HISTORY MADE! Eliud Kipchoge is first man to run marathon in under 2hrs

Eliud Kipchoge ran an astonishing 1:59:40 to shatter the mythical sub-two marathon barrier as he completed the INEOS Challenge in majestic fashion on the streets of Vienna.

The world marathon record holder missed the mark by 26 seconds two years ago but there was no denying him for the second time of asking as he achieved sporting immortality at the Austrian capital.

Kipchoge’s mantra in the build up to the race has been to prove ‘No Human is Limited’ and on Saturday the Olympic champion duly delivered to usher the limits of human achievement into a new era.

“I’m feeling good, the first man to run the marathon under two hours and hopefully this inspires mankind. The race was difficult especially the first kilometre which needed a lot of concentration. I want to thank my pacesetters who are a world class group.

“I want to make this sport exciting and transform the world into a running world. I thank the fans who watched me for being part of this journey…this is history,” Kipchoge said in his post-race.

Greatest of All Time

The feat will not count as an official world-record as the race set-up used alternating pacemakers to keep him under the required pace against IAAF regulations but marked a significant milestone in marathon running.

Kipchoge is undoubtedly the greatest marathon runner of all time and his latest feat added GOAT status for an athlete who has won an incredible 11 of the 12 marathon career marathons.

Kipchoge needed to maintain 4:34 minutes per mile pace to complete the challenge and stayed well inside that mark throughout the race, keeping an average 2 minutess 50 seconds pace per kilometer.

The 34-year-old marathon world record holder completed the first 21 kilometers in 59.35 minutes, 11 seconds under the two-hour pace.

He kept enough in his tank to complete a remarkable run with a flourish, charging over the finish line as he waved at fans lined up along the final straight while pointing at the clock and pumping his chest.

He breasted the tape in 1:59:40, dipping 19 seconds into the sub-two marathon barrier and ran into the waiting embrace of his wife Grace Sugutt, and his coach Patrick Sang before the Kenyan dignitaries including DP William Ruto, Sports PS Amb Kirimi Kaberia joined in.