This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
On November 17, 2019, world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge made headlines after becoming the first man to run the marathon under two hours in Vienna, Austria.
Speaking at Karura Forest, Kipchoge, 35, expressed his confidence in running a marathon under two hours in normal conditions, stating that there was no significant difference between the Ineos 1:59 Challenge and any other big city marathon.
“I don’t believe in limits, I trust that it’s possible to run a normal marathon under two hours. What was the difference between Vienna and normal race? The little difference is people who help you to push until the end, but it should be understood that the distance is the same, the person who runs is the same person,” he said.
On the same day, Kipchoge received a new Isuzu single-cab D-Max pickup valued at Sh4.1 million from his sponsors Isuzu East Africa.
“In 1954, Roger Bannister hit the tape to become the first person to break the 4-minute mile and two weeks down the line, 14 athletes ran under the mile under the four minutes, I’m the one who ran the marathon under two hours, I have opened the door for them to run under two hours and I believe they will even run faster than me,” Kipchoge said.
When asked about his future plans, Kipchoge stated that he would make an announcement in the next month regarding his next move, including whether he would defend his London Marathon title or his Olympics title in Tokyo next year.
