Close to the magical marathon mark
The eerie fable record of Kelvin Kiptum
By Emmanuel Schneider
October 9, 2023, 7:52 p.m
23-year-old Kelvin Kiptum storms to the marathon distance world record in Chicago. The Kenyan miracle runner stuns the competition. However, his rise and his achievements also raise questions.
When Kelvin Kiptum was born in 1999, the men’s marathon world record was 2:05:42 hours. Set up in Chicago by the American Khalid Khannouchi. 23 years later, Kiptum brutally reduced this record to the new incredible time of 2:00:35 hours at the same location. Over five minutes faster than in 1999. Not only that: the Kenyan took the record away from his compatriot and running icon Eliud Kipchoge by 34 seconds. “I’m so happy. I wasn’t prepared for this. But I knew that one day I would be the world record holder,” said Kiptum after the incredible run.
In 1999, the 2-hour mark in the marathon was considered unattainable. Now Kiptum is as close as anyone has ever been (under regular conditions, more on that later). How fit and fresh the 23-year-old runner jumped to the spectators at the finish in Chicago is almost frightening and only allows one conclusion: the magic mark will wobble.
Kiptum’s career is almost incredibly steep, as he didn’t start out on the track like many of his predecessors, but instead chose the extremely long distance as his own. The Chicago run was only the third official marathon of his career. The previous two in London (2:01:25 hours) and Valencia (2:01:53 hours) already made people sit up and take notice.
Kiptum with his pacemakers.
(Photo: picture alliance/Xinhua News Agency)
In his first marathon in Spain he immediately shot to the top of the world, and in London he immediately scratched the world record – and surprised the running scene. “I first noticed Kelvin Kiptum through his strong Valencia marathon,” explained European team champion Hendrik Pfeiffer in an interview with ntv.de and sport.de in May and proved himself to be a prophet: “It’s just a question of Time until he will beat the world record. And probably significantly.” Kiptum managed to do both in Chicago.
Kiptum runs faster at the end than at the beginning
Three of the six fastest marathon runs of all time now come from Kiptum, who trains alone near his Kenyan home. The steep rise and the role of his Belgian manager and agent raised at least some question marks. However, it was clear to many observers what would be at stake in the American metropolis on Sunday: the world record. At the press conference before the race, however, Kiptum was still low and declared “only” the course record (which was previously 2:03:45 by Dennis Kimetto) as the goal. It was said that there could be no question of a world record.
But what followed was an absolute demonstration of power on the asphalt and Kiptum once again presented himself as the king of the negative split. That means: He ran the second half of the marathon faster than the first. This is the ideal goal for a runner, but only a few good athletes achieve it. Kiptum has now done it in each of his three races. Kiptum started the first few kilometers just below the pace of Kipchoge’s record time, which he ran in Berlin in 2022.
He then catapulted himself to a record time in the second section and especially between the 30 to 40 kilometer sections. In other words, where it really hurts and both amateur runners and professionals like to be visited by the “man with the hammer” – in other words, to pay tribute to their dwindling strength must. Not so Kiptum this morning.
Between kilometers 30 and 35 he ran an incredible 13:51 minutes, the following 5 kilometers in 14:01. Over the 10 kilometer span that’s 27:52. Of the German runners this year, only record holder Amanal Petros was faster than Kiptum over the 10 kilometers on the road in the most brutal section of a marathon.
Is Kipchoge hitting back again?
His mile between 19 and 20 (around mile segments 32 and 33) was one of the fastest ever. “That’s my strategy, at mile 19, 20 I make a move,” he said. He never felt uncomfortable. After just 5 kilometers he thought that the world record would be there today. From the half marathon distance onwards he left all competition far behind. Despite a good time of 2:04:02 hours, second-placed Benson Kipruto finished a full three and a half minutes behind him.
Kiptum ran jubilantly alongside Kipruto, who reached the finish in second place. There was no sign of tiredness.
(Photo: IMAGO/USA TODAY Network)
For the first “half marathon” Kiptum needed 60:48 minutes, in the second he accelerated to an insane 59:47. For comparison: No German runner made it under the one-hour mark in the half marathon in 2023. To be precise: no German athlete has ever achieved this. Amanal Petros’ record is 1:00:09. The world record is 57:31. With an average speed of over 21 km/h, he raced to the Chicago finish, gesticulating wildly and feeling pretty fit. No one has ever achieved this average speed (2:51 per kilometer) over this distance.
After the Chicago coup, it is obvious: the changing of the guard is becoming more and more apparent – perhaps it has already finally taken place this Sunday. The title of “Running GOAT”, the “Greatest Of All Time”, could also be shaky in the medium term. Kipchoge is still considered a master of the profession over the 42.195 kilometers, especially thanks to his years of dominance and many successes. However, the youngster Kiptum has to prove himself at this level for years – just like the old master.
Or will Kipchoge strike back again? The Olympic champion is now 38 years old and will be 39 in November. Kiptum is 15 years younger and is clearly the new star in the marathon sky.
2024 looks to be a big marathon year
Next summer in Paris there could be a showdown between the two Kenyans at the Olympics. Because of the impending heat and lack of pacemakers, it will probably not be a world record race. But in the spring there could be the next attack on the record on a fast course like in London – and in the autumn there could be the ultimate duel on the fastest track in the world in Berlin. The German fans certainly wouldn’t say no.
The fact that the men’s and women’s records (Tigist Assefa ran in Berlin in 2:11:53 hours, more than two minutes faster than the old record) were significantly beaten within two weeks is also due to the ongoing material battle among shoe suppliers. While the Ethiopian ran with a new model from a German company, Kiptum had the latest prototype from the American competition on her feet. The carbon shoes with extremely reactive foam are becoming increasingly lighter and have been significantly reducing running times for several years. A new generation of shoes seems to have opened the window for records even further. And that brings us back to the magic 2 hour mark.
No one has ever finished the marathon in under 2 hours under regular competition conditions. It remains a human dream, one of the last barriers in professional sports. Kipchoge managed a sensational 1:59:40 hours in Vienna in 2019 under laboratory conditions – changing pacemakers and artificial slipstream. It is therefore not a recognized record. At 23 years old and in this form, it seems only a matter of time before Kiptum cracks this magical mark. Maybe as early as 2024.