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Oscar-Wilde-1854 t1_iragtgb wrote

69 seconds long of 2 hours.

Across 26.2 miles is only 2.6 seconds faster each mile... That is agonizingly close lol must be driving him nuts that he's the closest anyone has ever been, but still so far realistically.

This record is 30 seconds better than the previous record (his own) from 2018.

He'd still need to shave 30 seconds off 2+ more times to beat it. I don't know if he has enough left in him to pull out a couple more big jumps like that. He's already 37 (which is wild enough that he's pulling this off in his late 30s). How far into his 40s is he going to be able to realistically attempt 2 hrs? No idea lol the man already seems like an alien at this point, so I won't be surprised if he pulls it off!

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Carpik78 t1_irapu4k wrote

He did go below 2 hours (1:59:40) in 2019, but in a special event which was not compliant with IAAF regulations for world record (running behind a car and with multiple pacemakers that were starting during the run).

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johnniewelker t1_irausyb wrote

He had pacers who would rotate. It’s slightly easier to run faster if you know how much more effort to given, assuming you can perform that to begin with

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CrayZ_Squirrel t1_ird3f57 wrote

He's moving fast enough and the margins are so thin that there's actually a drafting effect as well

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Goodlollipop t1_iravgdi wrote

2.6 seconds a mile is A LOT during this distance, even during a half and arguably a 10k, specifically at this level of competition. Quantitatively it is small, but in the sense of athletics that's a huge jump.

I believe he's been vocal about retiring from true competition after the 2024 olympics with a possible last attempt for a record Berlin 2025. I forget when this was, but I recall it's been discussed.

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Oscar-Wilde-1854 t1_iraxuia wrote

>2.6 seconds a mile is A LOT during this distance

Oh for sure, that's why I added the "but still so far realistically"

It's just that even for someone at his level it must still feel so miniscule to see those numbers. To think "Oh, all I need to do is shave off 2.6 seconds per mile". He knows how hard it is, but when the number is that small you probably can't help but feel it's right there.

And yeah, that sounds about right. It's amazing he's able to compete this aggressively at his age already, so yeah one final olympics at age 40 and maybe one more kick at Berlin after that? Seems like a good line to draw for him.

Anyway, I absolutely hope he pulls it off. Who knows when we'll see someone else with a realistic chance! There are a bunch of Ethiopians and Kenyans who've posted sub 2:04s over the last few years, so we'll see! Legese is probably the youngest of them at 28, so maybe he'll excel into his 30s as well and have a good chance at it over the next decade!

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Goodlollipop t1_irb58xw wrote

I know for myself I'm always thinking "Ehhhhh 2 seconds a mile for this half is all I need to do for my goal time? That's easy!" Even though I know it's not haha I agree, it can be easy to get that idea into your head and I doubt professionals are immune to it.

I have high hopes that Tola will become a star marathoner, although I am doubtful we will see a marathoner of Kipchoge's caliber for a while. Jakob Ingebritsen, a phenomenal 1500m and 5k runner has expressed interest in future marathoning, but I imagine he has a lot still to achieve on the track before making the move.

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akohhh t1_irarb16 wrote

Endurance running its less wild than it could be for a power event—I’d love to see him beat the 2h!

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