On 12th October, in the city of Vienna, the fastest marathoner, Eliud Kipchoge attempted
the assumed impossible: to run a full marathon in less than 2 hours. The legendary 2 hour
barrier had never been breached before and a large part of the world expected Eliud to find heartbreak at the end of his attempt. Eliud, however, as he completed the 42-kilometer distance in a time of 1 hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds.
The grit, determination and perseverance that Eliud displayed was breathtaking and people from all over the world were awestruck on hearing about his victory.
Being under the spotlight, however, means that everything you do is viewed under a microscope and the same was true for Eliud. The focus shifted from Eliud’s great achievement to the conditions in which he
performed.
Eliud ran in controlled conditions, on a track at a low altitude as close to sea level as was possible. He had the shortest path around the track marked, he had several pacesetters to ensure that he kept the right pace to break the 2-hour barrier. He was also wearing engineered shoes which are now under investigation by the International Association of Athletics Federations and may be deemed illegal.
The fact that the media and public have labelled his run “The Greatest, Fakest Record in History’ is disgraceful. They are forgetting about Kipchoge’s role in setting the record and taking away Kipchoge’s ‘Moon Landing Moment’ as he described it himself.
To completely neglect his achievements is ignorance and just outright unfair to the man who has been training tirelessly for years for his achievement. History should recount Eliud Kipchoge’s great achievement as well as the conditions they were set in. This is his moon landing; it must not be taken away from him.
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