Kipchoge’s 1:59
Saturday and Sunday last week saw two of the greatest feats in running. On Oct. 12, Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to break the two-hour marathon barrier. The next day, Brigid Kosgei broke the women’s world record with a time of 2:14:04.
Was Kosgei’s achievement (breaking the long-standing record set by Paula Radcliffe in the 2003 London Marathon) inspired by Kipchoge’s incredible feat? Absolutely. The dates “Oct. 12 and 13, 2019” will go down in history as one of the greatest weekends in sports.
How fast did Eliud Kipchoge run? My good friend Dr. Ronnie Medalle asked me this question as we watched the YouTube livestream the other Saturday.
One way is to step on a treadmill and press “21K.” This means running 21 kph—Kipchoge’s speed. The problem is, most treadmills don’t have settings that reach 21 kph.
To anyone who’s run a 5K or 10K, you’ll understand the speed. At the 5K mark, Eliud timed 14:10; at the 10K mark, he was at 28:10. And he maintained this speed all throughout the 42K, finishing with an average pace of 2:50 per kilometer. Incredible.
“I’m feeling good,” said the 34-year-old Kenyan after the finish. “After Roger Bannister made history, it took me another 65 years. I’ve tried but I’ve done it.”
Kipchoge, whose mantra reads “Motivation + Discipline = Consistency,” has been exceptionally consistent in his winnings. Of the 13 marathons that he’s joined, he has won 12 and placed second only in the 2013 Berlin Marathon. Since that September six years ago, he has not lost a single race.
Standing 5-foot-6 and weighing 115 pounds, Kipchoge is meticulous with his regimen. Every single workout that he does, he records in a notebook. He has now compiled 15 notebooks loaded with detailed workouts. (Imagine how much these will sell in a future auction.)
As we all know, Kipchoge was aided by a worldclass group of pacemakers; 42 pacers in all that included Bernard Lagat (former 1,500m and 5,000m world champion), Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Paul Chelimo and the Olympic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz, among others.
“They are among the best athletes in the world —so thank you,” Kipchoge said. “I appreciate them for accepting this job. We did this one together.”
Around a 9.55-kilometer course in the heart of Vienna, Austria, the pacers alternated in and out and coaches handed over energy gels and water as Kipchoge did 4.4 laps around the Prater Park course.
Critics, as expected, censured the achievement, some calling it a “fake record.” It’s true that this feat is not acknowledged by the governing body (the IAAF), but it’s unmistakable that one man with two God-given legs ran the entire 42.195 km. distance in 1:59:40.
The Guinness World Records has accorded the performance with two accolades: “Fastest marathon distance (male)” and “First marathon distance run under two hours.”
What’s next for Eliud? Given his “No human is limited” slogan, expect him to target another sub-2, this time in a “normal” marathon in Berlin or London.