Running News Daily

World record marathon holder Eliud Kipchoge suffers loneliness at his running training

When he broke the two-hour barrier for the marathon in October, Eliud Kipchoge did not run alone, but now, as a diary he is recording reveals, he has no choice.

Kipchoge may be the only man to have broken two hours, but when he set the time in Vienna he ran with an echelon of pacemakers.

Now, as the first episode of "Eliud Kipchoge's Isolation Diary", makes clear, he is experiencing the loneliness of the long-distance runner.

The diary, recorded for the BBC, opens with the Kenyan rising from a kitchen chair with his tracksuit and running shoes on.

"It's now 6 o'clock," he says.

"This is now the third day since we broke up from the the camp due to coronavirus. It's really hard to train because I value teamwork. It's mutual interest because it helps me so much."

"I am trying to quarantine myself, stay with the family and make sure I don't actually mingle with a lot of people," he says.

"I am trying to keep more fit myself and wake up early at 6 o'clock and go for a run and make sure I stay fit," he adds.

"Good morning," he adds, waving, turning and heading on his own for open front door.

Outside it is dark and dogs can be heard barking.

Eliud Kipchoge says that Nike shoes do not give runners an unfair advantage

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has laughed off claims that Nike's talk-of-town racing shoe gives distance runners an added advantage.

Media reports on Wednesday speculated that the now famous Nike Zoom Vaporfly racing shoe could be banned for giving runners "undue advantage."

Kipchoge wore the shoe in Vienna last October when he became the first man to run the marathon in under two hours.

The Olympic champion clocked one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds to beat the iconic two-hour barrier at a race against the clock organised by British petrochemicals firm Ineos.

A day later, his compatriot Brigid Kosgei shattered Briton Paula Radcliffe's 16-year-old women's world record, running 2:14:04 at the Chicago Marathon.

"The contentious issue is the foam and carbon-fibre composition of the sole, which acts like a spring to help runners get the most forward push from each stride," British newspaper, 'The Daily Mail', reported on Wednesday.

"A technical body looking into the Nike shoes are set to deliver their findings at the end of this month," the newspaper added.

But speaking at his Global Sports Communication/NN Running team training camp in Kaptagat, Kipchoge said records are broken by individuals, not footwear.

"It's the person who is running, and not the shoes," said Kipchoge, who also holds the world marathon record at 2:01:39.

"It is (Lewis) Hamilton who does the driving and not Pirelli tyres," he added, drawing parallels with Formula One racing.

But the distance running legend said it was important to have checks and balances even as running technology evolves.

"Controls have to be there because fairness is good," Kipchoge said.

"But technology is growing and you can't deny that!"

Nike Vaporfly running shoes will most likely be banned

The running shoe used by Kenya's Brigid Kosgei to smash Paula Radcliffe's marathon record is set to be banned.

There is no decision yet on whether the new women's marathon mark — which Kosgei set wearing the Nike Vaporfly — will be allowed to stand.

The 25-year-old recorded a time of 2hr 14min 4sec in Chicago, well inside Radcliffe's mark of 2:15:25 set at the London Marathon in 2003.

It is also understood shoes which sources at World Athletics believe to be a hybrid of the Vaporfly — and in which Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge ran an unofficial sub-two-hour marathon in Vienna last year — will also be outlawed.

The contentious issue is the foam and carbon-fibre composition of the sole, which acts like a spring to help runners get the most forward push from each stride. A technical body looking into the Nike shoes are set to deliver their findings at the end of this month.

A moratorium is being considered by World Athletics, which may see records stand despite likely bans for the shoes.

Also set to be outlawed are the revolutionary running spikes developed for sprinters. These have sparked fears that inferior athletes at this year's Tokyo Olympics will break Usain Bolt's 100metres best of 9.58sec.

The shoes worn by Laura Muir to set a British record for the women's indoor mile (4min 18.75sec) in Glasgow last year are also likely to be axed.

What is Eliud Kipchoge secrets for being one of the best runners in the world ever

Consistency, self-discipline and hard work are the ingredients that made him retain the World Athletics Male Athlete of the Year title, Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge said on Sunday.

The world marathon record holder, who tuned 35 on November 5, edged out four other contestants to retain the award during the World Athletics gala in Monaco on Saturday night.

Kipchoge, who was not at the gala but accepted the accolade in a telecast interview, won the London Marathon on April 28 in a course record of two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds.

It was Kipchoge’s fourth victory in London, having staged similar exploits in 2015 (2:04:42), 2016 (2:03:05) and 2018 (2:04:17).

However, what perhaps engrossed the world was when he made history as the first man to run a marathon under two honors, completing the “Ineos 1:59 Challenge” in 1:59:40.2 on October 12 in Vienna, Austria.

This was the second time Kipchoge, the 2016 Rio Olympic Games marathon champion, was attempting to run a marathon under two hours, having fallen short by 26 seconds during the Nike Breaking2 on May 6, 2017, in Monza, Italy.

“Consistency is the key in sport while self-discipline is the mother and father of not only sports but any other undertaking,” said Kipchoge. “Working hard is recognizable in the world of sports.”

The athlete said that breaking the two-hour barrier was the true inspiration to the generation, what with 500 million people having watched the race live in the duration of 1:59.40.

“One billion people had watched by the end of the day on October 12. It goes further to affirm that no human is limited. It was truly historic for me since I’m sure I’ve helped some people kick out the limitations in their mind to achieve what they had deemed impossible,” he said.

Olympian Nick Symmonds attempts 1:59 marathon pace

Nick Symmonds is the American two-time Olympian in the 800m who attempted Eliud Kipchoge’s 1:59 marathon pace for as long as possible.

Eliud Kipchoge made history. The runner has become the first person to run a marathon in under two hours. Kipchoge finished the historic event in 1:59:40.

Weeks ago Symmonds, who’s a former professional 800m runner, gave the historic pace a try. He only made it 1K.

The Ineos 1:59 was a beautiful event. The weather was nearly perfect, a little rain (but mostly overcast), with moderate temperatures. Kipchoge was wearing Nike shoes specially created for the event, and his team of pacers executed the race perfectly.

Kipchoge’s 5K pace was a consistent 14:14. According to Athletics Canada, in 2019 only five Canadian men have run under this pace in a 5K race on the roads. His 10K pace was double that at 28:28–our Canadian record is only 11 seconds faster at 28:17.

There are some who believe that Kipchoge’s attempt was too calculated, too contrived and too much about the shoes. Regardless of your stance, it’s clear that 1:59 is insanely fast, especially since a two-time Olympian can only handle this pace for 1K.

