 |
|
 |
||
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|||
Dallas Co Farmers Exchange – Buffalo, Fair Grove, Urbana |
|
Printable Page
04/26 12:36 CDT Marathon milestone shattered: Sabastian Sawe breaks the fabled
2-hour barrier by 30 seconds
Marathon milestone shattered: Sabastian Sawe breaks the fabled 2-hour barrier
by 30 seconds
LONDON (AP) --- A pair of African distance runners took down what was once
among the most unthinkable records in sports on Sunday, shattering the
long-unapproachable two-hour barrier in the 26.2-mile (42.2-kilometer) marathon.
Sabastian Sawe of Kenya won the London Marathon in 1 hour, 59 minutes and 30
seconds, bettering the previous men's world record by an astonishing 65
seconds. He beat Ethiopia's Yomif Kejelcha, who was running his first marathon
and finished in 1:59.41.
"What comes today is not for me alone," Sawe said, "but for all of us today in
London."
Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda came in third, finishing in 2:00.28. That was seven
seconds better than the previous world record held by Kenya's Kelvin Kiptum and
completed a podium in which all three men broke Kiptum's three-year-old mark.
Legend has it that the marathon's distance is the same as the run a Greek
soldier made from Marathon to Athens to announce a military victory in ancient
times.
On a relatively flat London course on a mostly sunny day in the low 60s (15
Celsius) --- ideal for running --- Sawe ran a faster second half, covering the
second half of the race in 59:01.
He and Kejelcha pulled clear after 18.5 miles (30 kilometers), then Sawe made
his solo break in the final two kilometers. Fans showered him with loud cheers
as he sprinted to the finish on The Mall.
"I think they help a lot," Sawe said, "because if it was not for them you don't
feel like you are so loved ... with them calling, you feel so happy and strong."
Sawe, who came in as the defending champion in London, said it was a "day to
remember for me" and thanked the huge crowds who lined the streets of the
British capital to witness one of the greatest performances in a sport that
asks a simple question: How fast can a person run?
Under two hours has been done before --- unofficially After Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile in 1954, the mark was lowered 18 more times until it reached the current world record: 3:43.13, by Morocco's great runner, Hicham El Guerrouj. The mile has been largely replaced by the 1,500 meters as the main four-lap race in major events. The marathon, however, remains a staple of world-class running and the 2-hour barrier --- a nice, even number at a distance that has been around since ancient times --- has been in the sights of the world's greatest runners (and shoe companies) for about the last 20 years. Kenyan long-distance great Eliud Kipchoge did, in fact, break 2 hours in 2019, but it did not go into the record books, as it was a specially tailored race --- the "1:59 Challenge" --- run in favorable conditions on a 6-mile track with a stable of 41 rotating pacemakers. Kipchoge finished in 1:59.40. Sawe beat that time by 10 seconds on one of the world's less-taxing marathon courses. "The goalposts have literally just moved for marathon running," Paula Radcliffe, a former winner of the London Marathon, said during commentary of the race for the BBC. The first sub-2:30 marathon came in 1925 and the 2:15 barrier was broken 38 years after that. At the turn of the century, the world's best time for the men's marathon was 2:05:42, set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999. Khannouchi broke his own record by four seconds in 2002 --- the previous last time the fastest men's marathon was run in London --- and it has been whittled down gradually over the last 24 years by a succession of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, including Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang, Kipchoge and, most recently, Kiptum. Now that the 2-hour mark has been broken, a few other iconic track-and-field records to watch include Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters (2009), Mike Powell's 8.95 meters in the long jump (1991) and Marita Koch's 47.60 in the women's 400 meters (1985).
Lightweight shoes with cutting-edge technology help fuel the speed Part of the lowering of the times is about improvements in training, nutrition and technique. Another key element is the streamlining of shoes, defined through a battle of shoe companies who use carbon-fiber plates and other materials as part of an effort to make shoes lighter and springier. There's been ongoing debate about whether the advances in shoes amount to "technology doping." Seven years ago, Kipchoge wore Nike in his controlled run at sub-2 hours. On Sunday, Sawe was in Adidas, which is making a men's size 9 shoe that weighs 3.4 ounces --- less than half the weight of an average running shoe, according to the Wall Street Journal. "When you give them the box, they think it's a joke," Patrick Nava, general manager of Adidas running, told WSJ. "They think the box is empty."
