Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge Breaks the Two-Hour Marathon Barrier

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge shattered the two-hour barrier in a marathon (1h59:40) this Saturday. A feat that breaks one of the most legendary psychological boundaries in athletics and sports in general, but it will not be officially recognized.

The 34-year-old athlete has repeatedly compared achieving this milestone to the arrival of man on the Moon 50 years ago, breaking an insurmountable barrier. Well, by breaking that legendary wall, Kipchoge "lands on the Moon" in the history of athletics.

"Today we went to the Moon and came back to Earth. I have no words for all the support I have received from around the world," said the African athlete about a mark that will remain in history.

All this despite the fact that his time will not count as official for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), as the runner has had external assistance not allowed in official competition.

The distance runner, a marathon world record holder (2h01:39), has been the protagonist of a race made to measure, "Ineos 1.59", which has also been a great advertising event that canonized Kipchoge as a global icon.

Among these aids was a pace-setting vehicle, an army of 41 "hares" supporting him, and a moving supply station. Even part of the flat circuit was freshly asphalted to avoid irregularities.

The fastest marathoner in history shattered the clock by completing the 42.195 meters at a speed more typical of a sprint, with an average of 17 seconds per 100 meters, 2 minutes 50 seconds for each of the over 42 kilometers.

The marathoner also used a pair of Nike Vaporfly shoes, controversial for their cushioning effects. There were also no anti-doping tests conducted in this event, but, as professional athletes, they are subject to surprise controls by the World Anti-Doping Agency.

In any case, thousands of people woke up early to cheer on the athlete in a race that took place in Vienna's Prater Park, on a flat circuit, almost completely straight and wooded, covering 9.6 kilometers, a few meters away from the Ernst Happel Stadium, where Spain won the historic final of the European Football Championship in 2008.

Although this is a "laboratory marathon", in which everything was calculated down to the smallest detail to break the record, running at such a fast and exact pace, and shattering the two-hour barrier undoubtedly allows Kipchoge to enter the Olympus of sporting immortals.

The IAAF itself, which does not homologate the new record, has congratulated Kipchoge on their Twitter account.

The race began at 8:15 local time (06:15 GMT) with weather conditions worse than initially expected, with fog and 90% humidity, which increased fatigue.

Kipchoge kept a consistent pace, running steadily between 2 minutes 48 seconds and 2 minutes 52 seconds, to meet his average of 2 minutes 50 seconds.

Throughout the entire route except for the last 400 meters, he was accompanied by seven "hares", five in front in an arrow formation to protect from the wind, and two behind.

The "hares" were a selection of top-ranking athletes, such as the three Norwegian brothers Ingebrigtsen - Henrik, Filip, and Jakob - Ethiopian Selemon Barega, recent World Championships silver medalist in the 5,000 meters, or Americans Bernard Lagat and Paul Chelimo.

Kipchoge has stated that this race, despite being unofficial, was more important than the record he set last year in Berlin because breaking one of the mythical boundaries of sport will allow him to enter history and inspire a whole generation.

The dizzying pace of the race smashed the previous best mark in history, the 2h00:25 that Kipchoge himself set on the Monza circuit (Italy) in the previous attempt to break the two-hour barrier, where he failed by 26 seconds.

The distance runner never gave the impression of faltering and he himself assured reporters that from the beginning he felt comfortable and confident that he would achieve it.

In a roller coaster of emotions, Kipchoge recounted that within a few hours he experienced the best moment of his life, when he knew he would achieve the mark comfortably before reaching the finish line, and the worst, the hours leading up to the race.

What was never in doubt, however, was that he was going to achieve the challenge: "When I came, I came only to run below 2 hours. I didn't want to put my mind on a scale of a 50-50 probability," he said.

On the eve of the race, the athlete acknowledged that it was the worst moment of his life because he felt "great pressure" from calls from numerous personalities, such as Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Kipchoge, true to his reflective character, said that now it was time to enjoy the moment and declined to assess whether he could run faster or if it would be possible to break this record in an official marathon.

About his achievement, he simply said that it can encourage "more people around the world to run below two hours after today." He also reiterated his message that this milestone sends a positive message from the sport to a world that needs good news. "Together we can make this world better," he summarized.

The athlete, who has only been defeated once out of a total of 12 marathons - a second place in Berlin 2013 - has even defeated his only rival on the track on Saturday: the clock.

Source: EFE