KENYAN ATHLETE Eliud Kipchoge, who has won the London Marathon four times, has this morning run a marathon in under two hours – the first athlete to do so. Kipchoge reached the finish line just 20 seconds short of the two hour mark.
The record was broken at the Ineos 1:59 Challenge race in Vienna. Kipchoge had been in the Austrian city since 8th October in order to acclimatise and had been running along parts of the course as part of his pre-race preparations.
However, his success will not lead to him being awarded the official world record. The 1:59 Challenge is not regarded as an open competition which would qualify for a world record. Further, Kipchoge used rotating pacemakers – another no-no for world record challenges.
Nonetheless, Kipchoge was delighted with his success and paraded around the area with a Kenyan flag. After his win he said that the result showed that no one is limited. He added that he expected the official record to be broken in the near future. He compared his breaking of the two hour barrier with Sir Roger Bannister running the first sub-four minute mile in 1954.
Kipchoge addressed the world about what a positive force that clean sport can be. “Together when we run, we can make it a beautiful world,” he said.
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