NAIROBI, April 25 (Xinhua) -- Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge must seek inspiration from within and not outside if he is to continue to dominate the marathon distance.
The Kenyan runner, 33, has won almost every major city marathon in the nine races he has competed in.
Save for the small blip in 2013 at the Berlin marathon where he finished second to compatriot Wilson Kipsang, Kipchoge has won each of the eight other races he took part in.
But critics still believe he needs three more titles in Boston, New York and the world marathon championships to be a true legend.
Speaking here on Wednesday, Kipchoge said his management will decide which event he competes in, and that he believes his greatest test will be to run a world record time somewhere.
"It is still in my focus. The world record will fall some day and that will be my inspiration," he said.
In addition to winning the race in 2:04:15, Kipchoge joined the ranks of Dionicio Ceron and Martin Lel as the only athletes with three London titles, an achievement he said this week would be the greatest of his stellar career and make him "the happiest man on earth."
"It was slower at the end but all in all that's what happens in sport. I enjoyed the whole race. You have to win, and I had to fight over the last kilometers, thank you London," he said.
Kipchoge has also won marathons in Hamburg, Rotterdam, Berlin and Chicago. He also ran 2:00:25 at the special coordinated race in Monza, Italy last year and holds the Olympic gold from Rio.
But his critics believe it will be a different story when he runs in Boston and New York, which have no pace setters.
Meanwhile, Edna Kiplagat may have lost the Boston marathon title, but she is keen to recover from her exhaustion and compete at the top level soon. Speaking in Eldoret, Kiplagat said the weather was to blame for her loss.
"After a few days of recovery from tough race in Boston, I feel better and ready to begin my easy and steady training, thank you all for great support," she added.
