While we were sleeping:
BERLIN (AP) — Dennis Kimetto set a world record by winning the 41st Berlin Marathon in 2 hours, 2 minutes, 57 seconds on Sunday.
The 30-year-old Kenyan knocked 26 seconds off the record of 2:03:23 set by compatriot Wilson Kipsang in Berlin last year to become the first man to complete a marathon in under two hours, three minutes.
Another Kenyan, Emmanuel Mutai, was also faster than the previous best, finishing second in 2:03:13.
Mutai had run the fastest marathon in history in 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, though it didn't count as a world record because the course is considered too straight and downhill.
Abera Kuma of Ethiopia was third in 2:05:56.
Tirfi Tsegaye won the women's race in 2:20:18, with fellow Ethiopian Feyse Tadese second with 2.20.27. American Shalane Flanagan was third in 2:21:14, missing out on her bid to beat the U.S. record of 2:19:36.
Some 40,004 runners from 130 nations were accepted for the race, which was run in perfect clear conditions.
Kimetto, whose previous personal best was the 2:03:45 he ran to win the Chicago Marathon last year, was part of a leading group including Mutai, Kuma, Tsegaye Kebede, Eliud Kiptanui, Geoffrey Kamworor, Levy Matebo and Franklin Chepkwony.
They maintained a steady pace but lost a couple of seconds after the 12th kilometer, before picking it up again after 15K. Matebo and Kiptanui dropped back as the leaders crossed the halfway mark in 61 minutes 45 seconds - inside world record pace.
Pacemakers Wilfred Kirwa and Geoffrey Ronoh dropped out at 30K, which Mutai reached in a blistering 1:27:37, a world record if confirmed. He was only accompanied by Kimetto and Kamworor, who dropped 10 seconds behind his compatriots by the 35th kilometer.
Kimetto was running more smoothly, but Mutai kept challenging, reminding the Chicago marathon champion that he was still there. Kimetto put a couple of seconds on his training partner with an injection of pace in the 39th kilometer, and he used it as the springboard for the seventh world record to be set in Berlin.
From the Stamford Advocate
16 miles later. Wrong thread.
1:01:45/1:01:12
Amazing race. Really good stuff. These guys are running times that are hard to fathom for us recreational types. I'm not sure I could last 800-1000m with them at MP.
But whoever wrote the article made a fairly careless mistake. It was Geoffrey Mutai who ran the 2:03:02 in Boston and not Emmanuel. Emmanuel Mutai's old PR was 2:03:52 at Chicago (just behind Kimetto as well) last year I believe.
Are we there, yet?
Amazing race. Really good stuff. These guys are running times that are hard to fathom for us recreational types. I'm not sure I could last 800-1000m with them at MP. But whoever wrote the article made a fairly careless mistake. It was Geoffrey Mutai who ran the 2:03:02 in Boston and not Emmanuel. Emmanuel Mutai's old PR was 2:03:52 at Chicago (just behind Kimetto as well) last year I believe.
I think that may have just been poor editing. The IAAF article states:
"His performance in the German capital also bettered the fastest time ever achieved on any marathon course, surpassing the 2:03:02 clocked by fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 on Boston's record-ineligible point-to-point course."
2024 Races:
03/09 - Livingston Oval Ultra 6-Hour, 22.88 miles
05/11 - D3 50K 05/25 - What the Duck 12-Hour
06/17 - 6 Days in the Dome 12-Hour.
I'm guessing "no." You'd need to run 2:20 in 800 meters or 2:55 for 1,000. I'm not at all confident that I could run that pace for 400 meters although I might be able to do it for a 200.
Short term goal: 17:59 5K
Mid term goal: 2:54:59 marathon
Long term goal: To say I've been a runner half my life. (I started running at age 45).
My all time PB on a road mile was his MP back in 1969. The last time I ran that fast over 800m was in 1993.
I ran Berlin two years ago and it is a great course to PR (except for all the hard plastic cups at the water stations, but the elites do not have that problem). Congrats to Kimetto, awesome!
Damaris
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I think that may have just been poor editing. The IAAF article states: "His performance in the German capital also bettered the fastest time ever achieved on any marathon course, surpassing the 2:03:02 clocked by fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2011 on Boston's record-ineligible point-to-point course."
Poor editing just makes it worse. I was quoting LRB's linked article, not IAAF. And it still is in error as I type this.
I bet you could challenge a 2:20 800 if you trained specifically for it. I'm pretty confident I could. I ran a 5:15 indoor mile two years ago off zero mile specific training. That was about a 2:22/25 equivalent depending on what calculator you use if I remember correctly. Might be fun to try this winter.
At any rate I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have 1000m at that pace and put all that together and it completely blows my mind what these guys are capable of running.
@d9monti: Dennis Kimetto's #berlinmarathon 5K's:14:4214:4214:4614:2614:3214:3014:09 (!!)14:42
#RRW
Caretaker/Overlook Hotel
Watched as I ran on the hamster wheel. What a motivator!!!
SICK!!!
Randy
I bet you could challenge a 2:20 800 if you trained specifically for it. I'm pretty confident I could. I ran a 5:15 indoor mile two years ago off zero mile specific training. That was about a 2:22/25 equivalent depending on what calculator you use if I remember correctly. Might be fun to try this winter. At any rate I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have 1000m at that pace and put all that together and it completely blows my mind what these guys are capable of running.
If I specifically trained for the 800, I might be able to make it close. My 5K PR plugged into McMillan predicts a 2:24 800. With a 5:15 mile, yeah, you could do it.
Dennis Kimetto's 5K's:14:4214:4214:4614:2614:3214:3014:09 (!!)14:42
For fucks sake man, dayum!
A-M-A-Z-I-N-G