Two-time Olympic champion runs in Brazil with the smartwatch he helped create
BRASILIA, Brazil, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- For decades, elite racing relied on highly precise positioning and professional full-marathon modes — advantages strictly reserved for professional teams. To nail accurate pace tracking and stable full-race monitoring, runners once depended on sophisticated professional gear and dedicated coaching support; reliable, lab-level positioning and endurance data were truly only accessible to elite athletes. With the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2, Huawei has brought professional-grade GPS accuracy and dedicated full-marathon modes to every course: steady, high-precision positioning in real races, reliable full-process monitoring throughout 42.195 km, refined through real-world racing and endorsed by the greatest marathon runner of all time.
Eliud Kipchoge, a marathon legend and two-time Olympic champion, serves as the smartwatch's global ambassador and played a direct role in its development alongside the high-performance team at dsm-firmenich. The Kenyan athlete embarked on Eliud's Running World, a two-year journey to run a marathon on each of the seven continents, with the goal of inspiring more active lifestyles around the world.
The second stop of the tour brings him back to a special place: Porto Alegre, on July 12, during the NB42K Porto Alegre. It was on Brazilian soil that Kipchoge won his first Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics, making this return particularly symbolic. "Each continent has its own spirit, and I want to share this journey with South America while inspiring people to believe that no human is limited," said the athlete.
What Kipchoge will put to the test in Porto Alegre is exactly what any runner can purchase today. The HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2 is designed to democratize sports science for runners of all levels.
One of the smartwatch's most innovative features is its Intelligent Marathon mode, which supports tracking for a wide range of World Athletics‑labeled races and guides athletes through preparation, race day, and recovery.
For instance, the device includes a virtual pacer that calculates pace deviations in real time, displaying an on‑screen avatar that shows runners the exact pace needed to hit their targets, kilometer by kilometer. In elite marathons, this level of support has typically been reserved for professional athletes; with the GT Runner 2, it is now available to everyone. For Kipchoge, it will serve as a tool to fine‑tune his race strategy on Porto Alegre's fast and flat course. For recreational runners, it means knowing precisely when to push harder and maintain pace.
Eliud Kipchoge wore the HUAWEI WATCH GT Runner 2 during the Porto Alegre Marathon, symbolizing the fusion of elite athletic performance and technological innovation. This has brought a device developed with insights from one of the greatest athletes in the history of the sport to runners worldwide. Importantly, he validated the watch's performance with his own pace: its accurate data and comprehensive features are not just lab‑tested — they are real‑world proven, personally tested by the legend.
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