ADVERTISEMENT

OT - First Sub 2 Hour Marathon

Ronnyp91

Freshman
Mar 13, 2014
1,471
1,166
113


But I gusss it’s nkt counting as a world record because he had a team of pacemakers. Stupid. But wow is that impressive.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jtbuba
That is insane. I’d look into this pacer thing. How many pacers finished the race and how many competitors were near him the entire race. I don’t like the fake racer pacer concept. They probably did a ton of drafting as well. The one thing I like about the Ironman. No drafting allowed, no pacers.
 
That is insane. I’d look into this pacer thing. How many pacers finished the race and how many competitors were near him the entire race. I don’t like the fake racer pacer concept. They probably did a ton of drafting as well. The one thing I like about the Ironman. No drafting allowed, no pacers.
Honestly - who cares ?
It’s an epic achievement .
26.2 miles in less than 2 hours is insane
 
Honestly - who cares ?
It’s an epic achievement .
26.2 miles in less than 2 hours is insane
It does matter. It matters how it was done. There are former record holders who did it in races against competitors without personal guides and excessive drafting. We don’t acknowledge fastest cyclist with automobile drafting or even pacers and drafters. They do it on a track by themselves.
 
Kipchoge’s barrier-breaking run won’t count as an official world record because it was not run under open marathon conditions, according to reports.
 
Kipchoge was helped along by three dozen pacemakers in alternating groups.
The 26.22-mile race also featured a pace car with a laser beam, projecting the ideal position on the road. Cyclists supplied drinks so runners wouldn’t have to slow down.
Running at an average pace of 4:33.5 minutes per mile, Kipchoge was 11 seconds ahead of schedule halfway through his run. He then maintained his tempo until the pacemakers left him for the final 500 meters, where he sped up.
 
Kipchoge was helped along by three dozen pacemakers in alternating groups.
The 26.22-mile race also featured a pace car with a laser beam, projecting the ideal position on the road. Cyclists supplied drinks so runners wouldn’t have to slow down.
Running at an average pace of 4:33.5 minutes per mile, Kipchoge was 11 seconds ahead of schedule halfway through his run. He then maintained his tempo until the pacemakers left him for the final 500 meters, where he sped up.

I had read about the preparation for this event, it was specifically set up for him to try and break the 2 hour mark. This was actually the 2nd time he’d tried this, the first time he missed by 26 seconds.

No matter, it is quite an achievement. It’s almost hard to believe the human body is capable of such a thing, similar to cycling when you see guys ride straight up a mountain while maintaining those speeds.
 
I had read about the preparation for this event, it was specifically set up for him to try and break the 2 hour mark. This was actually the 2nd time he’d tried this, the first time he missed by 26 seconds.

No matter, it is quite an achievement. It’s almost hard to believe the human body is capable of such a thing, similar to cycling when you see guys ride straight up a mountain while maintaining those speeds.
I absolutely see this as amazing, but it cheapens the true race accomplishment of sub 2. It’s freakin fast. But his 2:01 in a race is more amazing to me.
 
Honestly - who cares ?
It’s an epic achievement .
26.2 miles in less than 2 hours is insane

Give it a little bit of time and someone will run it in a race.

I high school I could run a pretty good sub 5 minute mile (around 4:45 - 4:50). I did it a couple times. Every time I was completely spent afterwards for quite a while.

It's impossible for me to even imagine doing that for 26 miles.
 
Give it a little bit of time and someone will run it in a race.

I high school I could run a pretty good sub 5 minute mile (around 4:45 - 4:50). I did it a couple times. Every time I was completely spent afterwards for quite a while.

It's impossible for me to even imagine doing that for 26 miles.

Most people have no idea how fast that pace is...
in my opinion I'd go on a limb and say 99% of the population could not run a quarter of a mile at that pace.. for any disbelievers head up to the local HS and run a 70 second quarter..
 
  • Like
Reactions: ChazzMo
That is insane. I’d look into this pacer thing. How many pacers finished the race and how many competitors were near him the entire race. I don’t like the fake racer pacer concept. They probably did a ton of drafting as well. The one thing I like about the Ironman. No drafting allowed, no pacers.

So should we take away Roger Bannister as the first sub 4 miler for using pacers?
 
So should we take away Roger Bannister as the first sub 4 miler for using pacers?


