Kenyan runner Eliud Kipchoge has beaten his own marathon world record by 30 seconds in Berlin.
He finished the race in two hours, one minute and nine seconds to beat his previous best, recorded on the same course in 2018.
Conditions were cool and windless – ideal for distance running on Berlin’s flat course – and Kipchoge set a blistering pace by running the first 10km in 28:23 and clocking 59:51 at half way.
“My legs and my body still feel young,” 37-year-old Kipchoge said. “But the most important thing is my mind, and that also feels fresh and young. I’m so happy to break the world record.”
He was the first person to run under two hours for the 26.2-mile marathon distance in Vienna in 2019.
However, that event was specially designed around Kipchoge and featured multiple pacemakers, so didn’t count as an official marathon race record.
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The Kenyan slowed slightly towards the end of the Berlin race and reached the 30km mark in 1:25:40. His fellow countryman Mark Korir finished second, nearly five minutes back, with Ethiopia’s Tadu Abate third.
Asked whether he would attempt a sub-two hour run in Berlin next year, Kipchoge said: “Let us plan for another day. I need to celebrate this record and have to realise what happens. Just roll and see what happens.
“There is still more in my legs. I hope the future is still great. My mind is still moving, the body still absorbing the training.”
The women’s race also saw a remarkable run as Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa won in a course record of 2:15:37 – a huge 18 minutes better than her personal best and the third-fastest time ever.
More than 45,000 people from 157 countries were registered for Sunday’s event, the first unrestricted race since the pandemic.
