Kelvin Kiptum broke an improbable record in Chicago with his time of 2:00:35, mainly because of his age, 23, his little experience in this distance, his third marathon, and because of the current record holder, the mythical Eliud Kipchoge, who seemed untouchable and unreachable for humans.
But above all for the record, because it forces you to open your eyes, squint and focus again to believe it, because he managed the two-hour mark - 42 kilometres and 195 metres for history from which some key points can be drawn.
A 'kid' in a distance for veterans
Kiptum has written his name into history without having yet reached 24. He is a born marathon runner, which is highly unusual, as the usual step for an athlete is to start on the track and evolve from middle to long distances. Not him, he was born directly on the asphalt. Unlike Kipchoge, who made his marathon debut at the age of 28 and was 37 when he stopped the clock at 2:01:09, Kiptum is making history with his youth.
A superhuman time to overtake the legend
Among Kelvin Kiptum's split times in Chicago, one section stands out, the one from kilometre 30 to 35. He picks up the pace to change the rhythm and covers that distance in 13:51, at 2:47 per kilometre, 21.66 km/h. On that same stretch, in Berlin 2022, Kipchoge takes 14:30 to cover those five kilometres. When the legend starts to find it tougher, as shown in the following section from 35 to 40, with 14:43 at 2:57 per kilometre, Kiptum's legs go light, consolidating his breakthrough with a 14:01 at 2:49 per kilometre.
Second half is a Spanish record
As he did in London, Kiptum ran in the negative in Chicago. After clocking 01:00:48 in the first half marathon, he closed the second leg in 59:48, a time that would be a Spanish record for the distance, held by Fabian Roncero since 2001 with 59:52. He was even faster in London, when he covered the second half in 59:45.
Comparativa récord de Kiptum y anterior de Kipchoge
The same shoes as Kipchoge in Berlin
There is no technological advantage here. Kiptum's shoes are a World Athletics-approved Nike prototype, the NikeDev163, the same shoes Kipchoge recently wore to win in Berlin.
Will he go under two hours in 2024?
That's the big question. And the answer may not be positive... because of the Olympic Games. Paris 2024 will determine the year of many athletes, and marathon runners will be no exception. The Olympic race will take place on 10 August. Bearing in mind that Berlin, the ideal venue for the event, will hold its marathon on 29 September, 50 days later, it is perhaps complicated to prepare for a challenge of such proportions. Although one could also look at other dates, such as London on 21 April or Valencia in December.
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