On Saturday, October 12, 2019, Eliud Kipchoge became the first person ever to run a marathon in under two hours, a staggering achievement in athletics and human performance. Dr. Michael Joyner, an exercise physiologist at the Mayo Clinic, first predicted it might be possible in a paper he wrote in 1991. WIRED's Robbie Gonzalez has been following Kipchoge's attempts for years, and spoke with Joyner about how Kipchoge finally made it happen.
Check out WIRED’s previous coverage of Kipchoge’s quest to break the two hour barrier:
Kipchoge’s 2017 Sub-2 attempt: www.wired.com/2016/12/nike-tw...
Post-race analysis of Kipchoge’s first sub-2 attempt www.wired.com/2017/05/two-hou...
WIRED’s running club tries to run at Eliud Kipchoge’s pace: www.wired.com/2017/05/youll-n...
The science behind Kipchoge’s controversial shoes: www.wired.com/story/the-scien...
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Follow more of Robbie’s reporting on Eliud Kipchoge at WIRED.com: www.wired.com/story/eliud-kipchoge-is-set-to-break-the-2-hour-marathon-barrier/ And check out our video about his 2017 attempt here: m.kzhead.info/sun/lpp_g5d8a5OVnnk/bejne.html
He did it all on a plant based diet 🌱: kzhead.info/sun/ntyfacN9gISqn2g/bejne.html
Robbie sucks a bit. He talked about shoes for the whole 13 minutes, and forgets the number of athletes who were tested before breaking bad, his diet his training - until minute 12. And it is a World Record. A sub par interview and analysis. Wasted time and didn’t even go into the entire 4 year journey to this
so didnt everyone that finished behind him also complete a marathon in under 2 hours?
The dumbass guy on the interview must just be jealous. Robbie who?
Not world record but world best! How about fastest known time?
Dude looks like he's doing a light morning jog.
@SURFEY I've just been in thisbplace before
I saw that marathon live in Vienna everyone clapped
I have a tremendous amount of respect for Kipchoge, phenomenal athlete but looking that fresh after that effort, makes me wonder
Genetic engineering.
How are you on every video
I'm so happy that Eliud Kipchoge was the first athlete to break the 2hr mark. The sport of long distance running couldn't ask for a better ambassador than Eliud - hard working, soft spoken, humble, kind, enthusiastic, nurturing of his teammates and youth, and optimistic in his views on the human condition.
Here here. Perfectly put!
Juan Cortez Muro shut the duck up
I couldn't agree more MrVvulf.
I love that man. His spirit is so pure.
Also, a GOAT!!
Dinner in 2 hours Kipchoge: let me run a marathon real quick
Irfan Yusni stolen comment
Stolen
stolen
Lmao comments police
Lol
The start puts into perspective how fast he’s running
The rubber duck true
The minimum speed throughout the whole 2 hours was 13 miles per hour...thats crazy
darkfeather111 that’s not the minimum speed
@@darkfeather111 the minimum speed for him in this marathon for the entire race was 19mph
PureSwank wait what? Is there somewhere I can find these results? 19 mph is like 1:22:48 pace.
If the shoes are an issue, just give them to everyone, let's see them do sub 2 hours.
the nike shoe has a single carbon plate that acts like a spring... his were custom made to have 3 such plates in his shoes
what are patents
Izzy K Let alone sub 3 hours
Fake
@@anomad6314 it's just clever marketing by Nike to give their shoes to top athletes then people think they are the reason for the success
He even runs to celebrate after he's finished. *Legend*
kemni what is he supposed to do? Crawl?
@@mashhoodrehman7831 Your body is expected to be devastated after running for so long.Thats what he was intending to say,you nounce 😂
@@garyhayes5751 goes to show still how much fuel he had left in the tank. Its mind boggling actually coz most of us would be either dead or crippled by the effort.
@@pietrojenkins6901 indeed!
