Dhe marathon world is turned upside down for the second time in two weeks – and this time Berlin is looking enviously at Chicago: The Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum stormed to a fabulous world record over the classic 42.195 kilometers in the Windy City on Sunday and finished in 2:00:35 scratched the iconic two-hour barrier.
“I’m so happy. I wasn’t prepared for that. But I knew that one day I would be the world record holder,” said 23-year-old Kiptum, who beat the previous record by 39 seconds. In February he had already finished second on the all-time best list in Valencia in 2:01:25 hours.
Berlin has thus lost the title as the fastest route in the world – Kiptum’s compatriot Eliud Kipchoge had achieved the old and now clearly beaten record of 2:01:09 hours there last year. Both – Berlin and Kipchoge – can console themselves with other superlatives.
European record for women
In the German capital it was only on September 24th that the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa improved the women’s world record and was more than two minutes below the previous mark set by Brigid Kosgei from Kenya (2:14: 04) remained.
And superstar Kipchoge, 38 years old, who two weeks ago had offered 2:02:42 hours as Berlin winner, remains the only person to have completed a marathon in under two hours: In Vienna, the two-time Olympic champion in 2019 was under laboratory conditions – more artificial Slipstream, changing pacemakers – 1:59:40 hours run.
Kiptum, who was well ahead of second-placed Benson Kipruto (also Kenya/2:04:02), came surprisingly close to this in a “real” race. The women’s race in Chicago was also immensely fast: The Dutchwoman Sifan Hassan won in 2:13:44 hours – a European record and the second best time in history.
The fable times are also the result of the materials battle between the largest manufacturers in the world. Assefa was in Berlin with the “miracle shoe” from her German supplier, Kiptum and Hassan now countered in the new premium product from a US giant. The World Athletics Association has regulated the construction of high-tech shoes in recent years, but development is still making rapid progress.
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