The Atlantic

A New World Marathon Record Almost Defies Description

A legendary Kenyan marathoner has once again redefined what humans are capable of.
Source: Fabrizio Bensch / Reuters

We were packed into our corrals on Benjamin Franklin Parkway Sunday morning, waiting to start the Rock ‘N’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, when the announcement came: Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya had just set a new world marathon record across the world in Berlin. One of the thrills for me of running Philadelphia and the other big half marathons and marathons is just being in the same race with world-class runners like Kipchoge, even though I usually only catch a glimpse of them at the start.

Somewhere around mile seven of my race along the Schuylkill River, I found myself marveling at what the great Kenyan distance runner, almost unquestionably the greatest marathoner ever, had just pulled off.

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