Eliud Kipchoge becomes first person to run a marathon under two hours

Eliud Kipchoge made history Saturday, becoming the first person to complete a marathon in under two hours.

The Kenyan clocked in at an unofficial 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds at an event in Vienna, Austria that was set up for the attempt.

This was the Olympic champion’s second go at breaking the two-hour barrier, long considered a milestone in athletic performance.

Today we went to the Moon and came back to earth! I am at a loss for words for all the support I have received from all over the world.

Thank you to all who gave me the opportunity. Asante.

“I’m feeling good,” Kipchoge said after the race. “I’m the first man, I want to inspire many people that no human is limited.”

Saturday’s finishing time will not be ratified as an official world record by the sport’s governing body because Kipchoge, 34, was assisted by dozens of pacemakers.

The groups were also helped by a pace car with a laser beam, projecting the ideal position on the road.

That means his own official record, set at the Berlin Marathon in 2018, still stands.

The pacemakers left him for the final stretch, and Kipchoge punched his chest twice in celebration when he finished.

“We can make this world a beautiful world and a peaceful world,” he said, pointing out that the mission of his attempt went beyond athletics.

“The positivity of sport, I want to make it a clean sport and an interesting sport.”

Source – https://www.nbcnews.com/news/