Marathon records: Two kinds

While I was cavorting all over the Bay Area this weekend for our family wedding, it was an unprecedented couple of days in terms of marathon history. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, certainly the greatest man in history over 26.2 miles, became the first man to break 2 hours in the marathon. In Vienna, in a totally staged race that some have called and stunt or even “fake news,” the great Kipchoge ran an unfathomable 1:59:40! I am writing about this in my weekly column in the Poughkeepsie Journal, which should be published online on Tuesday and in print on Thursday. One of my topics: How does this compare to Roger Bannister’s sub-4-minute mile? Interestingly, there are similarities: Both were not actual “races” but were staged events, with calculated timing for near perfect weather conditions. Both relied heavily on pacers or “rabbits” – although the Vienna race took that strategy to the extreme with dozens of world-class men shuttling on and off the course to break the wind for the great Kipchoge. One huge difference: The IAAF (track’s international governing body) does not recognize Kipchoge’s run as a world record because it fails to meet many of their criteria for a record; Bannister’s epic moment received an official seal of approval almost immediately. We can debate whether Kipchoge’s sub-2-hour was real or fake all day, but if you want the “fake news” side of it, read this article by Dr. Phil Maffetone, who is an expert and highly vocal about the sub-2-hour topic (he wrote a book on it!). You cannot simply dismiss Maffetone as a “hater” – his opinion counts here and really made me pause to think quite a bit about this.

And then on Sunday, Brigid Kosgei of Kenya smashed the long-standing world record in the women’s marathon were her dominant 2:14:04 at Chicago, which was truly the Windy City on Sunday. She powered through the breezes for an incredible performance, with promise for even more greatness in the future (she’s only 25). The record she shattered – Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 from 2003 – was considered one of the greatest marks of all time and literally stood the test of time. Chicago is a legit, IAAF-certified race so it certainly “counts.” This is not to discount or lessen the great Kipchoge's achievement. He still have to average faster than 4:35 for 26.2 miles. Any way you look at it, it was a truly remarkable weekend for the history of the marathon. Two records. Two vastly different records.