Does the International Association of Athletics Federations need a more stringent rule to define legal running shoes?

It appears that running, the original and most elemental of sports, now faces the same tradition vs. scientific innovation challenge that other sports have encountered. Think: tennis rackets, baseball bats and, perhaps most similar, competition swimwear — those polyurethane-based suits that were banned starting in 2010. The outcome of the current running-shoe debate could affect everything from stock prices of global footwear companies to who wins the Olympic marathon in Japan next summer.

Kipchoge, who became the first person to run the 26.2-mile distance in under two hours, and Kosgei, who set a women’s world record, raced in a revolutionary and bizarrely tall Nike shoe that has taken the marathon world by storm since 2016. In the last 13 months alone, male runners in the Nike shoes have recorded the five fastest marathon times ever. Other running-shoe companies are struggling to catch up, and may face patent hurdles.

The current I.A.A.F. rules state only that shoes may not confer an “unfair advantage” and must be “reasonably available” to all. The rule does not explain how these two values can be measured.

This week, the British Journal of Sports Medicine published a commentary that is likely to guide the debate. In it, Geoffrey Burns, a 2:24 marathoner and University of Michigan doctoral candidate in biomechanics, argued for “a single standard in competition running shoes: regulate the shoe midsole thickness.”

With the right material, a thicker sole produces more spring. Without clear restrictions, it is likely only a matter of time before someone comes up with a way to make a shoe with more powerful springs.

Burns called for an upper limit of 31 millimeters — about 1.2 inches — of midsole. Nike’s current Vaporfly 4% and Vaporfly Next% shoes have a 36-millimeter midsole, or about 1.4 inches. Why 31 millimeters? That’s a fairly common midsole height for previous models.

Until 2016, marathon racing shoes were constructed from thin slabs of rubber. In 1960, an Ethiopian runner named Abebe Bikila even managed to win the Olympic Marathon in his bare feet. Everyone understood that less was more; you ran more efficiently when you carried minimal weight on your feet.

In 1968, when shopping for the shoes that carried me to victory in that year’s Boston Marathon, I had only two criteria. They had to be light and thin, and they had to be cheap. I was still in college. I paid $9.95 for my lucky shoes — a pair of Onitsuka Tiger TG-4 Marathons.

Little changed in the footwear for elite marathoners in the next five decades, until Nike introduced its Vaporfly 4% shoes in 2016. These shoes contained a new midsole foam, Pebax, so lightweight that it is almost like running barefoot. Pebax also delivers 30 percent more energy return than the foams used in most running shoes since the 1970s. This allows Pebax to function almost like leg muscles, but without the fatigue that can debilitate the legs after 20 miles.

The Nike shoes also include a carbon fiber plate in the midsole. This plate might increase energy return, or it might improve foot function during the running stride. Either way, the plate is prominently mentioned in Nike’s patent application.

A 2018 New York Times data analysis based on public race results uploaded to Strava, the athlete-tracking and networking company, found that runners in Vaporflys ran 3 to 4 percent faster than similar runners wearing other shoes.

To be fair, Kipchoge, 34, is an otherworldly talent who has beaten the best in the world in last-generation shoes. There probably isn’t another marathoner who could break two hours in the shoes he wore last weekend.

Eliud Kipchoge Sues NRG Radio Through Lawyer Donald Kipkorir

NRG radio was heavily bashed on social media this week when they used Eliud Kipchoge‘s name and likeness to run their own campaigns. This was soon after Kipchoge became the first human being to run a marathon in under 2 hours.

The former home of Andrew Kibe and Kamene Goro re-branded some of its properties to ‘Kipchoge radio’, also using his image.

For instance, the Kevin Mulei-owned station changed its morning show to ‘KipchogeBreakfastClub’, and went on to push the hashtag on social media.

What however pissed off most Kenyans was NRG’s unsanctioned plan to award Kipchoge a BMW i8, that the station regularly uses for its own promotion work.

The whole fiasco was championed by Eric Omondi, and it was clear this was an unachievable target. They promised to give Kipchoge the car if their Instagram page reached 1 million followers within 24 hours.

Many Kenyans interpreted it as an attempt to gain followers using Kipchoge’s name, with no intention of handing over the car to him.

Their page had slightly over 100,000 followers and would have needed nearly 900,000 more.

Today, through flamboyant city lawyer Donald Kipkorir, Kipchoge has struck back.

NRG Radio has been issued a demand notice to remove any reference to Kipchoge on all their properties, to expunge his image from all their platforms, and to issue an ‘unqualified apology for violation of his rights and misuse of his image.’

As if that’s not enough, once the station complies with the above, they shall enter discussions on how much money they will pay for this gross miscalculation.

Well, Kipchoge might end up getting more than just the car.

Ineos is using its vast profits to roll out a series of cutting-edge sporting projects in top-level cycling, football, athletics and sailing

When Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to run a marathon in under two hours in Vienna this month, his performance had been meticulously planned by one of sport's major new players, the petrochemicals giant Ineos.

Founded and 60-percent owned by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, Ineos is using its vast profits to roll out a series of cutting-edge sporting projects in top-level cycling, football, athletics and sailing.

"We make six or seven billion dollars a year in profit, so what's wrong with investing a bit of that in sport?" Ratcliffe said recently.

A highly driven amateur sportsman himself, the self-made businessman was on hand to personally congratulate Kipchoge as he crossed the finish line.

With Kipchoge and his pacemakers decked out in Ineos-branded vests as he triumphantly stopped the clock at 1hr 59min 40sec, the brand was broadcast to the four corners of the earth.

The feat has propelled marathon running into a new era, even though the world athletics body IAAF do not recognize it as a world record due to the conditions in which it was conducted. A group of 35 pacemakers worked in shifts to form a V-shaped aerodynamic drag position using expertise that Ineos gained from cycling's peloton, decreasing the impact of the air on Kipchoge's body by 50-70 percent whether there was wind or not.

Research into carbohydrate intake, which is key to enhancing performance in cycling, was also used during Kipchoge's exploit.

Under the slogan "No human is limited", Ineos's efforts, or sports marketing activities, have themselves few limits.

When the 21-year-old Colombian cycling prodigy Egan Bernal won the Tour de France in July he did do under the Ineos banner after Ratcliffe stepped in to sponsor cycling's most successful outfit, formerly known as Team Sky.

"Sky was the reference in terms of sports performance promoting the name of the sponsor," Vincent Chaudel, founder of France's Observatoire du Sport Business, told AFP of the setup that won five Tour de France titles in six years in the colors of the media company.