@@garyhayes5751 its always the Indians with zero common sense
Why are the shoes controversial? If you give me those shoes I’m still not running a sub 2 hour marathon lol.
Isn't there a guy that won a race while competing in shoes that he'd dug out of a trash bin before the competition? Doesn't seem to me that shoes make a bit of difference.
@@trajectoryunown Kipchoge's shoes fell apart at the beginning of the 2015 Berlin marathon and he basically ran 20 miles without insoles and still won.
They're saying the shoes are controversial among the fastest of marathon runners. If only a couple runners are allowed to wear those proprietary Nike shoes, then they will have an unfair advantage, just like the swimmers did wearing Speedo's LZR Racer. Shoes absolutely make a difference (try running a marathon in dress shoes) and every runner knows that. The solution to this would be to only allow shoes that are available to every runner, particularly to the runners who matters. Like you said, no one cares about the people running 3hr marathons because the shoes won't create enough of an edge to matter.
Jake Tyler other companies can make the shoes, creating more competition. Besides it should not be that hard to get your hands on those shoes
@@jaketyler7088 Did anybody else finish the race with less than a second difference in total time? If not then that point is moot.
Me: Ran a half marathon in under 2 hours on Saturday. Eliud: Hold my beer.
More like hold my red bulls.
Hold my water
More like hold my beetroot
@@williamiceman9939 WHAT?
I felt good about 1:34 on my half haha I’d be over 3 hours IF I was able to keep that pace
Months before: “Why it’s impossible to run a sub-2 hour marathon”
Yh it just shows how talented this man is
That's the only reason they made this video
Tiago Marques the circumstances were nowhere CLOSE to being like a competition. It is even stated at the beginning of the video. 8 pacemakers around him at every point of the race, fast course (optimal weather).
@@GaminGusTav he still ran. At least he wasn't driving a car 😂
@@GaminGusTav I swear ,you wouldn't had come forward and still hide behind your keyboard 😂😂
There’s no controversy. Stop making things what they’re not. It was an experiment to break human barriers, by creating ideal situations.
love the way this is worded.
Exactly. This wasn't just for one athlete, but for all peoples. The teamwork and organization to propel that athlete, and us collectively, forward
I wouldn’t refer to the shoes as “controversial” when no one has argued he shouldn’t be running in these types of shoes or a record should be considered illegitimate because he has in these shoes. Further, many other shoe companies are making similar shoes.
Agreed. Just well designed. Not controversial at all. As the video explains, they have been around for a few years in one form or another.
Exactly
Its equivalent to corking a baseball bat or deflating footballs. Its an advantage and someone will ban it soon😁😁😁Im being facetious.
Tons of media outlets have described them as controversial, but I haven't really seen any experts question it. I agree that they're special and that you have to take that into account when you think about the incredible times of runners since -17. But really you can't argue that the technology is that advanced, it's just a plate. Of course there's a limit to what i think is acceptable though. Anything that involves something mechanical or electrical is out of question for me.
Tony E As they explain, this level of adaptation has either been accepted or rejected by various sports. Athletics has not decided yet.
He makes running 21km/h look easy...
I don't think I am that fast flat out🤣💔
Iam riding a bicycle at that speed and lower. 🤭
This alone freaks me out, especially because he makes it look like a breeze. I wish I could see him run in person to appreciate his speed more
Your mind will give up 1000 times before your body does
Only 1000 times? Allow me to introduce myself.
Gabriela Dos Santos what does that mean?
Slave Master basically your mind will tell you , you can’t do it and you need to stop but in truth if you get your mindset right and say you are going to do it your body is very capable of it you just gotta get your mind and body working together
Only 1000 times? Me: Hold my dreams
My mind will give up only once. My body will obey it pronto.
Can we take a moment to appreciate the pacers who also had to run at the same speed for long periods of time
They were all top athletes and olympic medalists gathered together to be a part of history, there's a list of their names on the wiki page for the event
Elite athletes like the Ingebrigtsen brothers, running about 6k shifts
average people don’t run at 21.4km per hour for 6km stints.
