This archive report was first published on 10 November 2019.
On November 10, 2019, Kenyan advocate Professor Makau Mutua published an opinion piece in a local daily, questioning Eliud Kipchoge's INEOS record.
According to Mutua, the conditions of the INEOS challenge favored Kipchoge, allowing him to complete the event within the record time of 1 hour 59 minutes 40 seconds.
Mutua argued that Kipchoge had the advantage of pace setters who were 'friendly' to him, unlike in a real contest where competitors are often rivals.
He urged Kenyans to ignore claims that human beings can achieve anything, labeling the argument as unfounded and senseless.
“He ran against himself without having to be worried — or psyched out — by real competitors. Instead, he was escorted by friendly ‘sycophants’ brought there to help him break the two-hour barrier,” Mutua penned.
He further stated, “It’s like a boxer who knocks out a hapless sparring partner. Or a dictator running against himself. So, in a sense Mr Kipchoge’s ‘record’ is fake. The first true under-two-hour marathon hasn’t been run yet,”