- "Red Bull-type strategy" -

Football is also part of the Ineos sports business plan and Ratcliffe, a lifelong Manchester United fan, has been mentioned as a possible future owner of Chelsea, if Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich ever sells the Premier League club. Its Stamford Bridge stadium is close to Ineos's Knightsbridge headquarters.

Having previously bought and so far failed to revive the fortunes of Swiss club Lausanne Sport, Ineos bought French top-flight club Nice in the close season with a view to helping them into the Champions League.

"Lausanne was an investment to be close to the major sports bodies," Chaudel said, noting that the International Olympic Committee are based in the city and UEFA's headquarters are in Nyon, 40 kilometers away. "The Nice investment came with a new stadium that is already built. And the Riviera has marketing potential."

Ineos has also provided Britain's Olympic medal-winning sailor Ben Ainslee with a 110-million-euro ($121.6-million) yacht in a bid to bring the America's Cup back to Britain in 2021.

"The strategy is similar to Red Bull where they are not just sponsors but owners. Look at the marathon, they organized it down to the last detail, mastering every aspect of the operation," Virgile Caillet, the general delegate of' Union Sport & Cycle, a body representing 1,400 sports businesses.

"Ineos is a big international group working in a sector which is not the most virtuous sector. While cycling, running, sailing are all environmentally sound sports."

I think the 1:59 Challenge should have been a real race with 12 runners and with no pacemakers. I think Eliud, Kenenisa or someone else would have run better than 1:59:40 today

First of all, well done Eliud and your pacemaker team. You are an amazing runner. However, on reflection I wished this would have been a real race with a dozen runners racing on this same course. No pacemakers and the runners would pick up their own drinks at tables. If this had been done, I think we would now have a new real world record. And I think it would be faster than 1:59:40.

Pacemakers need to go. Eliud and Kenenisa plus ten others could have clocked some amazing times this morning. And all going for the win. Pay the winner two million if they break two and there you go. I am sure more than two million was spent on the pacemakers alone.

No prize money for second. It would be all about racing to win and to run under two hours.  No prize money for second and maybe only $100,000 if you win and don’t go under two hours. 

I watch every minute of this 1:59 Challenge. But I must admit I did get tired of watching the pacemakers lead Eliud through the course. Don’t get me wrong, these were amazing runners leading Eliud and I admire them all. But this needed to be a real race with the winner not known before the gun went off.

Eliud Kipchoge is now the first man to run 26.2 miles in less than two hours as he clocked 1:59:40 today

Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya and the current world record holder for the marathon made history today by running 26.2 miles in 1:59:40.  His splits were amazing.  His fastest kilometer was 2:48 and his slowest was 2:52.  At least 19 of his splits were 2:50 on the dot. 

He hit the first 5k in 14:13 with his pacemakers right out front.  He looked relaxed and smooth.  Just watching him gave me goosebumps because he makes it look so easy.

The course in Vienna, Austria was 90% flat and straight. The temperature was just under 50F and the humidity 90 percent at the start which was a little higher than expected.  But it did not have any visual effects on Eliud.  

Eliud said before the start, “I don’t know where the limits are, but I would like to go there.”

I did a poll on Facebook before the start and all but one person thought he could run sub two hours.  One thought he could run 1:55 but most thought 1:59 something.

No, this was not a race.  It is not a world record because he was the only one racing, he had drinks handed to him from a bike and he had pacers coming in and out. It was a challenge to see if it was possible for a man to run a sub two hour marathon.  And he did it.  

In watching the event it was distracting to always see the pacemakers out front until the end but they certainly did their job. It was almost like watching a new sport as the pacemakers came in and got in their formation.  

I would have rather have watched Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele battle it out in Berlin where I think one of them would have run sub 2:01 but I did enjoy watching this challenge.  Eliud made it look so easy to run 14:10 5k’s.  

Eliud was under an hour at the half way point and finished  very strong in 1:59:40.  The pacemakers helped Eliud run 2:50 kilometers on the dot from 33k to 40k.  

Then with about 500 meters to go the pacemakers let Kipchoge go and he sprinted to the finish line.    Shalane Flanagan who was one of the hosts of the You Tube broadcast said, “No way in my life time did I ever think I would see a man run a sub two hour marathon.”

We have now seen a man run a marathon in under two hours.  His wife Grace and their three children watched him race for the first time.  They were all smiles as was Eliud. 

Eliud Kipchoge is an Olympic Champion, world record holder clocking 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon last September and now the first man to cover 26.2 miles in under two hours.  

Eliud Kipchoge has an even better chance to break 2 hours in the marathon, according to scientists

A team of respected running scientists from Vienna, Boulder, Sacramento and Houston has just released a paper analyzing the marathon course Eliud Kipchoge will run Saturday morning in Vienna in the Ineos 1:59 Marathon Challenge. The paper concludes that the layout is only 4.5 seconds slower than what would be expected from a perfectly straight, perfectly flat course.

“Our simulation indicates that the Vienna course was well chosen for optimizing performance,” said the researchers in a paper entitled: The effects of course design (elevation undulations and curves) on marathon running performance: an a priori study of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna.

Kipchoge’s manager, Jos Hermens, recently told us that Kipchoge is in better shape than two years ago, and that he learned from the Nike event and will benefit from better handling of the pace car and his sports drinks.

Kipchoge hopes to run 1:59:xx early on Saturday, October 12 in Vienna in an unofficial, non-record-eligible time-trial similar to the Nike Breaking2 event he raced in May, 2017, on an auto track in Monza, Italy. There he hit halfway in 59:59, and snapped the tape in 2:00:25—the fastest running time ever for the 26 mile, 385 yard marathon distance.

Kipchoge’s performance in Monza did not count as an official world record, because he had a pace car, a large, rotating group of pacers, and received help with his drinks, among other violations of official IAAF competition rules. The Vienna race will follow suit in many ways, and likewise not be eligible for world-record status. That doesn’t lessen the excitement and intrigue among running fans.

Kipchoge and his INEOS sponsors are hoping that better weather and that loud spectator support will help him in Vienna. In Italy, he ran with temps in the upper 50s, slightly humid. According to weather forecasts, Vienna could be 5 to 10 degrees F cooler, with somewhat lower humidity. Wind was not an issue in Monza, and isn’t expected in Vienna.

The Vienna course begins on the Reichbruecke Bridge (over the Danube River; also the start of the annual Vienna Marathon) and drops 40 feet in the first 1.4K. It then enters Prater Park for four out-and-back 9.625K loops, mostly on the straight-as-an-arrow, pedestrian-only Hauptallee Road, in the shadow of the iconic Prater ferris wheel. This road has small up-and-down undulations of about 8 feet.

