Not just Kipchoge, Kaka also beat his projected time at Berlin Marathon 

Former Real Madrid and AC Milan player Kaka ran his first marathon in Berlin on Sunday in 3 hours, 38 minutes and 6 seconds, a clear 22 minutes under his projected time of 3hours and 40 minutes.

For a rookie marathoner, Kaka’s performance was good.

Eliud Kipchoge in won in 2h01’09, the Brazilian will have needed 3h38’06 to complete the 42.195 kilometers. 

In an interview for the Spanish newspaper Marca published this Sunday, Kaka had aimed for a precise time. “I hope to finish in 3 hours and 40 minutes, but if I can go a little faster, I will try, he explained then. What I understood during the Rio half-marathon is that when you’re racing, your motivation and energy are higher than in training. That day, I planned to run in 1h46 and I finished in 1h39.” 

Eventually, the 2007 Ballon d’Or crossed the finish line with arms in the air after receiving many signs of affection throughout the race. A first and perhaps a last for Kaka, who said he went through long months of preparation before appearing at the start of the Berlin marathon. 

“In 2020 and 2021 I was only training twice a week because I knew I wasn’t going to run a marathon yet, but now I’ve been working out for nine months, five days a week, three of them running and two in the gym, he explains. I have also increased my mileage in the last two months. My longest run was 32 kilometers. 

Even though he is now retired, the Brazilian says he gets up at 5 a.m. several times a week to run for up to three hours before spending the rest of his day with his family.

As a footballer, he ran for an hour and a half – but never in one go. He became aware of this when he jogged for 40 minutes without a break for the first time.