Sport at the very highest level is all about breaking barriers and setting new standards, but there is one big mark which has so far proved elusive even for the world’s elite athletes.
The world record for the men’s marathon has tumbled over the years, but attempts to duck the magical two-hour mark for the 26.4 mile run have so far fallen just short.
The fact that running a marathon in two hours is even being considered is an illustration of the remarkable achievements of the world’s best runners over the years. The current world record is held by Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge who shaved a remarkable one minute and 20 seconds off the previous best when he ran the distance in two hours one minute and 39 seconds in Berlin in September 2018.
It was no surprise that Kipchoge would be the one to set such a remarkable time. Kipchoge was one of three runners who took part in an ambitious experiment in December 2016 organized sportswear giant Nike. The Breaking2 event was staged at the Grand Prix motor racing track in Monza, Italy with the intention of providing the optimum conditions for either Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadaese and Leslisa Desisa to run a marathon in under. The time could not be considered an official world record and Kipchoge was the closest to the elusive mark, covering the distance in two hours and 25 seconds.
The first record world marathon record was 2.55.18 which was achieved by American Johnny Hayes at the London Olympics in 1908. The fact that almost an hour has been taken off that mark in 110 years suggests breaking the two-hour barrier can’t be too far away.
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