Importantly, the straightaways do not reverse direction with abrupt, momentum-killing U-turns. At both ends, Kipchoge and pacers will take longish, gentle “roundabouts.” One is called the Praeterstern and has a circumference of 870 meters. The other, the Lusthaus, has a circumference of 210 meters.

After the four loops of the Hauptallee and roundabouts, the course begins a fifth loop. This ends 2.3K later at the finish, which is a net 43 feet below the start.

The roundabouts are so easy to navigate that the science team estimates Kipchoge will lose only 0.5 seconds (at 4:34/mile pace) due to cornering. At Monza, they estimate he lost 1.5 seconds on the winding course.

They didn’t have enough data from Monza to estimate time lost to the slight ups-and-downs. In Vienna, this should amount to about 4 seconds.

Two weeks ago, a Danish group named Albatros Adventure Marathons tried to scoop the 1:59 effort with its “World’s Fastest Marathon” near Granada Spain. The open race started at 8,546 feet in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and dropped 6358 feet to the city finish. A little-known Kenyan named Antony Karinga Maina passed the halfway point in 59:30, but then slower to a winning 2:09:38. Four months earlier, Maina had run 2:22:38 in the Salzburg Marathon.

In recent years, a number of downhill marathons have appeared to help runners qualify for the Boston Marathon. The Revel marathon series includes a handful of marathons with elevation drops of 2000 to 4000 feet. Physiologists believe that long, steep downhills lead to debilitating quadriceps muscle damage, and that half as much drop might be better.

Eliud Kipchoge and his technical team are expected to land in Vienna Tuesday for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge this weekend

World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge and his technical staff are expected to land in Vienna Tuesday morning ahead of the “INEOS 1:59 Challenge” this weekend.

The Olympic marathon champion was Monday night treated to the affluence that one of Great Britain’s richest persons, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, is accustomed to.

Kipchoge left for Vienna aboard Sir Jim’s Gulfstream G280, which was flown by two pilots from his British base to fly Kipchoge to the Austrian capital.

The jet, valued at $24.5 million, has got Kenyans on social media talking about Kipchoge's attempt to become the first man to run the 42-kilometer distance in under two hours this weekend.

"Eliud Kipchoge" is like a human machine. Pride of Kenya and the son of the Land. There is Mursik waiting for you Legend. Know that you inspire many across the board."

"The fact that Eliud Kipchoge is attempting the INEOS 1:59 record affirms his place in the annals of athletics history. The attempt alone is enough, the victory would be a bonus. He is no longer running against man, he is running against time."

"No longer running against other men, he's running against time. INEOS1:59. KENYA is proud of you Eliud kipchoge. See you on 12th Oct 2019."

Viewers around the world will be able to watch Eliud Kipchoge's sub-2 marathon attempt on YouTube

Marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge’s attempt to run a sub-two-hour marathon, also known as the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, will be broadcast live on YouTube from Vienna on October 12 or thereabouts, it was announced today.

(The event is scheduled to take place on October 12, with the option to delay as long as necessary until October 20 depending on weather conditions.)

The British company Sunset+Vine will broadcast the proceedings via YouTube, making it accessible anywhere in the world with an Internet connection. Viewers will also be able to follow a range of content being aired simultaneously on the INEOS 1:59 Challenge site.

Those fortunate enough to find themselves in Vienna can watch the proceedings live in person along the Hauptallee boulevard in Vienna’s famous park, the Prater.

Fan zones with screens and entertainment will be set up at the junction of the Hauptallee and the Kaiserallee, and at the Lusthaus roundabout. The finish line is located near the junction of the Hauptallee and the Meiereistraße.

Eliud Kipchoge will have a total of 42 pacemakers as he seeks to run the marathon in under two hours at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge

World record holder and Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge will have a total of 42 pacemakers as he seeks to run the marathon in under two hours at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna, Austria in October.

More than half the pacemakers tasked with helping Kipchoge become the first man to break the two-hour mark either live and train in Kenya or have roots from the country.

"13 more pacemakers have been confirmed to help Kipchoge in his bid to become the first human to run a sub-two hour marathon at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna in October," organizers said in a statement on Wednesday.

All 13 of the pacers took part in testing for the challenge in Vienna at the start of September and will return for the real thing in three weeks' time with the aim of helping Kipchoge make history.

The other named pacers in this group include:

Eric Kiptanui of Kenya, who holds the sixth-fastest half-marathon time (58:42) from the 2018 Berlin Half-Marathon, Another slate of 13 elite runners has been named who will take turns pacing Eliud Kipchoge to what the world hopes will be the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon next month in Vienna, and it includes Marius Kipserem of Kenya, who set a new course record of 2:04:11 at the 2019 Rotterdam Marathon.

The other named pacers in this group include:

Eric Kiptanui of Kenya, who holds the sixth-fastest half-marathon time (58:42) from the 2018 Berlin Half-Marathon.

Micah Kogo of Kenya, 10000m bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics, Chala Regasa of Ethiopia, who set a course record of 27:23 at the Valencia 10K Ibercaja in January, which is this year’s sixth-fastest time in the world over 21.1K. 

Gideon Kipketer of Kenya, who set his marathon PB of 2:05:51 at Tokyo in 2017, where he finished second.

Stanley Kebenei of USA, who raced the World Cross Country Championships in Denmark in March, and who finished second in the USATF 3,000m steeplechase national championships and will have just competed at the World Championships in Doha when he returns to Vienna.

Shadrack Koech of Kazakhstan ran a PB in the 10K of 28:22 in the Netherlands this year, and a PB over 10,000m of 28:24:40, also set this year. 

Moses Koech of Kenya finished third in 27:46 behind Joshua Cheptegei and Julien Wanders in the Durban 10K last year.

Thomas Ayeko of Uganda was part of the team that won gold at the Cross-Country World Championships in Denmark this year. He was fourth in the 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and has a half-marathon PB of 60:26.

Emmanuel Bett of Kenya has a 10,000m PB of 26:51:16 and a half-marathon PB of 60:08.

Timothy Toroitich of Uganda made the final of the 10,000m at last year’s Commonwealth Games, after winning bronze at the African Championships. He also won bronze at the first Commonwealth Games half-marathon in Cardiff.

Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey, who changed his name in 2015 (he is the former Mike Kipruto Kigen). He won silver medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2006 African Championships representing Kenya. He holds national records for Turkey in both the half-marathon (59:48) and the marathon (2:05:27). He also won a silver medal in the European Championships half-marathon in 2016.

