Ridiculous time but for me it needs to happen in a 'proper' marathon. Running on his own with tons of pace makers there for just him is slightly cheating it a bit.
Still amazing though, given that the average person training for a marathon would probably be happy to break 4 hours.
It was about proving a point though, can it be done? Nothing to do with a world record, he has that already. Lots of variables in a race, not least they are all about winning and nobody can keep alive with him. It surely can be done in a race, just not sure when or by who
Brilliant achievement. Ha, I've only run a half marathon faster than that three times!
Erm, call me cynical, anyone else raise an eyebrow that it was announced 48hrs ago that the Nike sponsored athlete would attempt this today... nothing like a bit of positive advertising for them after the Salazar saga!
The fact is he has done it even if it doesn't count as an official world record. Up there with Roger Bannister's 4 minute mile and Bob Beaman leaping into the next country as athletic milestones in my opinion regardless of whether it counts officially.
Dont get me wrong its amazing he achieved it at all
Just with the amount of variables used in this I think we'll be waiting a bit longer for it to happen officially
I disagree. When you get to that level there's psychological factors at play as well as physical. IIRC Bannister's 4 minute mile was bettered by John Landy within a month. After that it's like the floodgates opened and it wasn't long before several athletes were coming in under 4 minutes in the same race. It had taken decades for Bannister to do it, yet pretty quickly after it became very common.
No idea how many athletes have run under 4 minutes since but it'll be loads. That's not to say bang average athletes will suddenly start running sub 2:00 marathons of course but I would expect, now it's been done, that we'll see someone do it under race conditions reasonably soon.
A cinder track at Iffley Road Oxford, dear old Norris Mc Whirter with his hand held stop watch compared to 41 pacemakers, refuelling stations and indicative lasers.
I'm not sure loads of athletes will start doing sub 2hr in races but he's been only 100 seconds away so I could see him doing sub 2hrs in a 'real' race.
Not that it matters in my opinion, he ran 26. 2 miles in 2 hours, pacemakers or not that is a staggering achievement, will definitely be remembered like the 4min mile.
Well done ---- anything that pushes the boundaries of human effort legally is great.
Read the book by Ranuloph Fiennes called Heat, although most of it is about his life in war etc in the dessert he also explores how the human body deals with extremes and adapts---latter years his explorations were funded looking at just that.How people can run etc in extreme heat for long distances (Ethopians for example) He entered the Marathon De Sade as a self guiinnie pig(sic) to have his own body monitored.The race organisers said no one who is over sixty or has had a heart condition could enter ----- Fiennes entered and finished---he was 70 and had had four attacks previously ----- supermen/women do exist
I don't know anything like enough about marathon running to comment on moving parts that weren't in play. Celebrate the achievement for what it is. The human race edging ever closer to creating a boy that will one day swim faster than a shark
Some more info on this which made his run a lot easier than a normal race.
Vienna was preferred to London because of benign conditions. Teams of seven pacemakers – in a phalanx formation, 2-1-2-2 - not only kept Kipchoge on the right side of the clock but protected him from what little breeze existed. Green lasers were projected on to the road so he knew where he needed to be in relation to beating the 2 hour mark. Kipchoge’s route was entirely flat and 90% straight.
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The next question is can it be done in an actual race
Still amazing though, given that the average person training for a marathon would probably be happy to break 4 hours.
It wont start at the same time as it has done today (as that will have been done to increase chances)
Imagine this route is extremely flat too; London Marathon is not that for one - Think Berlin is the flattest
Feed / Water would have been planned to the last detail to ensure he fueled at the right times
In addition the pace makers today would have been position to make him as aerodynamic as possible, I dont think thats allowed in an official race
Just with the amount of variables used in this I think we'll be waiting a bit longer for it to happen officially
Erm, call me cynical, anyone else raise an eyebrow that it was announced 48hrs ago that the Nike sponsored athlete would attempt this today... nothing like a bit of positive advertising for them after the Salazar saga!
The fact is he has done it even if it doesn't count as an official world record. Up there with Roger Bannister's 4 minute mile and Bob Beaman leaping into the next country as athletic milestones in my opinion regardless of whether it counts officially.
No idea how many athletes have run under 4 minutes since but it'll be loads. That's not to say bang average athletes will suddenly start running sub 2:00 marathons of course but I would expect, now it's been done, that we'll see someone do it under race conditions reasonably soon.
A cinder track at Iffley Road Oxford, dear old Norris Mc Whirter with his hand held stop watch compared to 41 pacemakers, refuelling stations and indicative lasers.
Yet both equally monumental achievements.
Not that it matters in my opinion, he ran 26. 2 miles in 2 hours, pacemakers or not that is a staggering achievement, will definitely be remembered like the 4min mile.
Read the book by Ranuloph Fiennes called Heat, although most of it is about his life in war etc in the dessert he also explores how the human body deals with extremes and adapts---latter years his explorations were funded looking at just that.How people can run etc in extreme heat for long distances (Ethopians for example)
He entered the Marathon De Sade as a self guiinnie pig(sic) to have his own body monitored.The race organisers said no one who is over sixty or has had a heart condition could enter ----- Fiennes entered and finished---he was 70 and had had four attacks previously ----- supermen/women do exist
only FIVE people out of 51 MILLION have beaten his pace over 5 k? And he completed a marathon?
Super human 🤣
Vienna was preferred to London because of benign conditions.
Teams of seven pacemakers – in a phalanx formation, 2-1-2-2 - not only kept Kipchoge on the right side of the clock but protected him from what little breeze existed.
Green lasers were projected on to the road so he knew where he needed to be in relation to beating the 2 hour mark.
Kipchoge’s route was entirely flat and 90% straight.