The miracle marathon
Kenyan strides into history books but sub-2 hour also a triumph for technology
You can do it. If you believe in something and put it in your mind and heart, it can be realised.
Eliud Kipchoge
Beating his chest triumphantly as he crossed the finish line barely out of breath, Eliud Kipchoge knew he had provided proof. Evidence that humans are capable of running a marathon in less than two hours. Proof that the “impossible” is, in fact, possible.
Irrespective of any misgivings surrounding the circumstances of his time trial run in Vienna yesterday, Kipchoge had managed something truly astonishing which will go down in the history of humankind’s greatest achievements. Where were you when Kipchoge ran a marathon in 1h 59m 40s?
The dilemma comes in knowing this was not simply the physical brilliance of a man who is undoubtedly the greatest marathon runner in history, but also a feat of technology. While it captivated an audience worldwide, for many this was not sport but a science experiment conducted by people with self-serving interests.
The chemical company Ineos, owned by Britain’s richest man, Jim Ratcliffe, had spent a reported NZ$30 million on the event and every element was conducted with such military precision it was impossible not to be impressed. From the Prater park road which was relaid in recent weeks, to the bright green grid projected by laser from the pacing car and ensuring a near-perfect even speed; from the flawless mid-run changeovers in pacemaker personnel, to every steward being equipped with a broom to sweep away falling leaves; from the meteorologists who narrowed down an initial eight-day window to a precise 8.15am start time, to sending Kipchoge’s used bottles to a nutritionist for in-race analysis. Absolutely nothing was left to chance.
At the centre of it all was one humble man from Kenya. Kipchoge, officially 34 but thought to be much older, had always been adamant he did not care that this would never count as an official world record because of the manufactured nature of the event. He already holds the official marathon world record of 2:01:39, set in Berlin last year, as well as having the Olympic title and numerous major marathon victories under his belt, but this was a chance to do what no other person had ever managed. He achieved it with such ease it is natural to wonder how much quicker he could have gone.
“I am the happiest man to run under two hours to inspire people, to tell people that no human being is limited,” said Kipchoge.
“You can do it. If you believe in something and put it in your mind and heart, it can be realised.”
Kipchoge’s day had begun with a 4.50am alarm call before a breakfast of oatmeal and plenty of time to prepare for the task ahead. It was, he said, “the hardest time in my life”. A day earlier, the president of Kenya had called to wish him well and Kipchoge’s wife and three children had travelled to Vienna to watch him run for the first time in his illustrious career.
That pressure dissolved as soon as the gun went. Unlike a conventional race, which ebbs and flows due to the unpredictable nature of sport, nothing deviated until the moment Kipchoge broke free to run alone in the final few hundred metres.
There was Kipchoge, dressed in white and wearing prototype Nike shoes, flanked by seven black-shirted pacemakers in arrowhead formation to shield him from the wind. There were support personnel cycling by his side, ear pieces attached, in constant contact and ready to handdeliver fluids direct to Kipchoge so he need not veer even a metre off course. There were also thousands of fans lining the streets.
Courtesy of the pace car, the speed barely changed throughout. The quickest kilometre was run in 2m 48s; the slowest in 2m 52s. It did not happen by chance. Then there were the shoes. The Nike Vaporfly trainer, with their carbon plate and huge foam midsole, are described by some as legal doping.
Consider that Kipchoge was wearing a previously unseen version still in its testing phase. New, even more advanced, technology. Perfectly legal of course, but a total game changer.
But for all that, a man was still required to fulfil the task. A human had to take all that technology and careful planning, and harness it to achieve the impossible. Kipchoge was that person.
“It’s superhuman really,” said Ratcliffe.
“There are no guarantees in sport. A two-hour marathon is meant to be unachievable. It’s almost unbelievable that anyone can do that.”
When Roger Bannister broke the four-minute barrier for the mile 65 years ago, he did aided by pacemakers in what was a race by name only. Because of the help he received, he would later rank the achievement as insignificant compared to his other triumphs. Yet his feat is still hailed by people who were not even alive to see it.
What Kipchoge did on a chilly Saturday morning in Vienna will be as well.