While you were sleeping, Eliud Kipchoge ran a marathon in under two hours

Kenyan running legend Eliud Kipchoge just became the first human to run a marathon in under two hours.

When it comes to distance running, there is little that Kenyan icon Eliud Kipchoge has not accomplished. The 34-year-old is the world record holder in the marathon, owns three Olympic medals, including marathon gold from Rio in 2016 and has won eight World Marathon Majors, including London four times. With all of that already on his resume, Kipchoge took to the streets of Vienna early Saturday morning looking to make history as the first human to break two hours for the marathon.

Flanked by a small army of pacers that included many of the world’s elite runners, Kipchoge navigated a perfectly straight course through Vienna’s Prater Park in 1:59:40, smashing one of running’s final mythical barriers — the two-hour marathon. This was Kipchoge’s second attempt at breaking two after he ran 2:00:25 in a similar race in 2017.

The record run was engineered as part of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, and it was highly engineered. The course was run on a perfectly straight, flat section of road shielded on all sides by trees that had recently been repaved. Vienna was selected for its perfect weather and the race was not even scheduled ahead of time so that organizers could wait for specific conditions. Pacers ran in a phalanx ahead of Kipchoge following a laser projected on the ground to remain exactly on pace as his coach and manager pedaled alongside armed with an iPad, fluids and energy gels.

Then, there were the shoes.

Nike engineered a souped-up version of their latest carbon-plated racing shoes, and they are something special, to say the least.

Kipchoge’s run unfolded exactly according to plan, with his pacers clipping off easy 4:33 miles , which is roughly 14:13 per 5K (believe it or not, this is a jog for the pacers, who are all capable of running 5K in under 13 minutes). They hit the half marathon about 10 seconds ahead of pace. From there, Kipchoge battled to stay on pace. He accelerated the final quarter mile and his pacers dropped back to allow him to enjoy the moment by himself.

1:59:40

There can be no understating the gravity of this accomplishment. While the race will not be eligible for a world record due to the pacers, Kipchoge’s legs still carried him 26.2 miles in under two hours. He ran over 13 miles per hour for two hours. His status as the greatest distance runner in human history can no longer be debated.

Kipchoge was blown away by the magnitude of what he had done.

"“It has taken 65 years for a human being to make history in sport after Roger Bannister,” Kipchoge said, noting the Brit who became the first man to break 4 minutes for a mile in 1954. “I can tell people that no human is limited. I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today.”"

As Kipchoge was running, life in his hometown of Eldoret ground to a stop as the entire city gathered to watch the race on giant screens. Dozens of world champions and record setters have called Eldoret home, but Kipchoge stands alone as the greatest. He is a shining light for humans everywhere to contemplate the limits of what our bodies are capable of.

What Kipchoge will do now for an encore is anyone’s best guess. The 2020 Olympics in Tokyo loom large, with the world record holder in the 5,000 and 10,000 meters, Ethiopian Kenenisa Bekele in top form and challenging Kipchoge’s marathon record. That’s the future, though, today is all about relishing one of the greatest athletic accomplishments in human history.