Kiplimo trains with data

Elite runners used to train a lot by feel: hard day, easy day, rest day. Jacob Kiplimo says he now checks numbers from a Galaxy Watch8 so he can see when his body is actually ready, not just when it feels ready. (news.samsung.com) The main number is heart rate, which is just how many times your heart beats in a minute. In distance running, that works like an engine gauge in a car: if the number is too high for the pace, the effort is costing more than it should. (news.samsung.com) Pace is the second number, and it means how fast each kilometer or mile is covered. Kiplimo says he compares pace with heart rate to see whether fitness is improving or whether fatigue is making the same speed more expensive. (samsungmobilepress.com) Recovery is the third piece, because marathon training is not just about what happens during the run. Samsung’s interview says he uses sleep and recovery data to decide when to push and when to back off, including days that still count as “rest” but include a short 3 kilometer run. (news.samsung.com) The watch also tracks running form, which is how evenly and efficiently the body moves. Samsung says Kiplimo looks at Running Analysis data such as asymmetry, which is the difference between left and right side movement, because small imbalances can waste energy over long distances. (samsungmobilepress.com) That matters more for him because his coach is not always standing next to the road watching every session. Kiplimo says the watch helps fill that gap by turning each workout into a record his team can review later instead of relying on memory. (news.samsung.com) This is not a fringe athlete testing a gadget in private. World Athletics lists Kiplimo as Uganda’s 25-year-old road running star, with an Olympic bronze medal and a 2:02:23 marathon best, so the data habit is showing up at the very top of the sport. (worldathletics.org) His half marathon run in Barcelona on February 16, 2025, gives the clearest example of what that preparation can support. World Athletics says he ran 56:42, becoming the first man under 57 minutes and cutting 48 seconds off the previous mark. (worldathletics.org) Samsung says he later won the 2025 Chicago Marathon and is now targeting the 2026 London Marathon. In that setup, the watch is not replacing talent or training volume; it is acting more like a dashboard that tells him when the engine is ready to floor it and when it needs cooling down. (news.samsung.com)