The interesting thing will be to see if other people will now beat 2 hours in actual race conditions. When Bannister broke the 4 minute mile it broke a mental barrier that runners had that it couldn't be done, and within a couple months another dozen guys had run sub 4 minute miles. Will the same thing happen here, and over the next cycle of big races will several people run sub 2 hours in actual races?
 
convert to interval training: today’s workout, boys and girls - we’re gonna do 104 quarter miles in 70 seconds each with an interval of - naaa, forget it - no interval - just keep running back to back quarters in 70 seconds and don’t stop til you’ve done 104 of em.

And I thought Jim Banner gave us some crazy $#|+ to do -
 
So should we take away Roger Bannister as the first sub 4 miler for using pacers?
I don’t support pacers like this setting. The sub 2 hour came with nearly 40 pacers, mules, and drafting. His true 2:01 was legit.
 
Last edited:
Big question mark as to whether Kipchoge is running clean. Nike guy and they pulled the plug on their Nike Project in light of Salazar's doping ban. Conveniently, there are currently no WADA-approved anti-doping labs in Kenya. If the IAAF wants to test Kenyan athletes, their agents have to go there. Of course, they rarely do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: E_Kegs and BFo8
I had read about the preparation for this event, it was specifically set up for him to try and break the 2 hour mark. This was actually the 2nd time he’d tried this, the first time he missed by 26 seconds.

No matter, it is quite an achievement. It’s almost hard to believe the human body is capable of such a thing, similar to cycling when you see guys ride straight up a mountain while maintaining those speeds.
Yep it’s like RJpanther and you say, quite an accomplishment but very valid reasons why it is not considered a world record. The sole purpose of the event was to give him the opportunity for sub 2-hr, not just with the pacers but also with a very favorable course layout. If I’m remembering correctly it was 4 laps around the same course.

Very impressive achievement the sub 2-hr when you consider that requires close to a 4:30 pace but also valid reasons why it’s not considered a world record.
 
The one component to this that no one has mentioned yet are the shoes he wore....

Nike has been releasing advanced marathon shoes over the last 2 years that are quite frankly, incredible. I can confirm that they increase running efficiency by a noticeable margin. When you’re starting to kick it at mile 24 to finish out, you can tell you have some juice left in your legs. My last 5k at the Chicago Marathon last year was my fastest 5k which I had never done before in 10 races.

For this race, Eliud wore an unreleased version of the Vaporfly called “Alphafly” that is made with 3 carbon fiber plates, air pockets, and other features that some consider cheating as they provide a “spring” action to the shoe. It won’t be available to anyone beyond the chosen ones until at least 2020 (if it ever makes it out).

I’m not so much concerned about the pacers and fueling practices. And drafting occurs at every race. Even amateurs do it. This test wasn’t to prove if someone could physically run a marathon race in under 2 hours. It was to test the limits to see if the human body could run 26.2 miles in under 2 hours (different than racing in under 2 hours). He did that and it was exciting (yes, I woke up at 2am local to watch this). But how much work did the shoes do for him? At some point, the USATF May step in...

On a side note, the big point of contention in the marathon world right now are downhill marathons. Point to Point races that have 2,000-4,000 foot elevation drops giving runners 3-5 minute advantages. Everyone is always looking to get an advantage, no matter how.
 
Most people have no idea how fast that pace is...
in my opinion I'd go on a limb and say 99% of the population could not run a quarter of a mile at that pace.. for any disbelievers head up to the local HS and run a 70 second quarter..

I’d wager 99% is even generous. 99% of marathon runners may not be able to run a 68 second 400m... and then you add in the general slob population and you’re left with slim to none.

It’s an insane accomplishment no matter how you slice it. That is, unless he’s doping or his unreleased shoes are determined to be in violation with rules.
 
The one component to this that no one has mentioned yet are the shoes he wore....

Nike has been releasing advanced marathon shoes over the last 2 years that are quite frankly, incredible. I can confirm that they increase running efficiency by a noticeable margin. When you’re starting to kick it at mile 24 to finish out, you can tell you have some juice left in your legs. My last 5k at the Chicago Marathon last year was my fastest 5k which I had never done before in 10 races.

