MARATHON RECORD TO BE CHALLENGED

Three runners who are part of Nike’s Breaking2 team will attempt to be the first to run the marathon in less than two hours. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, Eritrean Zersenay Tadese and Ethiopian Lelisa Desisa will run the event this weekend on the Formula One track in Monza, Italy. Nike will determine the race day and start time depending on conditions but could run the event Saturday, Sunday or Monday. The company revealed its Breaking2 effort in December, seeking to control as many variables as it could — from shoes to hydration and pacing — to enable the attempt. It ran a test event in March, with Runner’s World reporting unofficial half-marathon times for Kipchoge (59:17) and Tadese (59:41) that were on pace for the attempt, while Desisa ran 62:55. Kenyan Dennis Kimetto owns the world record of 2:02:57, and the Breaking2 athletes will have to run seven seconds faster per mile to accomplish the feat. Though it will not be counted as a world record, running a 1:59:59 is considered a significant barrier in the 26.2-mile race.