Kipchoge misses historic two-hour marathon by just 25 seconds
The Holy Grail of the world’s first twohour marathon remains elusive – just.
But there can be no doubt that Eliud Kipchoge’s two hours and 25 seconds effort in the early hours of yesterday morning was one of the greatest feats of human endurance ever seen.
The time was significantly faster than Dennis Kimetto’s existing marathon world record of 2hr 2min 57sec, but it will not go into the record books for all manner of reasons.
The attempt to break the two-hour mark at Monza’s Formula One track in Italy was not sanctioned by the sport’s governing body because of the use of 30 rotating elite pacers who shielded the athletes from wind in an arrowhead formation, while drinks were delivered to runners via moped. The course itself also failed to meet strict specifications.
Kenyan Kipchoge, 32, was one of three African athletes selected for the Nike-funded attempt, which took place exactly 63 years to the day after Roger Bannister became the first person to break the four-minute mile. It soon became clear that Kipchoge was on a oneman mission though, with Lelisa Desisa dropping off the pace before the halfway point and Zersenay Tadese falling away soon after. Kipchoge, the Olympic champion, remained on track to achieve the task until around 18 miles, when he started to fall behind the necessary pace. The gap continued to widen and – despite the carrot of a reported $1million (£770,000) bonus on offer – he was unable to regain it with an attempted sprint finish. “My mind fully was focused on the two hours, but in the last seconds I was a bit behind,” he said. “This journey has been good. It’s been hard. It’s taken seven good months of preparation. Now it is just 25 seconds [I need to lose]. I believe in good preparation and planning and, if I stick to that, the 25 seconds will come.”
Nike’s attempt to break the two-hour mark had cost many millions over its two-year development and had not been without controversy, taking place behind closed doors and with access restricted to selected media outlets.
Most controversial had been the development of a shoe featuring a special curved plate in the soles that designers say will make runners four per cent more efficient. Some experts believe the shoes should be made illegal because of the advantage they give to athletes wearing them, but the fate of two of the three participants yesterday morning showed how tough any marathon is despite the best equipment.
Eritrean Tadese, the half-marathon world record holder, crossed the line in 2hr 6min 51sec, while Desisa, of Ethiopia, trailed in way behind in 2hr 14min 10sec. For Kipchoge, the question now is how fast he can run in a proper race situation. Kimetto’s mark is surely in his sights – and then his time will count as a world record.