New Marathon World Record Set In Berlin

Some records have stood for so long that it has been questioned whether they will ever be broken. The beautiful thing about the human race is we constantly push the boundaries of what is physically possible, making every record there to be broken.

Eliud Kipchoge did just that by managing to smash the world record marathon time in Berlin on 16 September, knocking more than a minute off the previous record. Kipchoge set a 2:01:39 in Berlin, setting the fastest official Marathon, even though he holds an unratified 2:00:25 from the Nike Breaking2 project from last year.

With impeccable pacing and a truly zen-like focus, he placed his name amongst legends, finally beating the record that has eluded him in his last seven major victories, including the Olympics.

His humility and appreciation have always made the 33-year-old a firm fan favourite, and even though his running style isn’t exactly the smooth gliding poetry of other long-distance runners, his methodical and resilient approach to races has been rewarded with some fantastic times, leading to a well-deserved world record.

“I am grateful to those who worked with me, especially my training colleagues and my coach, Patrick Sang. And the spectators gave me strength. In the last miles, they were music in my ears.”

With the last pacer dropping off soon after the halfway mark, Eliud ran a solo split of 1:01:06. Under close study, this sturdy runner showed efficiency and control which made the Berlin marathon a joy to watch, regardless of the record. As a technical master, every footfall, every split, every curve and corner, was executed with perfection.

We have seen great runners of every generation and we are sure that the record will be broken again at some point in the future.

How impressed were you with the world record breaking time? Is it making you want to push on with your own running event time, or does the thought of a 2-hour marathon fill your eyes with lactic acid tears?