Eliud Kipchoge makes history by breaking the two-hour marathon barrier

Kenyan prodigy Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to cross the mythical two-hour barrier in a marathon, this Saturday in Vienna, in an unofficial race designed specifically for this achievement.

Accompanied by a group of pacemakers dressed in black until the last 500 meters, the 34-year-old Olympic champion completed the 42.195 km distance in 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds, almost two minutes faster than his world record (2 hours 01 minutes 39 seconds), set under official conditions in Berlin last year.

In the Austrian capital, Kipchoge, wearing a white shirt, started the challenge at 8:15 local time (6:15 GMT) and completed a little over four laps of a flat 9.9 km course.

"I feel good, my goal was to make history. (...) I tried it and I am the happiest person to have run under two hours to inspire many people, to tell people that no human being has limits," said the athlete to the organizers' microphone after his feat, which he compares to "walking on the Moon" for the first time.

"I was very comfortable from the first kilometers. I trained for this for four and a half months and I internalized in my heart and in my mind that I would run the marathon in less than two hours," he added.

"Records are made to be broken, so someone else will try to do it, but history has been made, it's incredible," congratulated his trainer, Patrick Sang.

The challenge, which took place in the former hunting reserve of the Prater, in central Vienna, did not escape criticism, as some considered it more of a media and commercial event than a sporting one.

Not recognized by the IAAF

The sponsor of the event is the British petrochemical multinational Ineos, owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, who in recent months has made sports his new investment field.

Only the organizer's cameras were authorized to film the race, which was witnessed by numerous spectators, including four-time Tour de France winner and leader of the Ineos cycling team, Chris Froome.

To put the champion in the best conditions, the sponsor left nothing to chance: three and a half months of course preparation, a paved route to avoid imperfections, a track tested with simulation software, a day and a schedule chosen based on favorable weather conditions (temperature, humidity rate, air quality)... even the autumn fall of tree leaves was closely monitored.

Due to these particular conditions, the race was not recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

To climb his Everest, Kipchoge benefited from the help of 41 elite "sherpas", including legendary Bernard Lagat, Olympic champion in 1,500 m Matthew Centrowitz, and two of the Ingebritgsen brothers, who dominate the European middle and long distance events. AFP