Rotterdam champion, Marius Kipserem from Kenya is also going to be a pacemaker for the sub two hour marathon challenge

Another elite runner has been named who will take turns pacing Eliud Kipchoge to what the world hopes will be the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon next month in Vienna.

Marius Kipserem of Kenya, who set a new course record of 2:04:11 at the 2019 Rotterdam Marathon, and who also won the inaugural Abu Dhabi marathon in December 2018 has joined the group.

The runners participated in testing for the challenge in Vienna earlier this month, and will return to Vienna for the event, scheduled to take place October 12, with a window until October 20 if weather conditions should present an obstacle.

Kipserem is 31. His performance at Rotterdam ranks him as the sixth-fastest marathoner of 2019.

"It was a fantastic experience to be part of the testing in Vienna. All of us there were able to learn a great deal about what will be expected of us on the day of the challenge itself, when it is our aim to come together as one team and help Eliud Kipchoge make history," said Kipserem.

"During the weekend of testing, you could really feel the team come together as one and we are all united in the belief that Eliud can do this - he can be the first man ever to run a sub-two hour marathon. Our job as pacemakers is to do all we can to help Eliud make this happen."

Ibrahim Hussein Kipkemboi, the first African to win the Boston Marathon in 1988, said Kipchoge is in the right frame of mind to achieve his goal

A former Kenyan marathon star on Thursday tipped world marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge to run the grueling race under two hours.

Ibrahim Hussein Kipkemboi, the first African to win the Boston Marathon, a feat he achieved in 1988 and later in 1991 and 1992, as well as the New York Marathon in 1987, said the world champion is in the right frame of mind to achieve his goal.

"I know Kipchoge very well because we come from the same village alongside his coach Patrick Sang. Whatever the duo has set sights on in the past, they have always achieved," Kipkemboi told Xinhua.

Kipchoge's second attempt to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon will take place in Vienna on Oct.12 this year, event organizers INEOS have announced.

The 2016 Olympics marathon gold medalist lowered the legal world record by an astonishing 78 seconds after he posted 2:01.39 in Berlin last September and ran the second-fastest time in history when he won the London marathon in 2:02.37 in April. He ran 2:00.25 in his previous non-world record attempt in Italy in 2017.

The latest attempt to break the two-hour mark dubbed the 'INEOS 1:59 Challenge' is a project backed by British chemical firm INEOS.

Kipkemboi, who is now the regional director of the Nairobi-based International Association of Athletics Federations/African Athletics Development Center, advised young and budding athletes to emulate Kipchoge if they want to go far in their careers.

"Kipchoge has succeeded because he follows the advice of his coach. He also has a strong presence of mind, focus and whatever he embarks on he believes there is no limit towards achieving it," he remarked.

Mo Farah describes Eliud Kipchoge quest to run a sub-two-hour marathon as “mind blowing”

It is a measure of the size of the task facing Eliud Kipchoge in Vienna next month when an athlete of Mo Farah’s stature describes the Kenyan’s quest for a sub-two-hour marathon as “mind blowing”.

Farah is aiming to win his sixth Simplyhealth Great North Run title on the trot on Sunday and his second consecutive Chicago Marathon crown next month. The 36-year-old has also won 10 global track titles during his phenomenal career. Yet he struggles to get his head around Kichoge’s sub-two-hour target for 26.2 miles.

“It’s 17 seconds per 100 meters for the whole way,” says Farah. “People talk about sub-two hours without even thinking about it properly but when you break it down into what pace is needed it’s incredible.”

Farah jokes that the pace per 100 meters is close to his own PB for that distance. Or, to put it another way, a sub-two-hour marathon equates to 34 seconds per 200m, 68 seconds for each 400m, 2:50 per kilometer or 4:34 per mile.

Kipchoge is due to attack the barrier from October 12-20 and Farah’s Chicago Marathon title defense is October 13. “If I can, I’ll watch it,” he says. “I’d like to see what’ll happen and if it’s possible!”

Sportingly, Farah accepts Kipchoge is in a league of his own right now in the marathon. But his Chicago victory in 2018 – in a European record of 2:05:11 – marked him out as one of the best of the rest, although the Briton believes he needs to nudge his PB down to 2:03-2:04 to be considered Kipchoge’s biggest rival.

If he can hit his rivals for six by adding to his haul of victories in the Great North Run on Sunday, he then has five weeks to fine-tune his preparations ahead of his Chicago defense.

What kind of shape is he in? “We’ll find out Sunday!” he teases, before adding more seriously: “I think it’s okay. Without actually racing it’s difficult to tell what I can do but training has gone well and I feel strong.

“I always enjoy the Great North Run and it fits nicely. Compared to last year it gives me an extra week of training this time, which is good.”

Farah was in relaxed mood speaking to the media at the St Mary’s Heritage Center in Gateshead on Friday (pictured below with young athletes from Gateshead Harriers). As he took his pew in the former parish church on the banks of the River Tyne, he was laid back and full of jokes.

When talk turns to the marathon, though, he is more serious and admits he would probably have retired at the end of 2017 if it wasn’t for a burning desire to crack the mystery of the 26.2-mile distance.

Farah conquered the track with an unprecedented streak of world and Olympic titles at 5000m and 10,000m from 2011 onwards. But the marathon is proving trickier to tame.

“On the track I’d achieved so much with world and Olympic titles and when you’ve done that, on the track, you no longer quite get the same drive because you’ve done it. I think to run you have to be hungry,” he explains.

“The marathon is hard. I thought it’d be easier than it is, but it’s not! In the 10,000m you might feel tired with maybe five laps to go. You hang on for a lap and then you only have a mile to run and you somehow get through it. It’s easier on the mind.

USA’s World and Olympic 5000m medalist Paul Chelimo plus Switzerland’s Julien Wanders, are among the latest star names to be added to Eliud Kipchoge’s pacemaking team for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge

Chelimo and Wanders will also be joined in Kipchoge’s pacemaking squad by Tesfahun Akalnew (ETH), Mande Bushendich (UGA), Shadrack Kipchirchir (USA), Philemon Kacheran (KEN), Noah Kipkemboi (KEN) and Vincent Kiprotich (KEN).

They will all be tasked with helping Kipchoge make history by becoming the first man to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon in Vienna in October.

Chelimo, who won a silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympics and a bronze medal at the World Championships a year later, will be flying to Vienna – the host city of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge – from this year’s World Championships in Doha.

He said: “I have been fortunate to win medals at both of the past two major championships and I will be hoping to continue that trend in Doha before heading to Vienna to help Eliud try to make history. If I am able to achieve both those goals it will be a truly memorable period in my career.”

