Kipchoge targets sub-2 hour marathon
Print Edition
Eliud Kipchoge will attempt to break the two-hour marathon barrier — the last great landmark in modern athletics — in Vienna, Austria, in October, his London-based INEOS 1:59 Challenge team announced yesterday.
The Kenyan world record holder will attempt the unprecedented feat at Prater Park in the Austrian capital on October 12, with an eight-day window to October 20 in case of bad weather.
“This is a golden chance for me to make history and show the world that no human is limited,” said Kipchoge.
The effort will be run in 9.6-kilometer laps of the park’s dead-straight Hauptallee tree-lined avenue. Kipchoge will change direction on a roundabout at each end.
In his previous attempt at running the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon on the Monza Formula One racetrack in Italy in 2017, Kipchoge completed the 42.2km distance in 2:00:25.
The in-form marathon great is preparing for his new record attempt at his Kaptagat training camp in Kenya, 2,400 meters above sea level.
Since Monza, Kipchoge set the official world record of 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.
His last outing was at the 2019 London Marathon in April, which he won in 2:02:37 — the second-fastest time ever recorded in an official race. “This gives me further belief that I can break two hours,” he said, given that he went into Monza with a personal best of 2:03:05.
The Olympic champion is skipping the biennial 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, from September 27 to October 6 to concentrate on the record attempt in the Austrian capital.
Vienna was chosen after meeting particular criteria, as Kipchoge looks to shave off a second per mile from his 2:00:25 Monza landmark.
They included a fast, flat and straight track; fresh air due to the horse chestnut trees; wide, traffic-free and illuminated roads with space for spectators; optimum performance weather conditions in October; and a one-hour time difference from Kipchoge’s training camp.
The course is 165 meters above sea level, while the Vienna average weather conditions are 10 degrees Celsius, with six days of rain in the month.
The attempt will be run in the early morning, to match Kipchoge’s training patterns.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
