Impressive, amazing, enormous. Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum (23 years old) erased the legendary Eliud Kipchoge from the record book by breaking the marathon world record this Sunday in Chicago (United States). He even allowed himself the luxury of sprinting after celebrating by raising his arms to stop the clock in 2h00m35s, that is, 34s ??better than what the great Kipchoge had achieved in Berlin on September 25, 2022 (2h1m9s). On a more demanding circuit with more climbs than the German track, Kiptum put on a display for the ages.
Because he ran a negative race, completing the second half of the route faster than the first (1m00m48s plus 59m47s). His ride from kilometer 30 was something never seen before. This boy doesn’t know the wall. On the contrary, he skips it with his graceful stride and a textbook arm stroke to face each small slope.
In his third marathon Kiptum achieved a goal that he already touched in London this year, when he won and was very close to Kipchoge’s record. Because Kiptum is currently unbeatable in the marathon. Three marathons, three wins. The one in London, the one this Sunday and the one in Valencia in 2022.
The new world record delighted the 29 neighborhoods of Chicago where it passed the test. It was clear that they were going fast from the beginning, but also that Kiptum was maintaining a change of pace.
The hare had to resist until 25 or 30 but halfway through the test he said enough. Kiptum was left alone with the company of also Kenyan Daniel Mateiko, who was making his debut in the distance and who is Kipchoge’s training partner. Mateiko resisted until km 30 but then exploded. Because what came then turned out to be a Kiptum whirlwind. When in a marathon it seems difficult to push, the young man accelerated. He was visible to the naked eye and the times confirmed it. At km 30 Kiptum was 51 seconds worse than Kipchoge on the day of his record in Berlin. In ’35 he was almost at Kipchoge’s time and in ’40 he already had a lead of 30 seconds on the mark of his veteran compatriot. He was traveling at 2m46s per kilometer, an outrage, and even more so with that whiplash on his legs.
But already in London Kiptum had shown that he knew how to run with his head and have the fuel to go faster at the end than at the beginning.
“I am very happy for the world record. I was surprised, I didn’t expect it. My intention was to set the circuit record, not the world record, but I felt very, very good,” he said to Flypen a few minutes after finishing the race.
They asked him if his next goal is to be the first man to do it under two hours after being the first to do it under 2h01m. He responded that what is on his mind “are the Paris Olympics,” in nine months. The same goal as Kipchoge. A duel is coming in style.
Kiptum began running regularly in 2016. He has always trained in his village, Chepkorio, about 40 kilometers from Eldoret, the mecca of long-distance athletics in Kenya. His coach is the Rwandan Gervais Hakizimana. During the coronavirus confinement, the coach was locked up in Kenya for a year working with his pupil and escaped to make discreet visits to Kipchoge’s training camp. While the veteran athlete usually does about 180 kilometers a week, Kiptum goes for 250 and sometimes even 300, as he did to prepare for the London race.
In the women’s event the world record, achieved just two weeks ago by the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa (2h11:53), was in danger for a long time but in the end the versatile Dutchman Sifan Hassan won with the second best time in history (2h13m44s ) which is a new European record. Marathon time. Sneaker time. Talent time.
