Miki Rae
Eliud Kipchoge’s sub-2 hour marathon three weeks ago is as impressive as athletic achievements get. The Kenyan distance runner completed the 26.2 mile distance in one hour 59 minutes, and 40 seconds, the fastest anyone has ever run the distance. However, like many unprecedented achievements in athletics, Kipchoge’s race was met with significant controversy both within and outside the running community.
Let’s go back to May 7, 2017, where Kipchoge first attempted to break the two-hour barrier in a special project led by Nike called Breaking2. It also included two other East African runners, Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea and Lelisa Desisa from Ethiopia. On race day, seemingly every factor that could impede the runners’ ability to run their fastest was controlled; there were several pacers who ran with the three runners to keep them on pace, personalized energy supplement and never-before-seen Nike shoes that were specially customized for each runner. Despite the flawless design of the race, neither Kipchoge, Tadese nor Desisa was able to run under two hours; nonetheless, Kipchoge was able to complete the distance in two hours and 25 seconds, the fastest anyone had ever run a marathon up to that point.
Around two years later, Kipchoge and Nike decided to go for a second attempt at breaking tour-hours in a project similar to Breaking2. Sponsored by the multinational chemical company INEOS, the project integrated many of the same strategies as the first attempt, but also tweaked some elements to give Kipchoge the best shot at dipping under the two-hour mark.
For one, the course was designed to minimize wind, sunlight and changes in direction or incline. Second, Kipchoge wore an updated version of the Nike Vaporfly Next%, a shoe which Nike claimed to improve one’s running economy by four percent because of three carbon fiber plates that practically acted as a spring. The pacing team for Kipchoge this time around featured some of the best runners in the world, including American Olympic gold medalist Matthew Centrowitz who ran short segments of the race with Kipchoge to guarantee that each of them were fresh and able to maintain his unfathomably quick 4:33 mile pace.
The race, which race organizers announced would be at some point within an eight-day window in early October, ultimately took place on Oct. 12. Practically every single component of the race was executed flawlessly, and Kipchoge was able to run the full marathon in one hour,59 minutes, and 40 seconds. Following the race, skeptics were quick to trivialize Kipchoge’s unprecedented achievement because of all the support he had from Nike and INEOS. Since the IAAF, the governing body of track and field, did not consider Kipchoge’s performance an official world record due to the rotating pacers that started running with Kipchoge in the middle of the race and the fueling strategy that involved coaches providing energy supplements to Kipchoge while biking alongside him.
The Atlantic published an article a day after the race about Kipchoge’s performance which was titled, “The Greatest, Fakest World Record,” which I think both paints an inaccurate picture of the race’s purpose and blatantly negates the gravity of Kipchoge’s achievement. It is true that Kipchoge’s run was not an official world record, but to write in a headline that some aspect of the performance was “fake” frankly seems like a pathetic attempt at clickbaiting potential readers.
While I totally understand that one may be somewhat skeptical about certain aspects of the race, I think we can all agree that Kipchoge’s ability to run a mile in four minutes and 33 seconds for 26.2 consecutive miles is nothing short of monumental. Kipchoge, who is undoubtedly one of the most inspiring and genuine people in the sport of running, has said that the purpose of this race was to show that “no human is limited,” which I think is a succinct way to characterize his incredibly positive outlook about running and the world. Hopefully this achievement brings other marathoners, and athletes in general, to believe in their ability to improve and push the boundaries of their respective sports.
Miki Rae, a Conributing Writer, can be reached for comment at MRae20@ wooster.edu.