@@fatbelly27 Of all better athletes that were there those are the ones you could think of?
The Pacers switched
The fact that he was in any way talking immediately after this is insane
Paden Martin not only talking, but talking like he hadn’t even ran.
he was barely sweating lol probably could've done it again or something
With his peak physical capabilities he probably only paces himself because his muscles will give out before he feels any pain or burning. Without that pain he can smile, talk, and walk around without a problem. Also if he stops to rest after that run he’ll drop to the ground with cramps even in his arms and won’t be able to get back up for a few hours.
Epo is a helluva drug!
Not insane - just EPO
I hate focusing on controvercies concering Eliud’s run. He has made a history and thats what we all should focus on. Hopefully he achieves the same time next year during the berlin marathon.
Sorry, he ran fast, but he didn't break the world record.
ken jen Clearly you did not get the purpose of the challenge ( Can the human body run under 2hrs).. it was to make history. They definitely knew it was not going to go down as a world record.
@@hydoffdhagaweyne1037 he didn't just run fast, he ran it faster than any human in all history?
@@hydoffdhagaweyne1037 but he has a world record in marathon
@@hydoffdhagaweyne1037 sorry. The world record is still his
He started with a speed I can't even keep up for 5 minutes
13mph is probably about the average human sprint speed. it translates to a 100m dash in 17 seconds(obviously extremely slow for even a decent high school athlete, but im thinking that's about right for all humans). now imagine doing that for *TWO HOURS STRAIGHT*
Theres no problem with that a 4:31 1600 would qualify for a high school state meet in a lot of states
Not sure id be able to run at any speed that's considered running for 2 hours.
@@greylepoard 422 times continuously.
If you can keep that up for 5 minutes, you’re actually really talented
Fans: Experts: Media: It's controversial
Media are just pimps
All they need to do is pull up 2 negative tweets about it and it technically is true. Controversial....... to 2 people.
Fans don’t genuinely question something when they wanted it to happen, experts are ofcourse talking about it it’s obviously controversial in a way because even though it’s the fastest ever 26.2 it’s not a sub 2 hour marathon
Context please. Why is it controversial?
To think he ran almost 2.5 miles in the time this video lasted... crazy
Sophia Yun this comments just reminds me how lazy i am..
haha, that can't be right... errrm... wait, wut??
The womens 2 mile record is 8 minutes 😂
@@ashartanveer576 Meseret Defar
When I saw this I was like HA it is possible wired
Owen Conway that’s what the “almost” in “almost impossible” means correct?
@@decdeclanlan the "almost impossible" means that the current record is 1% worse
I’m still running the 2017 marathon
🤣
😂
How’s the race ?
Tough slow
Could've talked more about his training, diet, and "no human is limited" mantra, as HE is the one that broke the record, no the course, shoes, pacers, etc.
The reason people talk about those things is because with the normal ruleset it is extremely doubtful that he will ever be able to break 2 hours. He is not a sub 2 hour runner if he can only do it on 1 track, with 1 certain pair of shoes and 1 (against the rules) style of pace runners.
rdizzy1 You, and everyone else is missing the point of this run. The run wasn’t to prove Kipchoge is a sub 2 hour marathoner. The run was to prove that No Human Is Limited and a sub 2 hour marathon is HUMANLY possible
rdizzy1 I don’t think you understand the rules and are missing the point, I doubt you’ve watched the INEOS159 documentaries. Go hit the books.
@@jeffbrignac3957 I don't need to understand them in depth to know that he cannot break the record without these specific circumstances, some of which are against the rules an invalidate the record time. That is all we need to know.
@@jeffbrignac3957 All that is proves is that humans ARE in fact limited, if they weren't, he would have tried this without the help, under a normal race with normal rules.
It's amazing that he doesn't even look that tired!
