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Eliud Kipchoge Becomes the First Person to Run a Marathon in Under 2 Hours

12/10/2019 - 08:10 PM

TOPSHOT - Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge (white jersey) celebrates after busting the mythical two-hour barrier for the marathon on October 12 2019 in Vienna. - Kipchoge holds the men's world record for the distance with a time of 2hr 01min 39sec, which he set in the flat Berlin marathon on September 16, 2018.He tried in May 2017 to break the two-hour barrier, running on the Monza National Autodrome racing circuit in Italy, failing narrowly in 2hr 00min 25sec. (Photo by HERBERT NEUBAUER / APA / AFP) / Austria OUT (Photo by HERBERT NEUBAUER/APA/AFP via Getty Images)

On Saturday, Eliud Kipchoge accomplished an incredible feat [1] as the first person to run a marathon in under two hours. The 34-year-old Olympic champion successfully completed the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria and clocked in at one hour, 59 minutes and 40.2 seconds.

"Today we went to the Moon and came back to earth!" Eliud wrote on Twitter [2] after crossing the finish line. "I am at a loss for words for all the support I have received from all over the world. Thank you to all who gave me the opportunity. Asante."

Eliud, a long-distance runner from Kenya, already holds the official world record for marathon time at two hours, one minute, and 39 seconds from the 2018 Berlin marathon. According to the New York Times, his unbelievable race in Vienna does not qualify as an official record [3] because he ran alongside pacekeepers and the race was not held under "open marathon conditions." Regardless, his efforts made history and inspired athletes everywhere. This race will not be forgotten.

HE. HAS. DONE. IT.@EliudKipchoge [4] is the first human to run a marathon in less than two hours!

His official time of 1:59:40 is now immortal.#INEOS159 [5] #NoHumanIsLimited [6] pic.twitter.com/wD6clIzHM0 [7]

— Olympic Channel (@olympicchannel) October 12, 2019 [8]


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.co.uk/fitness/eliud-kipchoge-runs-marathon-in-under-two-hours-46755680