Not so solitary

WHEN Eliud Kipchoge broke his own world record at the Berlin Marathon two weeks ago, another man shared in the praise and applause the 37-year-old Kenyan runner received. 

Claus Henning-Schulke, a 56-year-old amateur triathlete who had volunteered to pass Kipchoge his personalised bottles of nutrition throughout the marathon, featured prominently in pictures and videos put up online, including one of four pictures Kipchoge had tweeted after the record-breaking race.

“Bottle Claus”, who is a construction engineer by day, has volunteered as a bottle passer since 1998. He has been Kipchoge’s “bottle bro” three times – including in 2018 when Kipchoge set the previous world record – and is by now synonymous with Kipchoge’s success. Henning-Schulke also manages a team of 34 other volunteers who undertake this crucial task of handing elite athletes their bottles during the race.