1:59...

[Conor Dary]

That's great....

[tandfman]

Kipchoge doesn't know what to do about buying photos of the race:

https://dumbrunner.com/news-blog/201...arked-versions

:-)

[Atticus]

Onion-worthy.

[TWalsh]

I'm sure Kipchoge was told to just run a little under 2:00, to keep the "drama" factor high. He obviously had a lot left at the end.

Bubka-esque

[huntinwr]

Anyone heard anything from Derek Clayton? He was quoted as saying that he couldn't foresee anyone ever breaking 2:00. In 1970 but also again many years later. His take now would be interesting.

[jazzcyclist]

Obviously by the time Kipchoge started picking up the pace inside the last kilometer he knew he would survive, but given what happened last time, I'll bet there was still doubt in his mind as late as the 35K mark. By the way, does anyone know offhand at what point he began to implode in his first attempt?

On a side note, this event reminds me of the one-hour time trial in cycling and I would like to see it done more often.

[Conor Dary]

Obviously by the time Kipchoge started picking up the pace inside the last kilometer he knew he would survive, but given what happened last time, I'll bet there was still doubt in his mind as late as the 35K mark. By the way, does anyone know offhand at what point he began to implode in his first attempt?

On a side note, this event reminds me of the one-hour time trial in cycling and I would like to see it done more regurlarly.

He was still on pace at 20 miles...but not by much...

Yeah the hour is great....and bicycles have changed massively in the last 20 years...and top bikes are hugely expensive....and I've never heard an outcry there....especially stuff like Ironman....

[gh]

a letter to the editor that came in today:

<<I am disappointed and even a bit appalled that you would write an article about such an artificially staged event as bearing any semblance of legitimacy, other than to disparage it. Your statement should read something like, "Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to artificially break the 2:00 barrier [sic] in an artificially staged 'marathon' show."

I believe Eluid staged this event because he was hell bent on going down in history as being the first man to run a 2 hr. or sub 2-hr. marathon, but realizing that his prospects of achieving this in a legitimate marathon are slim to none, he was willing to "achieve" this "feat" by any means necessary, legitimate or not. So he bought and paid for a staged set-up that allowed him to do this, even though it has no pretense of reality. Now, because a (legitimately) once great athlete has allowed his ego to corrupt him, he has established a precedent which will encourage other athletes to become the "first man", "first woman", or "first person" to... (whatever), in their respective fields, by staging artificial conditions which enable them to perform "superhuman" feats.

Nonetheless, Eliud has inspired me - to stage my own fake "first man to..." event. I have already started setting aside money to rent an extendable 80' flatbed trailer on which I will install a moving walkway conveyor, and on which I will walk as it is pulled along a 26.2-mile "marathon" course, at a pace which will enable me to become the "first man to 'walk' a marathon in a super-human record setting 1 hour and 30 minutes flat". I will perform this on an open, outdoor course and under whatever weather conditions are present on the scheduled day, and I will even walk backwards along parts of the course, which will also have a variance in elevation along the course of up to 50' to make the course more "realistic" and will increase the "challenge" and the level of difficulty. I can hardly wait...

Regards,

xxx

P.S. Let's see Eliud top this... ✌ �� ✌

[Conor Dary]

Pretty stupid...but whatever....

[lonewolf]

Bah! Humbug!... screw him... let's see him duplicate the feat if it is so easy... I have never seen an 80 foot flatbed trailer and doubt one exists ... and don't understand the walking gambit.
I don't care how many pacers, wind breaker or magic shoes are used, running 13 mph for 26 miles is... memorable