The first marathon runner, ancient Greek legend has it, collapsed and died after running 42 kilometres from the city of Marathon to Athens. A lot has changed in the world of marathon running since then, but the grit and determination required to run such a long distance has stayed the same. On Saturday morning, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya completed a marathon in 2 hours and 25 seconds. It was the fastest marathon ever run but Kipchoge narrowly missed his goal of breaking the elusive two-hour barrier.
Kipchoge’s effort was part of a campaign staged by Nike. The Kenyan ran on a closed course, with special pacers and prototype shoes. As such, his incredible run will not enter the history books as an official world record. But does that take away from his achievement? Marathon running is more popular than ever because it tests everyone’s limits on their own terms. By staging the event on a closed course, has Nike desecrated the purity of one of the world’s oldest sports?
