Untouchable Eliud Kipchoge Smashes Marathon World Record

BERLIN, Germany- Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge finally owned the world record he has been threatening for years with a supreme performance at the 2018 BMW Berlin Marathon, motoring to the scarcely believable 2:01:39 on Sunday.

A perfect day for Kenya was sealed when Gladys Cherono stunned Ethiopian pre-race favourite Tirunesh Dibaba to hold on to the women's crown for a Berlin hat-trick when she stopped the clock in a sparkling new 2:18:10 course record for another historic double.

The man who ran with the hand of history on his shoulder produced another distance running master class that cemented his status as the greatest marathoner of all time despite two of his designated pacemakers, Sammy Kitwara and Bernard Kipkemboi falling out inside the opening 15K.

"I had great belief that I would run a world record today (Sunday). I don't know how I ran 2:01 and what is next to me is to run 2:00, 2:02.

"It was not in my plans for the pacemakers to fall, I wanted to run with them for longer but it was unfortunate and I realised I had to run on my own. Berlin forever, I will come back next year," Kipchoge remarked moments after his latest and personally fulfilling milestone that will earn him a USD1m (KSh100m) bonus at the least.

Dennis Kimetto's previous standard of 2:02:57 that has stood since 2014 was not only surpassed but destroyed by a massive one minute and 18 seconds as Kipchoge crashed through the 2:02 barrier in the ultimate distance race in emphatic fashion.

Stunning victory

His stunning victory was embellished further when he led his compatriots fast finishing birthday boy Amos Kipruto (2:06:24) who was running in Berlin for the first time and former world marathon record holder and 2013 winner Wilson Kipsang (2:06:48) to fill the podium.

In the corresponding women's race, Ethiopia's Ruti Aga escorted Cherono- who crushed the previous course record by 61 seconds- to the altar with Tirunesh finishing third in a race where the top three went under 2:19 for the first time in history.

"My target was to break the course record and run under 2:17 but the last 2K were hard for me. We were together until 25K and I felt strong and I tried to push in the last kilometres.

"The conditions were good and that is what made me run faster this year. I want to come back here next year and break the course record again," Cherono who may as well been celebrating a fourth Berlin title were it not for the injury that kept her out of the 2014 race gushed.

With talk of fast times and possible world records dominating the run down to the Sunday races, Kipchoge who sealed an astonishing 10th win in 11 marathon starts at the German capital, knew he was running out of time be recognised as the standard bearer of the distance he has mastered more than anyone before him.

"I'm still a student of the marathon," he is fond of stating, having taking up the classic race following his failure to make the London 2012 Olympics squad.

On Sunday, the 33 year-old graduated from a student to the teacher when he entered frontiers that have never be scaled before by any human being, with the race commentator on television hailing him as the 'Neil Armstrong of marathon running' in tribute to his ground-breaking feat.

Rabbits withdraw

From the early stages of the race, the 33-year-old Kenyan had just a handful of pacemakers for company as they passed through five kilometres in 14:24 and 10 kilometres in 29:21.

But shortly after 15 kilometres, which was reached in 43:38, two of the three pacemakers were unable to continue and withdrew from the race.

The final pacemaker, Josphat Boit, led Kipchoge through the halfway point in 1:01:06 before dropping out at 25 kilometres, covered in 1:12:24.

Running alone with 17 kilometres left, Kipchoge then sped up with only the BMWi3s vehicle bearing the clock for company.

He passed the 35-kilometre checkpoint just a shade outside 1:41:00, suggesting a finishing time inside 2:02 was possible.

By 40 kilometres, reached in 1:55:32, a world record looked a certainty.

Kipchoge maintained his form well in the closing stages and crossed the finish line taking one minute and 18 seconds off the previous world record set four years ago by Kimetto.

Largest improvement

It is the largest single improvement on the marathon world record since Derek Clayton improved the mark by two minutes and 23 seconds in 1967.

Behind him, Kipruto who turned 26 on Sunday came through for second, underlining his status among the heirs apparent to the master in only his second World Marathon Majors (WMM) outing following his third finish at Tokyo in January.

Kipsang, a former winner here who dropped out last year in another world record chase that was ended by bad weather kept away from the searing pace set by the winner and claimed another WMM podium finish.

But the day surely belonged to Kipchoge, who gave his coach and Barcelona 1992 Olympics 3000m steeplechase silver winner, Patrick Sang, a bear hug at the finish, his stern face breaking into a smile of triumph only a few who have ever hit his almost super human peak have ever worn.

The seismic day in distance running was complete when Cherono won her third title in another brilliant exhibition of racing across the flat course that saw her take down the course record set by Japan's Mizuki Nogushi 13 years ago.

Ruti finished second in 2:18:34 and six-time Olympic and six-time world medallist Tirunesh third (2:18:55) as the medallists entered record books as the first time three women have broken 2:19 in one race.

Behind them, the evergreen two-time world champion, Edna Kiplagat, who celebrated her 39th birthday on Saturday, clocked an impressive 2:21:18 for fourth ahead of another breakout star from Japan, Mizuki Matsuda who stopped the timer at 2:22:23.

Leading results

Men

1. Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:01:39 WR*

2. Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:06:23

3. Wilson Kipsang (KEN) 2:06:48

4. Shogo Nakamura (JPN) 2:08:16

5. Zersenay Tadese (ERI) 2:08:46

Women

1. Gladys Cherono (KEN) 2:18:11

2. Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:34

3. Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:55

4. Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:21:18

5. Mizuki Matsuda (JPN) 2:22:23