British-backed team were key to Kenyan shattering time barrier

group of 41 world-class athletes were choreographed into rotating teams of seven pacemakers to ensure Kipchoge kept the right speed.

They included American Olympic 1,500metre champion Matthew Centrowitz, and Paul Chelimo, who took silver in the 5000m at the Rio Games in 2016.

Guided by green laser beams fired from an electric Audi on to the ground to precisely control their pace, they were divided into teams of seven. Five runners formed an arrowhead in front of Kipchoge to reduce wind resistance while two ran behind him. It is a tactic common in cycling and much of the planning was done by Brit Dave Brailsford, who runs the Tour de France winning outfit, Team Ineos. Each group ran in stints of just under three miles as Kipchoge completed 4.4 laps of the 5.97-mile course, in Prater Hauptallee park in the centre of Vienna.

The long straight with loops at the end, has slightly raised banks and was partially resurfaced to help Kipchoge keep pace and avoid injury.

The venue, just 540ft above sea level, and time of year were carefully chosen to offer the best running conditions – cool and still.

To save time, drinks were provided by a bicycle rider with Kipchoge supping a super-rich Swedish energy drink called Maurten, rather than his usual sugary tea.

As the pacemakers peeled away on the final straight, he accelerated, smiling and pointing at the crowd who gave him a rousing reception.

He punched his chest twice and pointed as he crossed the line and ran into the arms of his jubilant wife Grace Sugut, his childhood sweetheart.

But the man nicknamed “the philosopher” by friends because of his love of reading, showed no such emotion during the race. “I was really calm and ELIUD KIPCHOGE ON HIS STAGGERING ACHIEVEMENT

trying to go with the pace, not to be crazy or slow,” Kipchoge said.

Asked about the reaction in Kenya, he went on: “Everyone can step out of their door and think positively.”

“We can make this world a beautiful world and a peaceful world.

“My wife and children, I am happy for them to come and witness history.”

It was Kipchoge’s second attempt to break the barrier, having missed out by 26 seconds in Monza, Italy, in 2017.

And he is likely to be handsomely rewarded for cracking it this time.

When he returns home to the city of Eldoret, in the Rift Valley, Kipchoge may become a Kenyan shilling billionaire – equivalent to £7million.

■ Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei eclipsed the 16-year-old women’s marathon world record held by Britain’s Paula Radcliffe at the Chicago Marathon yesterday.

The 25-year-old recorded a time of 2:14:04, easily inside Radcliffe’s mark of 2:15:25 which was set in the 2003 London Marathon.

Only 22 athletes in the men’s race ran faster than Kosgei, whose time would have been a men’s world record in 1964.

I’ve gone under two hours to show that nobody is limted