Runner breaks 2-hour barrier in marathon
VIENNA — Roger Bannister, 1954. Neil Armstrong, 1969. Eliud Kipchoge, 2019?
Like the sub-four minute mile and walking on the moon, running a marathon in less than two hours had seemed impossible — until Saturday. So when Olympic champion Kipchoge broke the barrier, the question arose as to where to rank his achievement.
The 34-year-old Kenyan completed the 26.2 miles in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 40.2 seconds at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, an event set up for the attempt.
Ahead of the event, Kipchoge even compared the feat to being “like the first man on the moon.” Afterward, he drew comparisons to Bannister, the late Briton who 65 years ago became the first athlete to run a mile in under four minutes.
“It is a great feeling to make history in sport after Sir Roger Bannister,” Kipchoge said. “I am the happiest man in the world to be the first human to run under two hours and I can tell people that no human is limited. I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today.”
With all variables tailored to his advantage, it was still the marathon distance but it was no regular marathon, which means his jaw-dropping finishing time will not be ratified by IAAF.
Different to an ordinary race, event organizers had set a nine-day window to be flexible and stage the run in the best possible weather conditions.
Also, Kipchoge was supported throughout his run by 36 pacemakers who accompanied him in alternating groups, with five athletes running ahead of him in a V-shape and two others closely following.
Unlike a normal race, a timing car just in front of the pack also helped keep the scheduled pace, and was equipped with a laser beam, projecting the ideal position on the road, parts of which also had painted stripes to indicate the optimum running line.
Furthermore, Kipchoge received drinks handed over by a cyclist to prevent him from having to slow down.
Even though his attempt was never meant to set an official world record, Kipchoge was understandably delighted and twice punched his chest in celebration while smiling when he finished.