Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in 2 hours, 26 seconds on Saturday, coming up just short in the Breaking2 project’s attempt at the first sub 2-hour marathon.
MONZA, Italy — Eliud Kipchoge was seconds from making history Saturday, but the Olympic champion finished just short of becoming the first person to run a marathon in less than two hours.
Kipchoge ran the 26.2 miles in 2 hours, 26 seconds, beating Dennis Kimetto’s world mark of 2: 02: 57. Organizers first listed Kipchoge’s time as two seconds faster, then changed it to 26 seconds off the 2-hour mark.
The attempt at Monza’s Formula One racecourse did not go down as an official world record, sanctioned by the IAAF, due to variables like pacers entering midrace and drinks being given to runners via mopeds.
Kipchoge, 32, of Kenya, broke his personal best time of 2: 03: 05, which was set at the London Marathon last year.
But, after three years of planning, Nike’s audacious attempt at breaking the 2-hour barrier remained just that, despite the aid of a shoe that designers say will make runners 4 percent more efficient.
Two-time Boston Marathon winner Lelisa Desisa, from Ethiopia, and Eritrean half-marathon world-record holder Zersenay Tadese also were part of the Breaking2 project, which started at 5: 45 a.m., but they finished well off the pace.
Desisa was dropped after 50 minutes, with Tadese falling back shortly afterward. The duo still completed the 17 laps of the 1.5-mile Monza track.
That left just Kipchoge chasing the landmark time.
He continued in his trademark relaxed style and passed the halfway mark in 59: 54, but his average pace of 4: 36 per mile was just not enough, despite his final sprint to the tape.