II - //
@Jahongir Mukhtorov Not all of the muscles of the body are made to be big, to put it in very simplistic terms. long distance runners and sprinters use different types of muscles. One is for burst movements, useful for stuff like lifting etc. while the other is for sustain. Just means that long distance runners are also using / training muscles, though they won't get big. Not saying he's on steroids, just clearing up the misconception.
@Ryan Gregor lance armstrong was not on steroids.
He’s probably dying on the inside but not showing it. No matter how trained someone is, I refuse to believe a human being wouldn’t be exhausted after a marathon.
@@12xenn45 he ran daily marathons. 😅
Eliud: runs a whole marathon in under two hours Everyone else: the shoes
Ethan Mcginnis with even a controlled environment n the shoes i would run for a week the 42k
He was under so much pressure. He had no one to turn to if things went bad. All the eyes were on him and everyone was counting on him to pull off something that had never been done before. Its incredible he didnt cave under all that pressure even a little bit.
I actually love Kipchoge idk why
The more i learn about him the more I like him more, like yesterday I learned that he trained for months before by running *5 marathons per week* for months, that's ridiculous. He definitely deserves the achievement
Indeed. He’s so genuine.
Watched it live. 99% of the world can't even begin to comprehend this level of endurance.
"It's a marathon, not a Sprint" Kipchoge: *hold my beer*
Brian Preller hold my two hours* 😂
Eliud: actually runs it under two hours Wired: *Why its impossible to run a marathon in under 1hr 59 mins and 40 seconds*
after the goal he seemed like he could have run even faster
he can, but then he couldn't break the record again next year, so less money for him.
Blu Ray you honestly think he intentionally didn’t break it by more to break it again?
@@smithy7909 it's calculated
2k of awsome official or not he still ran the marathon length faster than any human ever and faster than 2 hours.
@@smithy7909 im pretty sure he had more in the tank, they were pacing for the 1:59:xx, if they had chose to pace for 1:58:xx i wouldnt be suprised if he got that. There was no need to shoot for a better time at the cost of more risk of failure.
Wired: "Why running a Two hour Marathon is Impossible" Also Wired: *How the Two-Hour Marathon Limit Was Broken*
Hey -- we said *Almost* Impossible! Thanks for watching and commenting :)
This is almost a correct comment.
well, not depreciating Kipchoge's performance at all, but you have to consider that it was a quite special 'setup', especially with the pace makers; waiting for him or another top runner to beat the 2 hours mark in a regular race...
G L Thank you! I love Kipchoge but it was a bit of a stretch to assume It's the first natural Two Hour Marathon
but but but controversial shoes ...........but.....
Eliud says he expects more, real african father energy. Love him.
Give the man the credit. It wasn’t the shoes, it wasn’t the 0.00000001 less drag, it wasn’t the course. This was an incredible feat where this man changed the history of not only running but of also what the human body is capable of
This is BS he broke the record ofc no one can just let him have the joy of something he worked so hard for.
Mylee Rimer he's already the current world record holder with a time of 2:01:39
He set the record for a paced Marathon distance run - for reasons anyone can see it wasn’t an actual Marathon race .. although he holds that World Record for that as well! The man is amazing !!
This honestly belongs in the same category of human achievement as the first airplane and the moon landing. This is more impressive than most people realize
The airplane revolutionized travel, economics, and warfare. This is an insanely amazing achievement, but it won't have that much of an impact disregarding impact to the sport and regulations
Moonlanding also revolutionized economics as well.
I feel like it's quite impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the other achievements mentioned in your comment
Blabla...and what about the first 500kg Deadlift? and so on and so on. Its huge, but dont compare it with moon landing or first airplane...
@@mikecampbell3688 Haaaa, what?
*legend says he is still running*
I does not
He is ,he really is😂😂😂😂 already back on the track gearing up for Tokyo
Nice to see this runner so happy, he looked like he prepared for this his whole life.
