In what is surely one of the most impressive performances of all time, Eliud Kipchoge, the reigning Olympic champion, three-time London Marathon champion and two-time Berlin Marathon champion finally pulled off what until now has been regarded as the only feather missing in his glorious cap: Breaking the Marathon World Record.
Widely regarded as the number one marathoner over the past three seasons, many wondered whether Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2.02.57 was a milestone too near, yet too far for the man from the lush green undulating hills of the Kenyan Rift Valley.
And so it was that on a day of near perfect weather in the German capital of Berlin, at 9.15am (Kenyan time), with temperatures at 14 degrees Celcius, no rain and no wind; the world assembled to witness what was billed as a historic event, with no less than six pacesetters including Sammy Kitwara, Josephat Boit and Benard Kipkemoi lining up with stars the likes of Eliud Kipchoge, Wilson Kipsang and Zersenay Tadese, among other contestants.
News filtering in before the race suggested that Wilson Kipsang was seeking a first half time split of 61:30 to 61:45, while Eliud Kipchoge was seeking a 61:00 to 61:15 first half time split.
It is noteworthy that when Dennis Kimetto broke the world record four years ago, his first half split was 61:45, while his second half split was 61:12, and until now the fastest ever second half split.
The fastest ever fast half split was recorded in the 2018 London Marathon when Eliud Kipchoge went out in a blistering first half time of 61:00 but wilted in the smouldering London heat, the warmest ever recorded during the race as the world record slipped out of reach.
True to script, at the onset of the race Wilson Kipsang raced out of the blocks in a lung-bursting first kilometre time split of 2:43, with Eliud Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadese as well as the six pacemakers within a few strides of the lead.
As the time flashed by at 14:24 with 5km covered, it was quickly evident that the greatest risk lay in going out way too fast, similar to the Berlin 2017 edition when Kipsang and Bekele dropped out later in the race ostensibly due to an unsustainable blistering first half pace, and, as history is replete with examples, one cannot fail to mention Tirunesh Dibaba’s London 2017 debacle, where she flew out in the first half of the race but burned out and dropped off before the 30km mark. Comparatively, Dennis Kimetto’s WR split for 5km had been 14.42.
Wilson Kipsang by the 5km mark, had fallen back, in stride with three pacesetters, while Eliud Kipchoge had already built what later turned out to be an unassailable lead, with Sammy Kitwara, Josphat Boit and Benard Kipkemoi forming a formidable rabbit triumvirate that would surely be key in the WR onslaught.
Over the next 5km the race panned out as if on schedule, as experience of both the rabbits and the pedigree of Eliud Kipchoge started to shine through as the race settled down to a reasonable pace, with the four laying out a strategy as seamless as the choreographed musical ensemble of a string quartet.
At 8km the time stamp was 23:12 (a 2:55 split for the last km), while at 9km the time lapse was 26:07 (2:55 split) and at 10km 29:01(2:58 split).
At the 10km mark, Eliud Kipchoge’s 5km splits compared with Dennis Kimetto’s WR time was:
KIMETTO 14:42 (5km), 14:42 (10km)
KIPCHOGE 14:24 (5km), 14:37 (10km)
Once Eliud Kipchoge established a rhythm, and with his times stacking up impressively against the times of Dennis Kimetto’s time splits for the WR, and with temperatures rising but ever so slightly, and the breeze ever so slight with little possibility of rain, a feeling of inevitability began to envelop the watching crowd lined up along the sidelines of the race.
As the race progressed, the determination of Kipchoge became even more evident when, with 13km covered, he emphatically motioned to Sammy Kitwara and Josphat Kipkemoi to line up back into formation, as Kitwara seemingly begun to wilt.
It is probable that at the back of his mind, Kipchoge was employing the same tactic he used in running the sub two-hour attempt Nike-sponsored race in Monza, Italy, where the pacesetters had been instructed to form what was later coined as an “arrowhead formation” ahead of Kipchoge.
Slightly after 14km, with 40:45 having lapsed, Sammy Kitwara, the most formidable of the pacesetters (PB of 58:48 for the half) dropped off, seemingly unable to sustain the unyielding pace.
As if on cue, a few strides later, Eliud Kipchoge stepped up to the drink station and picked a drink, in order to stay hydrated.
If Josephat Boit and Benard Kipkemoi were not aware what they signed up for, surely any doubt over the seriousness of this mission must have evaporated, because Eliud Kipchoge neither seemed shocked nor worried at the early exit of Sammy Kitwara.
