President Uhuru Kenyatta has awarded Eliud Kipchoge the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (E.G.H.) award during the national Mashujaa Day celebrations in Mombasa.

Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya is the highest category which is further divided into three classes: Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (C.G.H.), Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (E.G.H.) and Moran of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (M.G.H.)

The Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart of Kenya (E.G.H.) is often awarded to among others the Deputy President, Speakers of Parliament, Cabinet Secretaries, the First Lady, the wife of the Deputy President, Head of Public Service and the Kenya Defence Forces' (KDF) Chief of Staff.

Kipchoge, who became the first man to run a full marathon under two hours on October 12 during the "INEOS 1:59 Challenge", is the first Kenyan sports personality to receive the award. In his address to the country, Uhuru urged Kenyans to emulate the world marathon record holder.

"His latest conquest shows that through integrity, hard work and commitment to excellence we can achieve all we set our minds to do. I urge all Kenyans to follow Kipchoge's example and become Shujaas in their respective fields," said Uhuru.

The presidential award caps what has been a fantastic year for Kipchoge who won the London Marathon in April in a new course record time of two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds before busting the two-hour marathon barrier in Vienna, Austria by clocking 1:59:40 during the "INEOS 1:59 Challenge".