Almost every marathon has at least one exciting story that can be pulled from it, but perhaps the Berlin Marathon on September 25, 2022 takes the cake in recent marathons.
Eliud Kipchoge, the Kenyan runner who became a household name after his tremendous performance in Nike’s Breaking2 Project back in 2017, broke his own marathon world record as he took the crown in the Berlin Marathon.
Kipchoge ran an impressive 2:01:09, dropping his previous record time of 2:01:39 by 30 seconds.
Kipchoge had set the former marathon world record at the Berlin Marathon back in 2018.
The new marathon world record, 2:01:09, marks an average pace of 4:37 min/mile over the course of the 26.2-mile distance.
However, Kipchoge noted that he struggled with his pacing.
After running the first half in a blistering 59:51, Kipchoge slowed in the final miles of the race, finishing the second half in 61:18.
Kipchoge remarked that his plan had been to hold back a bit more and cross the halfway mark around 6:40-6:50, but his legs were running fast.
Despite some disappointment with his pacing, the 37-year old runner and a two-time Olympic champion, took his 15th win out of 17 career marathons, winning by nearly five minutes (4:49) over runner-up Mark Korir, a fellow Kenyan runner.
The Berlin Marathon course seems to lend itself well to fast times, as the last eight marathon world records have been set on the famously flat course.
Kipchoge has noted that his next big goals are to become the first runner to win three Olympic marathon titles by taking gold in Paris in 2024 and to win all six World Marathon Majors (Boston, New York City, Chicago, London, Tokyo, and Berlin).
Of the six, Kipchoge already has the title for Chicago, London, Berlin, and Tokyo, leaving just Boston and Berlin on the docket.
As the icon that the running community rightfully reveres as the greatest marathoner of all time, it seems like if anyone can accomplish such an impressive feat, it’ll be Kipchoge.