Indeed, the demeanor on Kipchoge’s face bore the nonchalance of a mortician.
At 15km the time was 43:38, reflecting a 5km time split of 14:37, exactly the same as the previous 5km split; implying a consistent pace; but which moreover compared favourably to Dennis Kimetto’s respective split of 14:45.
As if the devil sensed that Eliud Kipchoge was about to entertain the thought of celebrating these magnificent time splits, Benard Kipkemoi, until then an erstwhile contender for rabbit of the year, suddenly dropped off with only 15.70km undertaken.
The only silver lining shortly thereafter was the 46:35 time for 16km covered, implying a 2.50 time split for the last kilometre, the fastest time split thus far apart from that at the start of the race.
Feeling a need to quench his thirst, Eliud Kipchoge stepped off and grabbed another drink of water with slightly over 17km covered.
So far, Josephat Boit, the only remaining rabbit, was looking every bit the 59:19 half marathon elite athlete that he is.
Eliud Kipchoge on his part, amazingly still looked calm and relaxed, with no sign of sweat on his forehead, still gliding with the sense of purpose and composure that only a cheetah can summon.
KIMETTO 46:37 (16km), 49:31(17km), 52:26(18km)
KIPCHOGE 46:28 (16km) , 9:20(km), 52:13(18km)
Coming up on 20km, Kipchoge picks another drink, drinks very little, and hands the bottle to the much appreciative Josephat Boit, who drinks the water and tosses the rest aside. A gesture of trust.
At the 20km milestone, Eliud Kipchoge is well inside the World Record with a time of 57:56 compared to Dennis Kimetto’s WR respective time of 58:35. This implies that Eliud Kipchoge is already 39seconds inside the World Record.
HALFWAY POINT (21KM);
Kipchoge crosses 21km at 1:01:06 (61:06) well inside Dennis Kimetto’s WR respective time of 61:45.
Kipchoge’s time splits in the last five kilometres are as follows:
2:52 (17km), 2:53 (18km), 2:51(19km), 2:52 (20km), 2:50(21km)
Going into the second half of the race, all indications were that Josephat Boit was up for the job; his arms still up, stride length normal and unvaried.
Eliud Kipchoge at this point looks like a man well within his limits, breathing easy, emphatically sprinting from the asphalt as if embarking on a second half of a daily routine.
At 24km Eliud Kipchoge has covered the last kilometre in 2:54 and has built up a comfortable cushion on the WR. He decides to pick another bottle of water at the next drink station, which he does as if on cue.
At 25km the time is 1:12:24, compared to Kimetto’s 1:13:07, implying that Eliud Kipchoge at this point was at least 43seconds inside the world record.
60:469(21km), 63:40(22km), 66:34(23km), 9:28(24km), 72:24(25km)
At 25.6km, Josephat Boit finally runs out of gas and drops out.
From this point henceforth, it is Eliud Kipchoge ALL BY HIMSELF against the clock.
It must be mentioned, albeit in passing, that in Dennis Kimetto’s Berlin 2014 race, the three pacesetters petered out at the 30km mark, and that thereafter he had to slug it out with the formidable Emmanuel Mutai (then a 2013 runner-up in both the London and Chicago marathons, and a 2010 London Marathon Champion), in one of the most amazing catfights ever witnessed in a marathon race after 30km.
At the 30km mark in that race, Emmanuel Mutai delivered a flurry of speed that saw him set a then WR 30km time of 1.27.37. Kimetto eventually prevailed over his compatriot in the latter stages with an injection of pace. Such was the competition in this race that they covered the distance between the 30km and 35km in an earth-shattering time of 14:10.
Eliud Kipchoge, most certainly fully aware of these facts, and facing tougher odds with no rabbit and no competitor beside him to inspire his reserve energies, must have fully appreciated the 43-second cushion he had built over the first 25kms of this race.
But, in London 2018, he faced exactly the same proposition, with an even bigger cushion, but failed. The weather was blamed in that instance, but surely this time, with temperatures not acting up, there could be no excuse.
Surprisingly, once Josephat Boit dropped out, Eliud Kipchoge slammed the pedal to the floor, running 26km at 2:52, 27km at 2:51, 28km at 2:55, 29km at 2:53, 30km at 2:50. Approaching 30km he runs a 14:21 last 5km time split.
Thereafter he continues the relentless onslaught covering 31km at 2:53, and 32km at an astonishing 2:49.
Between 30km and 35km, Kipchoge fails to beat Kimetto’s 5km time split for the first time in the entire race; running a time split of 14:18 compared to Kimetto’s insurmountable 14:10.
