Eliud Kipchoge breaks his own record, becomes the first man to run a marathon in less than 2 hours

Kipchoge sets a new record, overcame his own 2:01:39 time world record he had in men’s marathon in Berlin Marathon 2018. Yesterday, Eliud Kipchoge became the first person in recorded history to run a marathon of 26.2 miles in less than 2 hours. The Kenyan runner reached the finishing line in 1:59:40.2 time at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria. This new record time Kipchoge has set will not be seen as an official world record, as it was not an official race because it was not run under open marathon condition and he was supported by 41 pacemakers, who accompanied Kipchoge in alternating groups. These groups of pacemakers were also assisted by a pace car with a laser beam, projecting the ideal position on the road. They were also given drinks by cyclists and other runners to prevent them from constantly slowing down. 

This was not the first time the four-time marathon winner has tried to run a sub-two-hour marathon. He ran two hours and 26 seconds in Monza, Italy, on May 2017. Eliud Kipchoge, who before the run compared the achievement to landing on the moon was nothing but happy after the race. He tweeted on his Twitter page: “Today we went to the moon and came back to Earth! I am at a loss for words for all the support I have received from all over the world. Thank you to all who gave me the opportunity. Asante.” 

Kipchoge broke the two-hour marathon barrier: Selection of historic world best marathon times

The president of Kenya, Uhuru Kenyatta found time to congratulate Kipchoge on his new success. he said in a statement: “Hearty congratulations. You have done it, you’ve made history and made Kenya proud. Your win today will inspire future generations to dream big and aspire to greatness. We celebrate you and wish you God’s blessings.” 

Hundreds of Kenyans were not left out in the celebration. They brought traffic to a standstill in Nairobi (the country capital), as they came together to watch the concluding part of the run on a very big screen. As Kipchoge cruised to the finish line, the people showed their excitement, clapped and fell to their knees. 

Patrick Sang, Eliud Kipchoge long-time coach and mentor did not hide his happiness about what the serial marathon winner has done. He said: “It was really exciting. I am happy for him and what he has achieved. He has inspired all of us that we can stretch our limits and that we can do more than we think we can do.” 

The Tactics followed during yesterday’s Marathon 

Kipchoge was at all-time surrounded by a team of pacesetters. The aim of this was to minimize wind resistance. Another thing used was laser beams of an electric car shone on the road. These beams showed Kipchoge the pace he needed to maintain and pacesets their position.