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The dream, for many marathon runners, is to cross the finishing line in under two hours. This has long-been thought to be an impossible feat. But new research indicates that yes, a sub-par marathon finish is achievable… under the right conditions, exciting marathon enthusiasts everywhere.
Current realities
The human body comes with certain limitations, so for normal people, a sub-two hour marathon time is out of the question. Fitness blog Very Well writes that the average finishing time for marathons, which are 26.22 mile races, come in at 4 hours, 19 minutes and 27 seconds for men and 4 hours, 44 minutes and 19 seconds for women. But for some people anything is possible…
Professional athletes, who spend their lives honing their bodies into running machines, can complete these races in far quicker times than the rest of us. The world record is held by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto. In 2014, he ran the Berlin Marathon, one of the world’s most popular road races, which takes participants past iconic buildings such as the Brandenburg Gate, in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 57 seconds!
Breaking barriers
Kimetto earned an astonishing achievement in Berlin and it was thought by many at the time, that in doing so, he had pushed the human body as far as it could possibly go. But there are some people who are simply unwilling to let go of this holy grail of sport. There are various companies, such as Nike, that have launched projects which aim to determine how marathons can be done in under two hours.
The Nike project, is called ‘Breaking 2,’ and it was first announced by the company in December 2016. Nike suggested that there are three athletes who are best positioned to make this achievement – Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese, Ethiopia’s Lelisa Desisa and Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge. Adidas has unveiled a similar initiative, which aims to develop the perfect shoe for marathon running.
Perfect conditions
But we’ve recently had a major break-through, CNBC confirms. Researchers at the University of Colorado found that the target can be hit, in appropriate conditions, and if runners use special techniques. Commenting, the University’s Wouter Hoogkamer said that “a sub-two-hour marathon time could happen right now, but it would require the right course and a lot of organisation.”
The first thing a runner would need is very light shoes. Kimetto’s Berlin shoes were eight ounces each in Berlin, and the shoes would need to be 3.5 ounces lighter, as a 4.5 ounce shoe weight reduction can shave 57 seconds from running times. The design of the course would also be crucial. It would need to allow marathoners to run in a straight line, reducing wind resistance, which can slow people down. A wind resistance reduction of 36% would be needed for a sub-two hour marathon time.
It would also help, the University discovered, if the course’s opening 13 miles were on a loop, through areas such as forests. This would lower wind resistance further, helping runners complete the marathons in quicker times. The second half of the course, meanwhile, should take runners down a gentle downhill slope. As long as the runners keep in a straight line, this would shave three minutes off the time, making it easier for marathoners to cross the finish line in less than two hours.
What a time to be alive
We should remember that a lot of this isn’t new. Experts have touted the benefits of finding the right running shoes and reducing wind resistance for years. But the University of Colorado’s research is vital, because it’s the first to show how much time each step would shave from a runner’s marathon time, providing a path to the sub-two hour finishing time record. Can you believe we’re living in a time where soon, someone might be able to run 26 miles in under two hours? It’s absolutely incredible!
Until the next time,
Mohsin Salya
Mohsin Salya 