This archive report was first published on 4 July 2020.
On October 12, 2019, in Vienna, Austria, Eliud Kipchoge made history by completing a 42-kilometre marathon in 1:59:40 at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. However, his achievement was not recognized as an official World Record by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF).
The IAAF has strict rules that must be met for a race to be eligible to become a World Record. These rules include:
- Sanctioning by the IAAF or the Athletics Federation of the host country
- Anti-doping controls
- Refreshments taken from official stations, not brought to an athlete
- At least three competitors
- No pacing by a vehicle with a motor
- The course must be measured and certified by an official
During Kipchoge's INEOS feat, several of these rules were breached. In his first attempt in Monza, Italy, refreshments were brought to him and pacers swapped in and out. In Austria, refreshments were handed to Kipchoge every 3.1 miles (5km), breaching the rule on refreshments.
Kipchoge, who already holds the men's world record for the distance with a time of 2hr 01min 39sec, set in the flat Berlin marathon on September 16, 2018, was not competing in a traditional race. The Vienna race was meant to inspire millions of people in the world, and Kipchoge noted that he was running to make history and change lives, not for money.
“I'm running to make history, to sell #NoHumanIsLimited and inspire over 3 billion people. It's not about money but changing the lives of people. “The law of nature cannot allow all human beings to think in one direction. I'm doing this just to inspire everybody and to send the message that no one is limited. I respect everyone's' thoughts,” stressed Kipchoge.
Published on July 4, 2020.
