The Princess of Asturias Foundation

Eliud Kipchoge, the 2023 recipient of the Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, will lead a symbolic 15 minutes race on Friday, October 20 at 10:00 a.m. in the San Francisco Park in Oviedo. The Kenyan athlete will be joined by a group of students and teachers taking part in the "When Do I Start? Today" initiative, which forms part of the “Taking the Floor” cultural programme for Asturian educational institutions. In addition, there will be an exhibition of some of the work carried out in the park itself. The start will take place at the Paseo del Bombé.

This event, aimed at students in grades five, six and secondary school, promotes Kipchoge's wish for youngsters to engage in at least fifteen minutes of physical activity daily. To achieve this, the Foundation challenged students and teachers to collectively run at least 9,773 kilometres — the distance from Kaptagat, Kenya, where the Laureate trains, to the finish line in Paris 2024. Every kilometre, completed individually or by family members who joined the challenge, was added to the class and school's total. Participants were also asked to draw a detailed map of the route the school took to complete the challenge. Besides encouraging exercise, the event aims to show support for the Laureate in achieving his 2024 Olympic goal.

The "Taking the Floor" programme also introduced the “A World on the Move” activity about Kipchoge’s journey. In it, students studying professional training courses in physical activity and sports were tasked with devising projects to promote consistent physical activity in their communities. The activity draws inspiration from the Laureate’s philosophy and his five guiding principles: being well-prepared and organised, having a positive mindset, working with others, and above all, self-discipline.

Awards Week

These activities form part of “Awards Week”, a cultural programme designed by the Foundation that includes the participation of the Princess of Asturias Laureates in a variety of activities during the days leading up to the Awards Ceremony at the Campoamor Theatre. Since 1996, the Foundation has scheduled different activities in diverse locations in Asturias aimed at making the Laureates and their contributions to the world of science, culture or any other field in which they work better known to society at large.

For more information about “Taking the Floor” and the Awards: https://www.fpa.es/en/frequently-asked-questions/princess-of-asturias-awards-questions/

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