Wanders, who spends much of his year living and training in Kenya, holds the European record for the half marathon (59:13) and 10km (27:25), and will also be racing in both the 5000m and 10000m at the World Championships in Doha.

He said: “As someone who spends a lot of time in Kenya, I know how important running is to the Kenyan people and how proud they will be if Eliud is able to become the first man to run sub two hours for the marathon. It’s a great honour for me to have been asked to be part of this amazing project.”

Paul Chelimo (USA, 28): The Kenyan-born American is a proven performer on the biggest stages. He won a silver medal in the 5000m at the 2016 Olympics in Rio and backed that up with a bronze medal over the same distance at the World Championships in London in 2017.

Julien Wanders (SUI, 23): Based in Kenya for much of the year, Wanders is the European record holder for both the half marathon (59:13) and 10km (27:25). He also holds the world 5km record (13:29) which he set in Monaco earlier this year.

If anyone can break two hours, Eluid can says Bernard Lagat who will be one of the pacers

I have known Eliud since we were young. Our homes were just a few kilometres apart and Eliud’s mum was my grade one teacher. Eliud’s older twin sisters were in my grade one class and I later recall Eliud’s mum taking a young Eliud to school in his khaki coloured trousers and green sweater!

It is a little hard to comprehend the journey Eliud has taken, from that little boy to marathon superstar. I’m very proud of him.

He later developed into a world-class runner and we became good friends on the athletics circuit. We would regularly chat in Nandi and talk about life growing up in our home villages.

Knowing Eliud for as long as I have, and to be approached by Nike to help out with the INEOS 1:59 challenge is a huge honour.

I was also fortunate to be a pacemaker for Breaking2 in Monza in 2017. 

Breaking2 was a huge event and I completed two 3km stints of pacemaking. To witness what Eliud achieved that day by running 2:00:25 was unbelievable. To have contributed in some small way to him achieving that was very special.

It was amazing to be a part of an event of that magnitude and to be involved in something similar with the INEOS 1:59 Challenge is very cool. To help Eliud achieve his dreams, a guy who had never really changed that much over the years, is a real privilege.

I’m now aged 44, not the youngest, and many of the pacemakers are capable of running much faster than me. I see my role as similar to Monza where I can communicate my thoughts and ideas to the rest of the pacemakers. I helped put the guys at ease with simple, clear, precise instructions, which the guys were able to understand and grasp.

The INEOS 1:59 Challenge has a different feel to it compared to Breaking2. I think this is because prior to Breaking2, Eliud had never previously been tested to that degree before. However, I know he would have learned so much from running 2:00:25.

Also since Breaking2 he has been able to run a world marathon record of 2:01:39. That performance in Berlin was something quite special. He didn’t just break the record by a few seconds but a huge margin. The way he came back to run that course record in London and the second fastest official marathon time in his career also shows how strong he is.

I am confident that on the day he can break two hours. Of course, many factors have to go his way. The weather conditions need to be ideal in Vienna and has to hope his body does not have an off day and that it responds positively.

Yet if anyone can do it, Eliud can. Mentally he is such a tough athlete and I look forward to playing my small part in helping my fellow Nandi and near neighbour create history.  

Scottish film director Kevin Macdonald is going to be making a documentary on Eliud Kipchoge's plans to break the two-hour barrier for 26.2 miles

Eliud Kipchoge is the marathon world record holder with a time of 2:01:39. In October in Vienna he will be attempting to run the first sub two hour time for 26.2 miles.  It won’t count as a world record, however since it is being run as a time trial but still the feat would be off the charts.  

Kevin Macdonald is expected to land in Kenya soon. While in the country, he will be taken around by filmmakers associated with Ginger Ink, who is known for producing some of Kenya's award-winning movies like 'Supa Modo' and 'Nairobi Half Life'. The two movies by Ginger Ink have been submitted for the Oscars.

The Eliud Kipchoge documentary, which will be shot in Iten, is funded by Britain’s billionaire  Jim Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe founded chemicals group INEOS and is estimated by London-based Sunday Times Rich List to be worth 21 billion pounds (25.5 billion US).

Ratcliffe was born in Failsworth, Lancashire. He studied chemical engineering and got his first job at oil company Esso.

He started making his fortune by mortgaging his house in 1992 to finance a buyout of a BP chemicals business and formed INEOS in 1998.

Today his fortune is valued at 21 billion pounds, and in May 2018, he was named the richest person in the UK.

Macdonald is known for shooting captivating documentaries. He worked with the film production team Altitude, who created a 2018 documentary based on Whitney Houston's life and death.

This was the first Whitney Houston documentary to be officially authorised by the estate and includes never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and interviews with luminaries like Clive Davis.

He said, "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artiste. By many measures, she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung, bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots."

He plans on doing an equally exciting documentary on Eluid Kipchoge.  

Augustine Choge, Victor Chumo and Bernard Lagat have been selected to pace for Eliud Kipchoge in his mission to run the first sub two hour marathon

Three seasoned road runners, Augustine Choge, Victor Chumo from Kenya and double world champion Bernard Lagat of the United States have been selected to pace for Eliud Kipchoge in his mission to run the marathon in less than two hours in Vienna in October.

Choge and Chumo are part of the team training with Kipchoge in Kenya for the race, which is set for October 12-20 window in Vienna, Austria. A specific date will be made known days to the race after the accurate weather forecast has been confirmed.

Kipchoge says to break the two-hour mark in marathon is about setting history and challenging his body to the limit.

"It's like stepping on the moon, going up the tallest mountain and even going to the middle of the ocean," Kipchoge said on Saturday.

Whereas the focus will be on the Olympic and London Marathon champion to improve on his last mark of two hours and 25 seconds, the three pace setters will carry the burden to lead the Berlin champion through his steps and see to it that he delivers the results for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

In Monza, Italy in 2017, Lagat was one of the pace setters together with Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa and Eritrea's Zersenay Tadese, both of whom fell by the wayside, leaving the Olympic champion to run over half of the race alone.

But now the organizers have announced the trio together with Norway's Henrik, Filip and Jakob Ingebrigtsen plus Australian pair Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson.

Further pacemakers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Ingebrigtsen brothers Jakob, Filip and Henrik hope to help Eliud Kipchoge break two hours for the marathon in Vienna in October

Ingebrigtsen brothers confirmed as INEOS 1:59 Challenge pacemakers.

Famous running brothers Jakob, Filip and Henrik Ingebrigtsen have been confirmed as part of the pacemaking team for Eliud Kipchoge’s INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna this October.

In a recent interview, world marathon record-holder Kipchoge described breaking the two-hour barrier for the 26.2-mile event as “like the first man to go to the moon” and so far eight athletes have been announced as being part of the ‘pacemaking family’ which will hope to help the Kenyan to achieve it.

