Incredible challenge of chasing Kipchoge

It was described as world sport’s equivalent of putting a man on the moon — the day in October last year when Eliud Kipchoge achieved the “impossible” by running the first sub two-hour marathon.

Four months later, “brokendown” father of two and NZME’s Hamilton-based sport news director, Steven Holloway, is ready to share with New Zealand the outcome of his effort to emulate the Kenyan’s astonishing attempt — over 1/42nd of the distance.

On October 12, 35-year-old Kipchoge crossed the finish line in Vienna’s Prater Park in 1:59:40, almost two minutes faster than the world record he set in Berlin in 2018 and — more importantly — at a breakneck pace of 2m 50s per kilometre.

Holloway watched the incredible run, and felt inspired to start a “running competition” with a few friends.

“It started as a challenge to see who in our group of mates could run one kilometre the fastest,” Holloway said. “But it soon took on a life of its own.

It started as a challenge to see who in our group of mates could run one kilometre the fastest. But it soon took on a life of its own. Steven Holloway

“My first time was 3m 57s, but as I got faster and faster over a few weeks it got me thinking, could I emulate Kipchoge’s pace over 1/42nd of the distance?”

Holloway, 34, was a keen footballer — representing Waikato FC and Waitakere United in the NZ National League — before being forced into early retirement after seriously hurting his back in a Crossfit gym in 2017. His doctor’s advice was to never run again.

“For two years I was brokendown. I couldn’t really bend over, jump, sprint or turn without pain. But learning to breathe properly changed my life. Almost overnight, the pain went away.”

With the help of renowned track coach Criss Strange, Holloway set out to achieve what had, only months earlier, seemed not only impossible but potentially disastrous — to run a kilometre in 2mins 50s.

“For eight weeks, I trained every day for this challenge. The pace is insanely fast. The point of this whole journey was to try to help people understand how incredible Kipchoge’s recordbreaking run was. I had no idea what I was getting into.”