Eliud Kipchoge breaks two-hour marathon mark by 20 seconds

Eliud Kipchoge has become the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours, beating the mark by 20 seconds.

The Kenyan, 34, covered the 26.2 miles (42.2km) in one hour 59 minutes 40 seconds in the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria on Saturday.

It will not be recognised as the official marathon world record because it was not in open competition and he used a team of rotating pacemakers.

The Olympic champion missed out by 25 seconds in a previous attempt in 2017.

Knowing he was about to make history on the home straight, the pacemakers dropped back to let Kipchoge sprint over the line alone, roared on by a large crowd in the Austrian capital.

The four-time London Marathon winner embraced his wife Grace, grabbed the Kenyan flag and was mobbed by his pacemakers, including many of the world’s best middle and long-distance runners.

Source: Citi Sports