This archive report was first published on 11 October 2019.
On Friday evening, 41 pacemakers gathered at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Vienna, Austria, for a final briefing ahead of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge on Saturday, October 12, 2019.
The pacemakers, drawn from various nationalities, will run in groups of seven to provide the supporting cast for Eliud Kipchoge's sub-two hour marathon attempt.
Five pacemakers will run ahead of Kipchoge in a 'V' formation, with two pacemakers behind him to dictate the pace and protect him from the wind.
A zero-emission Audi E-tron car will lead the pack, beaming green laser lights onto the tarmac to guide the runners to maintain a pace of two minutes and 50 seconds per kilometre.
Each runner will have a chip fitted in their shoe, and transponders will be placed at every kilometre to ensure the correct pace is maintained.
Augustine Choge, one of the pacemakers, explained the role of the pacemakers: 'The role of the pacemakers is to make Eliud maintain the pace and also to prevent him from the wind.'
Choge, a 2006 Commonwealth Games 5,000 metres champion and former world junior champion in the 3,000 metres and cross country, added that different pacemakers will cover different distances, with some doing three kilometres and others doing five kilometres.
After every 4.8 kilometres, new pacemakers will come in and the ones who are in will go out, with the pacemakers behind Kipchoge doing 9.8 kilometres, a full lap on the course.
