Eliud Kipchoge - 2:01:09

 

Eliud Kipchoge broke his own "official" personal best by 30 seconds this morning, September 25th, with a time of 2:01:09 at the Berlin Marathon.

After Eliud Kipchoge runs a race, it often takes a few days for the casual running fan to process what happened. 

Let's put Kipchoge's masterpiece - the new "official world record" - into perspective.

Kipchoge's average pace per mile for this morning's run in Berlin was 4:37.2

Think about what it takes to run a mile in 4:37 - I've never done it, but that's something I can begin to imagine. We're talking about fast running, the kind of running that will get you way out of trouble in most games of tag, the kind of speed that will make you feel like you're flying, with the wind in your face and the ground flying by beneath your feet. It's an 800 in about 2:18, or one lap it 1 minute and 9 seconds. Again. And again. And again. Until you've made it 105 and a half times around and everyone else in the world is eating your dust. 

This isn't just mind blowing for the average hobby jogger to consider. The best guys in the world can't hang with it either. Today, the next-best East African endurance machine made it a little over halfway before succumbing to the insane pace. No one has the confidence or the fitness to open a marathon in 59:51. No one but Eliud Kipchoge. You can try to hang with him - and many have tried - but now 16 out of 18 times, you won't come out alive. 

To understand his dominance - not just compared to the average Joe but compared to his own peers - you have to realize just how fast Kipchoge has been over the last five years. 

As of this writing on Sunday evening, here are the seven fastest marathons ever run, on any course:

1:59:40    Eliud Kipchoge

2:00:25    Eliud Kipchoge

2:01:09    Eliud Kipchoge

2:01:39    Eliud Kipchoge

2:01:41    Kenenisa Bekele

2:02:37    Eliud Kipchoge

2:02:40    Eliud Kipchoge

Folks, that's not just dominance. That's a once-in-a-lifetime athlete in the process of putting together a career that will never be forgotten as long as the sport of distance running exists. This is history playing out live before your eyes. This is what you get when a supreme talent meets a relentless work ethic, uncompromising consistency in training, and a confidence born of unparalleled preparation, and success building on success. 

At this point, the only people you can really compare Kipchoge to are the greatest athletes from other sports and disciplines. There's an argument to put him up there with the aforementioned Bekele as the greatest distance runner ever. I would argue that his dominance in the marathon has surpassed Bekele's on the track, and matched his dominance on the grass. 

But let's put Kipchoge up against someone like MJ - a similarly once-in-a-lifetime kind of sensation in his own sport. Jordan won 6 titles - but in the NBA you only get a chance for one title per year. Let's think of 2 marathon wins as equivalent to winning one NBA title, since marathoners get 2 chances per year. 

Kipchoge has won 14 "major" marathons, counting his World Marathon Major wins, his Olympic golds, and his top 2 times ever run. That's (roughly) like winning 7 NBA titles.

Jordan was at the top of his game for 8 years, from 1991-1998. So far, Kipchoge has been at the top of his game for 9 years from 2014-2022, with no signs of slowing down. 

I don't know what else to say about this race, besides that Kipchoge is absolutely mind-blowing, and a joy to watch. He has been the beating heart of long distance running over the last decades, and I can't wait to see what he does next...

And what will he do next? The answer seems clear to me, but Kipchoge has surprised us before. In my opinion it's time to prove himself (again) on American soil, off the pancake-flat streets of Europe, in the hills of Boston and New York City. He can finish his career with his stated goal of winning all six World Marathon Majors, and adding a third Olympic gold to put the cherry on top.

And then - on to ultras? I certainly hope so. It would be absolutely incredible and fascinating to see the greatest marathoner ever, the perfect candidate for ultra dominance from the traditional world of distance running, take on the MUT community and shatter some records. If anyone can do it, Kipchoge can. Here are my predictions (and hopes) for the rest of his career:

2023 Boston Marathon - 1st

2023 New York City Marathon - 1st

2024 Paris Olympic Marathon - 1st

2024 Spring 50K - 1st

2024 Fall 50K - 1st WR

2025 Spring 50M - 1st

2025 Fall 50M - 1st WR

We'll just have to wait and see! Until he tells the world his next move, let's enjoy the beautiful running of Eliud Kipchoge.