Approaching the 35km Eliud Kipchoge picks what will ultimately prove to be his last bottle of water, drinks and tosses aside the rest as he now embarks on the final leg of his erstwhile mission.
Knowing like the back of his hand the entire circuit of the Berlin Marathon, being in familiar surroundings must have urged on Kipchoge at this stage, and the calming knowledge that his fitness was up to scratch, his shoes for once not chugging out insoles, the weather perfect, and less than 8km to go in order to fulfil his destiny, the WR seemingly in sight, and an under 2:02 WR in sight, this was one of those moments where all the inspiring and persuasive words of his coach, Patrick Sang, must have filtered through his mind and muscles.
Athletes who have run the Berlin Marathon have never managed to conclude the argument as to what makes the final phase of the Berlin Marathon so challenging, yet so enticing.
No one has documented a blow by blow account of what goes through the mind of an athlete chasing a win, or chasing a world record for that matter.
The chanting crowds may play a big role, or the knowledge that ahead lies the imposing Brandenburg Gate, a monument over two hundred-years-old, seemingly a gateway to the finish line of the marathon which lies an excruciatingly painful but beckoning three hundred metres away.
Eliud Kipchoge passing under the Brandenburg Gate with the time at 2:01:00, had no time to stop and marvel.
With the finish line in sight, and the crowds roaring him ahead, knowing for sure that this was a day ordained by God, Eliud Kipchoge found an extra gear in his seemingly inexhaustible energy reserves to summon one last sprint. What pain?
With every stride reeling in the finish line, every ounce of energy spent on the brutal training regiment was now coming to bear. The pump of adrenaline in overdrive, there was no chance Eliud Kipchoge was going to let go.
With the WR no longer in doubt, and the added assurance of surely becoming the first man to run under 2:02, Eliud Kipchoge finally summoned up a wide smile, thumped his chest with both arms, and stretched out his hands while holding out both index fingers to signify his undisputed Number One status, lapped up the total and utter adulation of the screaming crowd as he crossed the finish line in a World Record Time of 2:01:39!
FINAL STATS
1 Kipchoge, Eliud (KEN) 2:01:39
2 Kipruto, Amos (KEN) 02:06:23
3 Kipsang, Wilson (KEN) 02:06:48
4 Nakamura, Shogo (JPN) 02:08:16
5 Tadese, Zersenay (ERI) 02:08:46
6 Sato, Yuki (JPN) 02:09:18
7 Tsegay, Okubay (ERI) 02:09:56
8 Uekado, Daisuke (JPN) 02:11:07
9 Canchanya, Wily (PER) 02:12:57
10 van Nunen, Bart (NED) 02:13:09
11 Da Silva, Wellington (BRA) 02:13:43
12 Da Silva Noronha, Vagner (BRA) 02:14:57
13 Cabada, Fernando (USA) 02:15:00
14 van Peborgh, Nick (BEL) 02:15:04
15 De Bock, Thomas (BEL) 02:15:19
16 Murayama, Kenta (JPN) 02:15:37
17 Martin, Brendan (USA) 02:16:26
18 Hicks, Malcolm (NZL) 02:16:28
19 Spence, Julian (AUS) 02:16:39
20 Martelletti, Paul (NZL) 02:17:29
Overall, Eliud Kipchoge ran a first half time split of 61:06 and a second half of 60:33, an impressive negative split compared to Kimetto’s 61:45 and 61:12 respectively.
NEW WR 5K TIME SPLITS
5k 10k 15k 20k 25k 30k 35k 40k
14:24 14:37 14:37 14:18 14:28 14:21 14:21 14:29
QUOTES:
ELIUD KIPCHOGE
- “I had a great belief that I would break the WR.”
- “I had a belief and I was ready for Berlin.”
- “I’ve run 2:00,2:01,2:03,2:04,2:05 next time I want to run 2:02.”
- “I always say, Berlin Forever. I will come back next year.”
POINTS TO PONDER
- The way Patrick Sang received Eliud Kipchoge in a bear hug showed a great connection between the coach and the Athlete. European/American Coaches should borrow a leaf and create a mutually beneficial interpersonal relationship between themselves and the athletes in their stables.
- The Berlin Marathon needs to relook at their strategy pertaining water stations. Eliud Kipchoge tried to pick up a bottle at the 40th km and dropped it since there was no steward to hand it to him. Tirunesh Dibaba lost precious seconds at a water station when she had to stop due to mix ups and collisions that can be avoided
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