Eliud Kipchoge Sets A New Marathon Record!

Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters

This stunning performance had all the bravery of that run, without any of the controversy. And this will go down as Kipchoge’s crowning glory, his marathon opus. His record could well stand for a generation.

Before of the Berlin Marathon on Sunday morning, Eliud Kipchoge said he merely hoped to run a time that would be his personal best.And not only did he fulfill that goal, but also smashed the world record by winning the race in 2 hours 1 minute 39 seconds. This is a new marathon world record that would probably stands for decades to come. Maybe, just maybe, he might break his own record in the near future.

Kipchoge finished with "a new world record that will be remembered for decades" the Berlin Marathon tweeted, describing him as "the greatest runner of all times."

Kipchoge, 33, broke the previous world record by more than 76 seconds, an improvement not seen in five decades, the Berlin Marathon said.

"The winning time is now official and another second faster: 2:01:39 for Eliud Kipchoge!" it said. This was after a slight correction was done.

In June, Kipchoge said his focus was on winning the Berlin Marathon.
"My preparation is entirely concentrated on the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 16," he said. "I am confident I can beat my personal best on this fast course if conditions are good."
Kipchoge has won 10 of the 11 marathons he's run so far, including his last nine!

Kipchoge’s time of 2 hours 01 minute and 39 seconds was staggering enough, given it took one minute and 17 seconds off the previous world record, set four years ago by his compatriot Kenyan, Dennis Kimetto. However, what more it more impressive still was the fact that Kipchoge had to run the last 17 kilometres (10.5 miles) alone after his pacemakers dropped out early.Sure enough, he came determined through on Sunday, turning the streets of Berlin into his personal canvas. 

The truth is that this was a triumph 15 years in the making. The Kenyan first advertised his talents by winning the 2003 world championships over 5,000m as an 18-year-old,beating the world record holder then-Hicham El Guerrouj  and also won Olympic silver and bronze medals in 2004 and 2008 Olympics on the track before moving to the marathon in 2012. On the roads he has been almost unstoppable, winning 10 of 11 races over 26.2 miles, including Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro(2016) and three London marathon titles.

In May last year, he also attempted an audacious yet controversial attempt to shatter the two-hour barrier for the marathon, running 2:00:25 on the Monza F1 track with the help of a phalanx of 30 elite pacers, which was against the official rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).

Eliud Kipchoge is, and will be, the greatest marathoner of all time of our generation and for decades to come. This guy is at his best performance level and it seems nothing can stop him right now. Check his instagram for a peek into his training routines and his social life in general.