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Are There Hard Limits to Human Performance?
Chasing the elusive two-hour marathon
“I want to tell the world that no human is limited.”
- Eliud Kipchoge, marathon world-record holder
Marathon records have improved significantly over the years for both men and women, yet no one has ever run a marathon in two hours or less. The fastest marathon ever recorded happened in Berlin in 2018 at two hours, one minute, and 39 seconds. Among runners and endurance athletes, the two-hour marathon is considered the Everest of endurance.
Running a sub-two-hour marathon means a runner needs to keep a pace of four minutes, 35 seconds per mile for 26.2 miles. It sounds impossible — many people think it is — but experts also speculate that under the right conditions, an exceptional athlete could do it. For that reason, the sportswear company Nike decided to create the perfect team and optimal environment to attempt to reach the milestone. On May 6, 2017 — the anniversary of runner and neurologist Roger Bannister breaking the seemingly unbeatable four-minute mile 63 years earlier — Nike held a two-hour marathon attempt.
The Monza race track, built in Italy in 1922, was chosen for the event due to its low altitude, long corners, moderate climate, and smooth road surface. Three elite athletes were selected based on their physiology and previous race success. Shoes were designed to provide the maximum energy return on each foot strike, while hydration, nutrition, and training were tailored for each athlete.
At 5:45 a.m., 27-year-old Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, 35-year-old Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea, and 32-year-old Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya began the sub-two-hour marathon attempt in the darkness. The trio was led by a team of runners flowing in and out of a diamond formation to reduce wind resistance — each taking their position before being replaced at regular intervals around the track — and a black Tesla Model S that released a green laser marker to provide pace.
But the scale of the challenge was overwhelming. Over the course of the race, Desisa and Tadese, unable to maintain the breakneck speed, slowed and were subsequently lapped by Kipchoge.