Last year, aged just 17, Jakob won both 1500m and 5000m titles at the European Championships and this autumn the Norwegian – who will then be 19 – will be the youngest of Kipchoge’s pacemakers, 25 years younger than USA’s Bernard Lagat who at 44 years old will be the oldest.

“To be a teenager and to be part of this project is really amazing,” said Jakob. “As a family we are used to running together and to be able to run together, alongside other great athletes to help Eliud Kipchoge try to break two hours will be something very special.”

Filip added: “Kipchoge was so close last time he tried at Breaking2 and he has improved since then.

“If he is in the sort of form he was in when he broke the world record in Berlin last year – and with three hares flying in from Norway to help – I expect there to be a record.”

Joining the ‘three hares’ will be Lagat, Kenyans Augustine Choge and Victor Chumo and Australians Jack Rayner and Brett Robinson.

Further pacemakers are set to be announced in the coming weeks.

Eliud Kipchoge says that he has no doubts, he will break the two hours barrier for the marathon in Vienna

Eliud Kipchoge is convinced he will run the first sub-two hour marathon in Vienna in October.

The Olympic champion and world record holder ran an unofficial 2:00.25 at Italy's Monza race track in May 2017 in his first attempt to break the magic barrier.

But speaking to journalists on a conference call from his home in Kaptagat, Kipchoge said, "I have no doubts at all. Absolutely clear on the goal."

If he is successful, he believes it will be in the same bracket as the first lunar landing 50 years ago and the ascent of Mount Everest in terms of human achievement.

And Kipchoge thinks achieving his goal will enable others to follow in his footsteps.

The 34-year-old added, "I think after doing it, then many people will have courage. Many athletes will believe in themselves that this is possible.

Kipchoge, who plans to defend his Olympic title at Tokyo 2020, said he decided on this second attempt after coming so close at the Breaking 2 in Monza.

He said, "It’s the right time for me try and run under two hours. But above all, I decided I should try and make history before the Olympics."

Kipchoge announced in June that he would switch his bid for history from London to the Austrian capital.

He will run in the Prater public park, situated next to the River Danube, taking in at least four laps of the Hauptallee, the avenue running through it.

The Kenyan's management team cited "consistent and optimum weather conditions in October, fresh air, wide, traffic-free and illuminated roads and the ability to have supporters lining the route" among their reasons for choosing Vienna.

The attempt is due to take place on 12th October but there will be a reserve window of eight days to allow for the best possible weather.

This is being run like a time trial and the time will not count as a world record by the IAAF.

Geoffrey Kamworor, Augustine Choge and Selly Chepyego will support Eliud Kipchoge at the 1:59 Ineos Challenge in October

Three-time World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor says their mentor and leader fully believes in the project dubbed INEOS 1:59 Challenge, which will be staged in Austria's capital Vienna on Oct. 12.

"The challenge is a golden opportunity and we really believe in him. There are many elements that make Eliud special. Firstly, he is very disciplined and secondly he is very humble and he values everyone the same," said Kamworor on Tuesday from Eldoret.

Kamworor, the bronze medalist at New York Marathon, says Kipchoge is hard working and focused in training and nothing will distract him.

"As we train with him and know him well I believe he can run a sub-two-hour marathon. Since the Breaking2 Project in 2017 he has run faster and faster and with the support and passion of others around him and because of his own self-belief I believe he will do it," added Kamworor.

In 2017 in a mission dubbed Breaking2 Project, Kipchoge ran 2:00:25 in Monza, Italy.

Last September, he lowered the world record by an astonishing 78 seconds when posting 2:01:39 in Berlin and underlined his pedigree by clocking the second-fastest time in history when winning the London Marathon in 2:02:37 in April this year.

Augustine Choge, former Commonwealth 5,000m champion and World Indoor 3,000m silver medalist, has trained with Kipchoge for over 15 years and has been selected as a pacemaker for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

"Anything is possible. I am extremely confident because I have seen the focus in his training and his form is better than ever. If Eliud is successful it will be a success for all of us. Should he achieve a sub-two-hour marathon, it will show us nothing is impossible," he said.

Selly Chepyego, who will be competing in marathon at the World Championship says Kipchoge's discipline will be the key in Vienna challenge.

"Can he do it? It is possible. When we look at him in training we are in the best position to judge. Surely, it is possible," she said.

Organizer Jim Ratcliffe says this about the sub two hour marathon attempt coming up: Nobody's been able to achieve this. It's not unlike trying to put a man on the moon.

Eliud Kipchoge will attempt to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon in Vienna in October after London was snubbed for the Ineos 1:59 Challenge.

The challenge - 65 years after Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile - had been thought more likely to take place in the UK after the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha.

Instead, the Kenyan world record-holder will make his second bid to run the first sub-two-hour marathon in the Austrian capital on October 12.

"After an extensive worldwide assessment process, The Prater - the famous Viennese park - has been chosen by the INEOS 1:59 Challenge as the venue that will give Kipchoge the optimum conditions to write himself into the history books," Ineos said.

Kipchoge ran the marathon in a time of two hours and 25 seconds on the Monza race track in Italy in his previous attempt to break the two-hour mark. He was assisted by pacemakers who ran set sections of the course on that occasion, meaning it was not recognised as a world record.

The 34-year-old 2016 Olympic gold medal winner set the current world record in Berlin last September when running 2:01:39, beating the previous best by 78 seconds.

He also ran the second-fastest time in history when completing the London marathon in April in a time of 2:02:37.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos chairman, said: "Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest ever marathon runner and the only athlete in the world who has any chance of beating the two-hour time.

"Nobody's been able to achieve this. It's not unlike trying to put a man on the moon."

Eliud Kipchoge’s second attempt to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon will take place in Vienna on October 12 event organisers INEOS said on Thursday

Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge's attempt to run a marathon in under two hours will take place in Vienna on Oct. 12.

The attempt will be on a multi-lap course in The Prater, a park in Vienna. If the weather is poor, organizers have reserved eight more days.

Kipchoge says Vienna offers "a fast and flat course, nicely protected by trees."

Kipchoge lowered the marathon world record to 2 hours, 1 minute, 39 seconds last year in Berlin. He has tried to break the 2-hour barrier before, running 2:00:25 at the Monza auto racing track in 2017.

That wasn't considered a world record because pacers entered mid-race and drinks were given to runners via mopeds.

Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge has started training to break the two hour mark in the marathon

World marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge said on Thursday that he has started training in order to be fit to battle the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

This will be the second attempt for the 34-year-old to beat the odds and run the marathon distance in under two hours as the fastest man.

