathon with a lot of respect because it is something that is very new to me,” he added.
His coach Addy Ruiter says Cheptegei must be wary of pressure, with his track events at next year’s Olympics in Paris still in mind.
“This debut is especially for learning how the body and mind adapt to marathons,” Ruiter said.
“The focus for next year is the 10,000m at the Olympics – because of the new generation of running shoes (Cheptegei will use Vaporfly) we could do this also without it affecting his preparation for Paris.
“When I look at his preparation, a time of two hours and three minutes to two hours and three and a half minutes is realistic.
“I’m sure he can run much faster than that, but that’s something for after Paris and then he has to focus 100% on the marathon.”
Cheptegei is Uganda’s greatest athlete, with a career spanning a decade, and he won his first world title – the 10,000m junior crown – in 2014.
“The track has always taught me to be patient when chasing my goals,” Cheptegei said.
“I will approach marathons in the same regard.
“When you aren’t patient in a marathon, it means that you will not be able to reach your destination.”
