‘Breaking 2hour barrier within reach’
behind behind behind NEWDELHI: Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge’s world record in Berlin on Sunday (2.01:39) has taken him closer to the dream of becoming the first to run a sub twohour race. Last year, the Kenyan great had clocked 2.00:25 in the ‘Nike Breaking Two’ project, but it wasn’t ratified as pace-setting didn’t conform to official norms. Kipchoge is delighted after setting his first world marathon record, and believes the two-hour race is
not beyond him. behind
Yes. I was alone in the last 17 behind km, but didn’t think I was alone. I just thought I have to keep up this pace until the very last km. I was sure I would be able to set a new record after 30 km.
I don’t believe in limits. When I train, I try to listen to my body and challenge it to go beyond barriers when the moment is right. Actually, it’s only 25 seconds. It’s no rocket science breaking this barrier. You simply have to believe in it, you need a great team that believes in it and in you, you need the perfect shoes and you need to be stronger than any runner before. Then every- thing is possible. The shoe is for every runner, not only for me. I tested it and Nike took my feedback. I contributed in making a shoe that is faster than any before, but it is still the runner that needs to run fast.
I felt great, but I got surprised by running 2.01. I knew I would run a world record eventually, but not that fast. My plans are a blank piece of paper. I normally go by one plan at a time and my plan was to run the Berlin marathon. Now, I will take some time to myself now for recovery. I have a family, so I spend time with them. I like reading some books to get some stories from around the world. That’s what keeps me when I’m in recovery. Absolutely. I expected to run a world record, but didn’t expect 2:01. I hoped to be able to run under 2:02:57.
Yes. I will keep running, and try to be successful. I never thought about retiring. Marathon is life. And if you really want to be happy, you have to enjoy life. That’s why I smile. I enjoy running the marathon.
was the average speed of Kipchoge was the average speed for first half was the average speed for second half