Remember, the pacemakers are among the best athletes in the world, I appreciate them for doing the job.' 'Now I've gone under two hours to inspire other people and show the world that nobody is limited.' 'I am feeling good, after Roger Bannister it took another 65 years to make history,' he said. Kipchoge said it was the biggest athletics milestone since Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile barrier in 1954. He reached the halfway mark in 59 min 35 sec, 11 seconds inside the target, and ran remarkably consistently with his one-kilometre times fluctuating between 2 min 48 sec and 2 min 52 sec.įor the last kilometre, the pacemakers and car peeled away and Kipchoge pointed to the crowd and smiled as he completed the run.

Guided by rotating seven-man teams of pacesetters, many of themselves renowned athletes, and an electric pacecar that shone green lasers onto the track, Kipchoge averaged around 2 min 50 sec per kilometre for 42.2km. Still, the eye-popping time will not be officially recognised as a world record by the International Association of Athletics Federations because it was not run under open marathon conditions. In becoming the first person to cover the marathon distance in less than two hours, Kipchoge, 34, broke through a temporal barrier that many would have deemed untouchable only a few years ago and achieved a sports milestone granted almost mythical status in the running world. The Olympic marathon champion and world record holder completed a course around Vienna's Prater Park in one hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds (1:59:40) on a cool, misty and windless autumnal morning.

VIENNA - Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge made athletics history on Saturday (Oct 12) when he became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, although his remarkable effort will not be recognised by the sport's governing body.

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