It's quite poetic how one of their first "Almost Impossible" feats was broken first and I hope they do one of these if any of the others are achieved.
Go Kipchoge!!
He ran faster than my long weekend.
no one: kipchoge: i am speed
Overrated Comment.
*i am stamina
I am the fast
Somehow I'd like to see more interviews with Dr. Joyner - he's a pleasure to listen and you can feel there's deep knowledge behind his speech.
True
Agreed
You guys said it was impossible to break the 2 hour mark but when Kichoge did it you guys are saying it's because of the shoes. you guys are salty
Bradley Green Thank you. There’s a bunch of guys who said it was impossible no matter what. Sore losers.
You guys seem to not understand the concept of "Almost Impossible"
@dandagod official "Almost Impossible" is the attempt to showcase the human limitations and showing off things that are borderline impossible. There is no logical fallacy in saying that a sub 2 hour marathon is almost impossible. Since it is, when you disregard the possibility of technical advancements (like the shoes he wore).
@dandagod official Nothing is impossible? That's a good motivational quote, yet highly untrue. Once again, YOU misunderstood. There is no reason to take the title literally. And even if you did, it would still make sense. It is impossible for a human to run a marathon in (lets take it to the extreme, since you said that NOTHING was impossible) 2 minutes. Or are you telling me that it seems like something that is possible?
ok boomer they didn’t discredit in the video
You're a great interview, thanks Robbie!
I've been waiting for this video!!!
I literally just finished watching the other video they did on a under 2 hour marathon and then this popped up.☺️☺️☺️ Nice👍
Mans gotten the any% WR, he’s literally a speedrunner
This is 100%, any% would be getting into a helicopter and flying to the finish
Gdq would be proud
As someone else said, this would be 100%, but it's not glitchless. Now we wait for the glitchless run.
@Tobias Lloyd underrated comment
Way better breakdown than any other convential news source I've seen. Short of going super in-depth on the data and race statistics, this is how it should be done.
Great interview, very good questions.
There is no "controversy" here...give me the same shoes and I will still complete the marathon after 6hours
No one: Wired: *SHOES*
As soon as this came out on the news I was waiting for Wired to do a video on this
robbie is good. and so are his producers. he comes into these pieces so informed and articulates himself well. good job.
"Sub 2h marathon is impossible" *literally does it* "Yeah bro, that doesn't count"
“Oh my god...he was assisted!” “This doesn’t count!” “He cheated!” -Everyone on this comment thread who will never come close to a feat like this but is quick to tear him down because hiding behind the internet has no repercussions.
Couldn’t have said it better man
Well... yes. I will never be as fast as Lance Armstrong but I can still comment on how he cheated
I've seen the documentary where he tried the 2 hour barrier and barely failed, and it was a HUGE success for me already. So happy to hear that he got the 2 hour mark. I also give kudos to the other players who were training with Mr Kipchoge (forgot their names though), too. No matter the technology, the athletes are the source of the inspirations.
Even in 2017's race after failing to break the 2 hour mark, Eliud Kipchoge never let hope and did say that its not impossible and either me or someone would break that mark.. The man has incredible confidence & perseverance!
the whole 'controversial shoes' thing they're tryna shove onto our plates honestly seems like a total non-story idk about you, but I'm not eating it up
Your comment needs to be the top comment.
Fr. I feel like wired is trying to discredit the man by focusing on the “controversial” things. Just leave it at the fact that he made history the end. They just salty he proved them wrong with Wired’s video titled “why it’s almost impossible to run a 2 hour marathon”
In their "why its almost impossible to run a 2 hour marathon" they even said how the shoes dont make a difference The man ran and won a marathon with his shoes barely on in 2015
I think every “expert” is trying to analyze this forgetting how many athletes were tried for this, before even Breaking 2. Looking forward to seeing who does it next
True. Its not like the shoes are attached with motors or wings. The man still has to generate all the speed. The dumbass guy on the interview must just be jealous.