For this race, Eliud wore an unreleased version of the Vaporfly called “Alphafly” that is made with 3 carbon fiber plates, air pockets, and other features that some consider cheating as they provide a “spring” action to the shoe. It won’t be available to anyone beyond the chosen ones until at least 2020 (if it ever makes it out).

I’m not so much concerned about the pacers and fueling practices. And drafting occurs at every race. Even amateurs do it. This test wasn’t to prove if someone could physically run a marathon race in under 2 hours. It was to test the limits to see if the human body could run 26.2 miles in under 2 hours (different than racing in under 2 hours). He did that and it was exciting (yes, I woke up at 2am local to watch this). But how much work did the shoes do for him? At some point, the USATF May step in...

On a side note, the big point of contention in the marathon world right now are downhill marathons. Point to Point races that have 2,000-4,000 foot elevation drops giving runners 3-5 minute advantages. Everyone is always looking to get an advantage, no matter how.
Chicago is a widely known fast marathon course. Many of us who run Chicago run it faster than other courses. The one thing none of us have is 40 pacers on a looped course with mules.

Cycling has always been the perfect example of lighter faster wind tunnel tested, aerodynamics, pacing, mules, team drafting, auto drafting, and cheating.

This cat is fast, no question. But again, too many factors in play to baby him the entire run and ensure breaking 2 hours. But let’s recognize all of the runners who have done it in a race and soloing to this finish. Not guided by a wall of a pacers and drafting.
 
The one component to this that no one has mentioned yet are the shoes he wore....

Nike has been releasing advanced marathon shoes over the last 2 years that are quite frankly, incredible. I can confirm that they increase running efficiency by a noticeable margin. When you’re starting to kick it at mile 24 to finish out, you can tell you have some juice left in your legs. My last 5k at the Chicago Marathon last year was my fastest 5k which I had never done before in 10 races.

For this race, Eliud wore an unreleased version of the Vaporfly called “Alphafly” that is made with 3 carbon fiber plates, air pockets, and other features that some consider cheating as they provide a “spring” action to the shoe. It won’t be available to anyone beyond the chosen ones until at least 2020 (if it ever makes it out).

I’m not so much concerned about the pacers and fueling practices. And drafting occurs at every race. Even amateurs do it. This test wasn’t to prove if someone could physically run a marathon race in under 2 hours. It was to test the limits to see if the human body could run 26.2 miles in under 2 hours (different than racing in under 2 hours). He did that and it was exciting (yes, I woke up at 2am local to watch this). But how much work did the shoes do for him? At some point, the USATF May step in...

On a side note, the big point of contention in the marathon world right now are downhill marathons. Point to Point races that have 2,000-4,000 foot elevation drops giving runners 3-5 minute advantages. Everyone is always looking to get an advantage, no matter how.
Chicago is a widely known fast marathon course. Many of us who run Chicago run it faster than other courses. The one thing none of us have is 40 pacers on a looped course with mules.

Cycling has always been the perfect example of lighter faster wind tunnel tested, aerodynamics, pacing, mules, team drafting, auto drafting, and cheating.

This cat is fast, no question. But again, too many factors in play to baby him the entire run and ensure breaking 2 hours. But let’s recognize all of the runners who have done it in a race and soloing to this finish. Not guided by a wall of a pacers and drafting.


Again, this test wasn’t meant to prove he could do it in an actual marathon race. It was to prove a human could physically run 26.2 miles in perfect conditions with all things on his side. It wasn’t a race by any stretch, and that was never his intent. If it was his intent, he’d choose his 2 marathons every year based on flat/fast courses that have favorable conditions.

He ran a 2:01:39 at Berlin last year when he set the official WR and Bekele who isn’t as celebrated just ran a 2:01:41 on the same course this year but no one talked about it. Now Kemworor sets the HM WR in the same year at 58:01. The times are trending for someone to break 2 hours. Eliud proved it’s physically possible for someone to do it. Now his legacy will allow the younger guys to chase it down in a sanctioned & WR eligible course/race.

Edit: Just saw the female WR was broken this morning at Chicago. Records are coming hot and heavy over the last few years.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Ski11585
when you weigh 85 lbs and have a 10 mph tali wind anything is possible.


there will be some follow up article in week where they discovcered he cut through the park or something.
 