"I think a good career is where you give yourself a challenge every now and then and so I think it is high time for me to try another challenge by beating the two-hour mark," said Kipchoge from Eldoret.

In 2017, Kipchoge missed 26 seconds from his initial attempt to break the two-hour mark as he clocked in two hours and 25 seconds in his "Breaking Two" project on Italy's Monza motor racing circuit.

Now he has shelved plans to compete at the World Championships or defend his Berlin marathon title to focus on running to break the two-hour mark in a bid sponsored by British manufacturing company INEOS.

It will take place on an unspecified flat loop circuit venue in London, on a date to be decided in October.

"INEOS Challenge is a noble course, it's a historic challenge where I am going to make history. Many ideologies have been said that no human can break the two-hour mark. But personally, I have dared to try for the first time and I missed by 26 seconds. Now I have a rich experience from Monza and am confident that I will beat the mark because our training program is different from the other training," said Kipchoge.

Indeed, the Olympic champion has had two months of total rest after winning the London marathon clocking 2:02:37 less than a minute off his world record set in Berlin of 2:01:39.

He has started his training with gym sessions for two weeks in late May and has moved to high altitude training camp in Kaptagat for the full preparation.

"Our training has started again. When we finished the season, we have four days of running slowly to recover and then three weeks of total rest and then we start again. When your mind is relaxed and fit, the physical part can go on as usual. When we start we start at zero and we need three -four month to be fit again for another marathon," said Kipchoge.

His longtime physiotherapist Peter Nduhio, who is now part of INEOS 1:59 Challenge team, said he is amazed by Kipchoge's ability to remain focused despite challenges in his life.

"Eliud keeps on setting the bar higher. Each time he makes us climb the ladder higher. His best season was 2018, now he has a new challenge and he will attain it," said Nduhio. "What makes this challenge inspirational is that it has no template to follow."

Eliud Kipchoge says his move to make a second attempt at running a marathon under two hours is spurred by the urge to test the human body and not the money involved

On Monday, Kipchoge announced he will be involved in another go at “breaking two” in a specially organised race, probably in London, “between late September and early October.”

In the first attempt of the Nike-engineered “Breaking2” project, Kipchoge, 35, powered by a cocktail of pacemakers on the Monza Formula One racetrack, ran two hour and 25 seconds, falling agonisingly close to breaking the two-hour barrier on May 6, 2017.

This time around, the race dubbed “INEOS 1:59 Challenge” will be funded by one of the richest men in England, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the founder of chemical manufacturing company INEOS.

“My team doesn’t put money in front and for sure it’s not about business and money involved.” said Kipchoge, the marathon world record holder, who declined to state how much he will be paid in compensation.

“The sponsor, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, loves sports and wants me to try it again. It is always good to challenge myself and the world. It’s good to make history, it’s good to leave a memorable mark in athletics, “added Kipchoge.

“There is nothing impossible in this world and that is why I want to erase the notion that no human being is limited.”

Kipchoge set a new marathon world record last year in Berlin when he triumphed in two hours, one minute and 39 seconds and would run the second fastest time after his record, when winning this year’s London Marathon in two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds on April 28.

Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge will once again attempt to become the first athlete to break the two-hour marathon barrier in an event being staged in London later this year

Dubbed the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, this race against the clock -- to be staged in late September or early October -- is being backed by Britain's richest man Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire owner of chemical firm INEOS, which recently purchased British Cycling's Team Sky.

"It's human nature to push boundaries," said the INEOS 1:59 Challenge website. "The drive to learn and achieve more is in our DNA. In Autumn this year Eliud Kipchoge, with support from INEOS, plans to redefine the limits of human achievement by breaking the last great barrier of modern athletics -- the two-hour marathon."

Last week Ratcliffe and INEOS were accused by environmental protesters of "sportswashing" -- using sport to enhance reputation -- an accusation the Briton completely rejects.

Speaking to reporters ahead of cycling's Tour de Yorkshire, Ratcliffe took aim at those who criticized his company's fracking project, claiming the majority of environmental groups he has met are "ignorant" of the process, adding it remains a cheap source of energy.

Current world record holder Kipchoge recorded a time of 2:00.25 during a similar event at Monza -- home of the Formula One Italian Grand Prix -- in 2017 wasn't recognized as a world record as it did not adhere to the rules laid out by athletics' governing body, the IAAF, notably in the way he was helped by "in-out" pacemakers. The London attempt will also not be ratified.

The 34-year-old Kenyan set a new record time for the London marathon earlier this month as he claimed a fourth triumph in the event -- a record for a male athlete.

His time of two hours, two minutes and 37 seconds was the second fastest marathon of all time -- just behind his own world record of two hours, one minute and 39 seconds which was recorded in Berlin in September 2018.

"This would really surpass everything because this will go in the history as far as the human family is concerned," Kipchoge told reporters ahead of Monday's event launch, which took place 65 years to the day since Britain's Roger Bannister became the first man to break the four minute mile.

According to reports, Kipchoge's attempt in London will use a number of pacemakers who run laps, while dipping in and out of the action, in order to maintain the astonishing pace of two minutes, 50 seconds per kilometer needed to go under two hours.

"It is not about recognition or ratification but to make history and to pass on a message that no human is limited. Running the fastest-ever marathon of 2:00.25 was the proudest moment of my career," added Kipchoge.

Ratcliffe also had to defend INEOS over its use of plastics after its acquisition of Team Sky, which had been leading a campaign against single-use plastics and Ocean Rescue campaign.

"We've spent 30 years working on the INEOS project and made it very large and very profitable," Ratcliffe said.

"We make $5-7 billion a year in profit so there's no harm in investing a modest amount of that into very worthy sporting endeavors which we enjoy.

"If they inspire people towards a healthier lifestyle, that's a good thing but there's also nothing wrong in investing money in something simply enjoyable. I like the theatre, I like opera. But I prefer sport."

Ratcliffe, a keen cyclist and a well known running enthusiast, also sponsors children's running charities, GO Run For Fun and The Daily Mile, with the aim of getting more young people into the sport.

"If Eliud has got a fantastic crowd cheering him on, its going to make a bit of difference and we don't need to make a lot of difference to make up 26 seconds," he told reporters.

"I was in the pace car in front of Eliud for the London Marathon and he was looking very serene and comfortable. He's still getting better.

"Eliud is the finest marathon runner there has ever been and I think it will be very inspirational, to get kids putting running shoes on.

"It would be an extraordinary achievement. It's almost super-human, isn't it really? To break two hours in a marathon is quite unthinkable."