Holy crap congrats on getting Joyner in on the video!!
Major props to the other runners that helped keep pace with him!
Very interesting! Thanks, Robbie & Michael!
After he finished, he even ran another sub 2hr marathon as his celebration. Legend.
Great inspiration.
Thanks for this. I was searching for WIRED's coverage of this yesterday and finally it's here.
Great video! Great guest!
“Naruto running the marathon in under 1 hour”
pft easy, If I can dodge bullets I can certainly run under an hour
Pfft. What are you, a chunin? We can Naruto run the marathon in 10 second frame to frame uncut
He did not even seem tired at the end wow, kept on running around like it was nothing for him
one of the commentators said "he looks like he just did a quick run to the bakery" :D
Excellent interview
Been waiting for this vid
I couldn't ride a bike 26 miles in 2 hours.
East End Dayton oh I’m sure you could within a month of training max. You’d only need to go half the average speed for Tour de France riders. Except their average includes everything; flats, uphills, and downhills. Not to mention they’ll maintain this average over 2000 miles in just 21 days.
This is insane how
It's a first in something that people thought was nearly unachievable for years.
Try sprinting for 2 hours Most people can barely last 1 minute at that speed
This sub 2 hr record was inspirational, to say the least. I foresee great new records in sports to burst out in the next few years.
I absolutely love this series :)
After seeing the video before this, and hearing the record was broken, I just waited for them to make this
why its almost impossible to tell where this guys is looking
I feel lucky, in the future, to be able to remember this time when the 2 hour barrier was broken.
Very interesting segment!
10:37 He just finished a full marathon in under 2 hours and still has plenty of energy to run around celebrating. Describing Kipchoge as simply a “superior athlete” is quite a gross understatement, he’s one of the top athletes of all time.
Eliud making history. Amazing!
Štefan Danko Likes to your thumbnail
Kipchoge is the epitome of distance running
I get goosebumps every single time I watch Eliud kipchoge run!
Idgaf. This literally counts for world record setting so it COUNTS. Amazing 🙏👌👌
Just to try and put things into perspective, most people in this comment section can't run at this pace for 100 feet, let alone 100m or a kilometer. I ran a sub 2 hour half marathon a couple weeks ago and wanted to try to run at this pace and see how long I could last... I was struggling just to get up to that speed at all.
This man accomplished something that was, until now, considered humanely impossible
What a marvelous man. King of the marathon Kipchoge
Tell me why after he was done it looked like he could run for much longer 🏃🏿♂️💨
Just goes to show where his mindset is at, i love it
he runs 5 marathons per week at above 2000 meters above sea level. Running 1 marathon at sea level is nothing to him.
If I could finish this in 2 days I would be proud
No matter how you slice it, this is incredible.
I appreciate his objectiveness here. That was an amazing feat!
Moral of the story don’t limit others based on what you can and can’t do
That's so true ,i see lots of people judging by projecting their beliefs on others which is so wrong.
“How he did it in two hours” I’m assuming he just ran fast than most.
He doesn't look tired.This is a superhuman
Mike Boyd *uploads video explaining how Kipchoge did it in under 2 hours* *video does tremendously well* Wired *uploads the same video*
when you shoot a gun 5:34
LMAO.
Lol
Pew
If you have any doubts about this feat, as a typical 6-year old would say, "could you do better?"
That last line..."This may happen in an open marathon sooner than people think" I would agree with that.
Marathoners - like swimmers - don’t get enough credit for how difficult their sport is. Their so physically & mentally strong that they make it look easy; because most people can run (& swim), they don’t realize how fast the athletes are moving or (when you reach Olympic/professional level) how intricate the sport is & the strategy needed to win. It’s an incredible thing to be able to watch & appreciate athletes like these.
By running?
*Eluid Kipchoge* is everywhere Excellent
they did it by identifying every possible variable that could affect his time and counteracting it with precise actions. i look at this as a scaled-up science experiment