Eliud Kipchoge, a runner from Kenya, took first place at the Berlin Marathon and improved his world record. Phenomenal.
Superlatives such as exceptional, outstanding, and fabulous… There is no shortage of praiseworthy things that can be said about his accomplishment and performance. Eliud Kipchoge was victorious on Sunday at the Berlin Marathon. Even more impressive is the fact that the Kenyan won in a time of 2 hours, 1 minute, and 9 seconds, thereby improving his world record. After winning the Berlin competition for the fourth time, he has earned the right to be compared to the great Haile Gebrselassie. But the slap he gave his time over the epic distance (42 kilometers and 195 meters) was the thing that left an impression all over again. His world record of two hours, one minute, and 39 seconds was set on these very same streets of Berlin four years ago. This Sunday’s competition was won by thirty seconds, bringing him one step closer to the dreaded two-hour mark. One day soon…
Eliud Kipchoge was a star on the track for 10 years, winning his first global title in the 5,000 meters at the Stade de France in 2003. After that, he switched to the marathon and had remarkable success there, ultimately winning two Olympic titles (Rio and Tokyo ). He set out to break the world record, and he did so for the first time in 2018 in Berlin, which is the quickest event on the planet since there is no actual climb. He did it again on Sunday after a chaotic race, and it was his second time breaking the record overall. He got off to a lightning-fast start and was able to convince people that he could finish the race in under two hours by taking advantage of the ideal weather circumstances, which included dry weather, a temperature of twelve degrees, and the absence of wind. Consider the time that he finished the semi in 59 minutes and 51 seconds.
Read also: Tigist Assefa dominates the women’s competition at the Berlin Marathon.
Drop in speed
However, the three hares that were traveling with him were forced to switch on their turn signals almost immediately after he said that. And the celebrity, who was known as “the philosopher” due to his love of literature, found that he was on his beginning to the 25-kilometer mark. Too much by myself to eventually stay up with this frenetic pace. The passing times at the 30th kilometer (1 hour 25 minutes and 40 seconds) and the 35th kilometer (1 hour 40 minutes and 10 seconds) revealed a (slight) decline in speed, which is also experienced by the vast majority of amateur runners who compete in marathons. The well-known 30-35 kilometer benchmark…
19 marathons and 17 victories
The 37-year-old runner with soles of wind, with his “fighter’s spirit,” continued his iron effort, disciplined his steely mind, and lengthened his aerial stride in the last kilometer to finish his legendary race to the ovation of the public in Berlin and from all over the world. He passed under the Brandenburg Gate. Eliud Kipchoge, who in 2019 had set the incredible time of 1 hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds in Vienna over this same mythical distance, but in conditions not allowing official approval (specifically the presence of 41 hares), would run in Berlin this Sunday his 19th marathon, and he won his 17th victory there. This was Eliud Kipchoge’s 17th victory in a marathon overall. Mind-blowing…