Over a long track and field career, Eliud Kipchoge has been supported by a number of well-known sponsorships. This includes shoe giant Nike, which provides the Kenyan long-distance runner with his gear, TimeX Capital, which promotes philanthropic efforts, and many more. The list also includes Chinese tech giant Huawei, which has now come up with a new way to collaborate with the track and field star.

As reported by the Marathon Handbook on Instagram, Huawei’s collaboration with Eliud Kipchoge will make him a direct development partner for its next-generation smartwatch, and it will become the official technology partner of his famed dsm-firmenich Running Team. But the main question here is the release date of this piece of tech.

For now, neither Huawei nor the runner has confirmed an official date. But the product is expected to hit the consumer market this year. The Chinese brand also mentioned that it will use the inputs given by Kipchoge to refine pacing tools, recovery and fatigue analysis, physiological tracking, and GPS accuracy.

While making the smartwatch, Huawei is also considering collecting feedback from other athletes, too. The brand has shipped over 200 million wearables globally, and this particular product will aim towards professional athletes and might have an opportunity to become a serious competitor in that market.

The last time Huawei launched a product aimed at runners was back in 2021 with the WATCH GT Runner.

Coming to the more technical side of things, the smartwatch is expected to feature systems like the TruSense health monitoring platform and the Sunflower positioning system, easily increasing the tracking accuracy.

In prior tests with over 100 runners, Huawei’s previous product was able to give 97% accurate data for race performance predictions. This new collaboration also comes right after Kipchoge’s major announcement regarding his new mission.

Eliud Kipchoge found a new purpose in his life

For 41-year-old Eliud Kipchoge, long-distance running has earned him almost everything in his life. Two Olympic marathon gold medals and multiple other honors in other distances, like the 5000m and the 3000m, have defined his legacy.

But recently, after crossing the finish line at the World Marathon Major in New York City, he already had a new goal in his mind.

“I have dreamed about running the biggest marathon in the world, but I’m about to start my biggest adventure yet — a new dream: seven marathons on all seven continents,” Kipchoge shared on his social media, confirming his new ambition over the internet.

According to his manager, Valentijn Trouw, Kipchoge wants to celebrate the sport with no one other than his supporters. He went beyond, saying, “I will run in Antarctica! I now want to do that extreme thing that can make someone work hard…”

Having secured his legacy in competitive racing, Kipchoge is now turning his focus to engaging directly with the global running community that has supported him.