Assefa wins fastest-ever women's-only marathon A record also went down in the women's race, with Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41 and defend the title in the fastest-ever time in a women's-only marathon. However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race. Kenya's Hellen Obiri was 12 seconds back in second place in a personal-best time on her London debut and compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei was third, a further two seconds adrift. It was the first time three women have run under 2 hours, 16 minutes in a marathon. "I screamed when I finished because I knew I was breaking the world record," Assefa said. "I felt much healthier today and have worked really hard on my speed and all my training has paid off."
Swiss double in wheelchair races In the wheelchair races, there was a Swiss double with Marcel Hug powering to a sixth straight men's title -- and eighth in total -- and Catherine Debrunner beating Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend the title. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
Under two hours has been done before --- unofficially After Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile in 1954, the mark was lowered 18 more times until it reached the current world record: 3:43.13, by Morocco's great runner, Hicham El Guerrouj. The mile has been largely replaced by the 1,500 meters as the main four-lap race in major events. The marathon, however, remains a staple of world-class running and the 2-hour barrier --- a nice, even number at a distance that has been around since ancient times --- has been in the sights of the world's greatest runners (and shoe companies) for about the last 20 years. Kenyan long-distance great Eliud Kipchoge did, in fact, break 2 hours in 2019, but it did not go into the record books, as it was a specially tailored race --- the "1:59 Challenge" --- run in favorable conditions on a 6-mile track with a stable of 41 rotating pacemakers. Kipchoge finished in 1:59.40. Sawe beat that time by 10 seconds on one of the world's less-taxing marathon courses. "The goalposts have literally just moved for marathon running," Paula Radcliffe, a former winner of the London Marathon, said during commentary of the race for the BBC. The first sub-2:30 marathon came in 1925 and the 2:15 barrier was broken 38 years after that. At the turn of the century, the world's best time for the men's marathon was 2:05:42, set by Khalid Khannouchi in Chicago in 1999. Khannouchi broke his own record by four seconds in 2002 --- the previous last time the fastest men's marathon was run in London --- and it has been whittled down gradually over the last 24 years by a succession of Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, including Haile Gebrselassie, Wilson Kipsang, Kipchoge and, most recently, Kiptum. Now that the 2-hour mark has been broken, a few other iconic track-and-field records to watch include Usain Bolt's 9.58 seconds in the 100 meters (2009), Mike Powell's 8.95 meters in the long jump (1991) and Marita Koch's 47.60 in the women's 400 meters (1985).
Lightweight shoes with cutting-edge technology help fuel the speed Part of the lowering of the times is about improvements in training, nutrition and technique. Another key element is the streamlining of shoes, defined through a battle of shoe companies who use carbon-fiber plates and other materials as part of an effort to make shoes lighter and springier. There's been ongoing debate about whether the advances in shoes amount to "technology doping." Seven years ago, Kipchoge wore Nike in his controlled run at sub-2 hours. On Sunday, Sawe was in Adidas, which is making a men's size 9 shoe that weighs 3.4 ounces --- less than half the weight of an average running shoe, according to the Wall Street Journal. "When you give them the box, they think it's a joke," Patrick Nava, general manager of Adidas running, told WSJ. "They think the box is empty."
Assefa wins fastest-ever women's-only marathon A record also went down in the women's race, with Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa pulling away with about 500 meters remaining to win in 2:15:41 and defend the title in the fastest-ever time in a women's-only marathon. However, it was 16 seconds slower than the course record set by Radcliffe in 2003 when it was a mixed race. Kenya's Hellen Obiri was 12 seconds back in second place in a personal-best time on her London debut and compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei was third, a further two seconds adrift. It was the first time three women have run under 2 hours, 16 minutes in a marathon. "I screamed when I finished because I knew I was breaking the world record," Assefa said. "I felt much healthier today and have worked really hard on my speed and all my training has paid off."
Swiss double in wheelchair races In the wheelchair races, there was a Swiss double with Marcel Hug powering to a sixth straight men's title -- and eighth in total -- and Catherine Debrunner beating Tatyana McFadden in a close finish to defend the title. ___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports
