Eliud Kipchoge Breaks Two-Hour Marathon Barrier

In Vienna, the Kenyan achieved a milestone once believed to be nova unattainable. But his time, 1:59:40, will not be recognized as a world record.nova nova nova nova1024w,https://static01.nyt.com/images/2019/10/12/world/12marathon-sub/12marathon-sub-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&auto=webp 2048w" style="cursor: pointer;" />

In Vienna, Eliud Kipchoge, the marathon world record holder, on Saturday broke through a temporal barrier that many had deemed untouchable a few years ago.CreditCreditLeonhard Foeger/Reuters

By Andrew Keh

• Oct. 12, 2019Updated 9:05 a.m. ETVIENNA — On a misty Saturday nova nova nova novamorning in Vienna, on a course specially chosen for speed, in an athletic spectacle of historic proportions, Eliud Kipchoge of nova nova nova novaKenya ran 26.2 miles in a once-inconceivable time of 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds.

In becoming the first person to cover nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova novathe marathon distance in less than two hours, Kipchoge, 34, achieved a sports milestone granted almost mythical status in the running world, breaking through a temporal barrier that many would have deemed untouchable only a few years ago.

Kipchoge, an eight-time major marathon nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova novawinner and three-time Olympic medalist, pounded his chest twice as he crossed the finish line in Vienna’s leafy Prater Park, where the majority of the run had unfolded on a long straightaway of recently paved road, with roundabouts on either end.

Cheered on by a thick crowd of spectators, he was nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova novalifted into the air by members of his team, including the 41 professional runners who had acted as pacesetters during the run.

For Kipchoge, the feat merely burnished his credentials as the world’s greatest marathoner.

“Together, when we run, we can make this world a beautiful world,” Kipchoge said after finishing.

For all its magnitude, the accomplishment will be regarded largely as a symbolic one. The eye-popping time, which was 10 seconds quicker than the 1:59:50 time Kipchoge and his team had nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova nova novaset out to achieve, will not be officially recognized as a world record because it was not run under open marathon conditions and because it featured a dense rotation of professional pacesetters.

What the event lacked in officially sanctioned gravitas, though, it seemed determined to make up for with theater and grandiose proclamations.

The run, organized by the petrochemical company INEOS, featured a cycle of hype and commercial buildup more reminiscent of a heavyweight prizefight than a road race.