Marathons

The Sub-2 Hour Marathon Attempt – All the Details and How to Watch It!

5 years ago
4 Comments
by Charlie
a man standing in front of a sign
Written by Charlie

It’s happening! The sub 2 hour marathon attempt will be happening very soon! Find out all the details including how you can watch it live!

Over 2 years ago, there was an attempt by 3 world class runners to break that 2 hour barrier on the marathon – 26.2 miles. That 2 hour mark has been like some kind of magical number, similar to the 4 minute mark of the mile. Like the 4 minute mile, many think that the 2 hour marathon will break at some point also. And there is a sub-2 hour marathon attempt that will take place tomorrow that will have everything going for it.

The Sub-2 Hour Marathon Attempt – Can It Happen?

Link: Sub 2 Hour Marathon Attempt

The Man Attempting the Sub 2 Hour Marathon – Eliud Kipchoge

One of the runners that participated in the last attempt will be the only runner attempting it tomorrow, world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will attempt it again tomorrow.

Of all the runners in the world, Eliud has the best shot right now at breaking the 2 hour marathon. Not only is he the current Olympic Gold Medalist in the marathon but he also holds the official world marathon record at 2 hours, 1 minute, and 39 seconds. In addition to that, he ran a 2 hour and 25 second minute time at the last sub 2 hour attempt.

Put simply, Eliud has what it would take. Not only that, but he has the mental toughness to eke out the extra 1 second per mile he will need over his last attempt. To the non-runner, 1 second faster per mile may not seem like much but a sub 2 hour marathon translates to running 4 minutes and 34 seconds per mile for 26.2 miles. Think about it – that is just 34 seconds slower than the 4 minute mile that people once thought could not be broken!

What Is Going Into the Sub 2 Hour Marathon Attempt

Of course, this whole effort is more than just the man of the hour, or 2 hours. There is a huge team behind him that has been using data for a while to pinpoint the best possible place for this effort. After checking all their data, they figured that Vienna, Austria would make the best spot, with an out and back 4.4 mile route for the effort.

They even put a span of a few days that the attempt would take place on to make room for weather changes. Now that they have examined all weather models and predictions, they have set a start time for tomorrow’s attempt.

In addition to those members of the team, there will be 41 pacemakers joining Eliud at various points throughout the attempt to help keep him on pace for the sub 2 hour marathon attempt. (Note: it is actually due to these pacemakers – that will be coming in and out throughout the attempt – that will prevent this from being a world record attempt). These are some of the fastest men in the world at various distances that will be helping to push Eliud to get under 2 hours.

The Details of the Sub 2 Hour Marathon Attempt

Just a few hours ago, INEOS announced the start time for this much-anticipated event. So, here are the details! If you are in the US, you will need to wake up early to watch this! But, if you are a runner, it could definitely be something to watch! In fact, maybe turn it on while you do an early morning long run on the treadmill. 🙂

I will definitely be watching this tomorrow! In fact, if my wife wasn’t about to give birth to our baby, I would be there cheering him on in person! 🙂

Good luck to Eliud!

Featured image by Jon Super for The INEOS 1:59 Challenge

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About the author

Charlie

Charlie has been an avid traveler and runner for many years. He has run in marathons around the world for less than it would cost to travel to the next town - all as a result of collecting and using miles and points. Over the years, he has flown hundreds of thousands of miles and collected millions of miles and points.
Now he uses this experience and knowledge to help others through Running with Miles.

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4 Comments

  • Under 2 hours is insane. A coooooool 13 mph FOR TWO FREAKIN’ HOURS! I fall over on a treadmill at 8 MPH for a few seconds. This should be awesome.

  • Amazing. But 2 hrs will fall in the next 20 years. The advances in training and nutrition have been amazing. We continue to grow stronger and faster. I should know. I ran a 4:20 in New York! Pitiful.

    • Your time is not pitiful! Running a marathon is still an achievement and there is always room for us to improve on our times! My first marathon time was 4:34 and now my best is 3:29 and I know I still have room to improve on that.
      I bet we see it fall in the next 10 years. The world record dropped very fast and it was almost broken again in Berlin this year! In fact, I bet if Kipchoge had been running Berlin, the two of those runners racing each other near the end would have seen a 2:01:30 happen. But, always another year! The problem with next year is the Olympics. The Tokyo Olympic course is not an easy one so a world record won’t happen there (it never happens at Olympics anyway) and it is too close to Berlin for any of them to attempt that so likely 2021 Berlin will be the next shop at improving the WR. My thoughts, anyway!