Most people have no idea how fast that pace is...
in my opinion I'd go on a limb and say 99% of the population could not run a quarter of a mile at that pace.. for any disbelievers head up to the local HS and run a 70 second quarter..
doing 12mph on a bike is a pretty solid pace for your average biker..my wife and I went out for an 18 mile ride yesterday at about 10mph and were beat....I mentioned had this dude started a few minutes before we did he would pass us on the trail and we would never see him again...that really put it into perspective...
 
  • Like
Reactions: pittdan77
when you weigh 85 lbs and have a 10 mph tali wind anything is possible.


there will be some follow up article in week where they discovcered he cut through the park or something.
They'll be checking bus schedules/cams near and around the course.
 
when you weigh 85 lbs and have a 10 mph tali wind anything is possible.


there will be some follow up article in week where they discovcered he cut through the park or something.


Considering it was live streaming and he was the only person running for time and all eyes were on him for 2 hours.... doubtful
 
Considering it was live streaming and he was the only person running for time and all eyes were on him for 2 hours.... doubtful

I believe we were just joking and Marathon Runner Cheating isn't good for your health.
Marathon runner found dead amid cheating allegations committed suicide, coroner says

By Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News |
Jul 09, 2019 | 7:40 AM

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/na...0190709-6rb4hf3fgbbite7uhn3afg3gby-story.html

WDN5RJI6YRFM7KGBYL5OCXQNBI.jpg
 
Considering it was live streaming and he was the only person running for time and all eyes were on him for 2 hours.... doubtful

I believe we were just joking and Marathon Runner Cheating isn't good for your health.
Marathon runner found dead amid cheating allegations committed suicide, coroner says

By Jessica Schladebeck
New York Daily News |
Jul 09, 2019 | 7:40 AM

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/na...0190709-6rb4hf3fgbbite7uhn3afg3gby-story.html

WDN5RJI6YRFM7KGBYL5OCXQNBI.jpg

Ah ok. Didn’t think anyone was joking about a guy who was a habitual cheater who was then bullied online by the running community until he killed him self.

Would have been better to cite the Chinese instead, as they’re the real cheaters in respect to racing.
 
Ah ok. Didn’t think anyone was joking about a guy who was a habitual cheater who was then bullied online by the running community until he killed him self.

Would have been better to cite the Chinese instead, as they’re the real cheaters in respect to racing.
Tough community that running community.
And they look so docile.

I have to stop cutting through that park on my runs. Darn.
 
Considering it was live streaming and he was the only person running for time and all eyes were on him for 2 hours.... doubtful

i was kidding. its about time humans evolved to the land speed times of their quadra-ped rivals
 
I’d wager 99% is even generous. 99% of marathon runners may not be able to run a 68 second 400m... and then you add in the general slob population and you’re left with slim to none.

I made it a point to do a 5k a few years ago. Wanted to see if I could do it despite the condition of my legs and other health issues. I managed around an 11 minute mile, average. Terrible but for me it was a pretty big deal to go start to finish and not have to stop. I don't give a crap how he did this, it's a heck of an achievement.
 
I’d wager 99% is even generous. 99% of marathon runners may not be able to run a 68 second 400m... and then you add in the general slob population and you’re left with slim to none.

I made it a point to do a 5k a few years ago. Wanted to see if I could do it despite the condition of my legs and other health issues. I managed around an 11 minute mile, average. Terrible but for me it was a pretty big deal to go start to finish and not have to stop. I don't give a crap how he did this, it's a heck of an achievement.

The beautiful thing about running is for most “hobby joggers” your accomplishments are only against your expectations. So if that was your goal, you achieved something great. And that’s all that matters. Just like most sports, it’s a transferable lesson in life to train for and achieve something that you otherwise thought was improbable.

Beyond the fact that most don’t have a frame of reference of what this kind of pace means (I consider myself relatively fast— top 2.5% overall of male marathon runners and haven’t sniffed 4:30 for 1 continuous mile), most are completely missing the point of the orchestrated event. So much criticism over how he went about it. It wasn’t meant to create a World Record (which Eliud already owns). If he had run a 1:59:40 at Boston it wouldn’t be record eligible anyway. It wasn’t meant to win a race (this event wasn’t a race). It was purely an event that Eliud and team put together to prove, under a scenario as controlled as it could be, that it’s physically possible for a human to run 26.2 miles in under two hours.
 
ADVERTISEMENT