Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge will again target the mythical two-hour marathon barrier in a special race to be held between late September and early October, likely in London.
Kipchoge went close to smashing the barrier when he came in 25 seconds off the mark in a staged race around Italy’s Monza race circuit in 2017.
“Running the fastest ever marathon time of 2:00:25 was the proudest moment of my career,” Kipchoge said.
“To get another chance to break the magical two-hour mark is incredibly exciting. I always say that no human is limited, and I know that it is possible for me to break this barrier.”
Kipchoge, 34, last week won his fourth London marathon, has now won 11 of the 12 marathons he’s contested and set a world record of 2:01:39 when winning the Berlin marathon in 2018.
“I learnt a lot from my previous attempt and I truly believe that I can go 26 seconds faster than I did in Monza two years ago,” he said.
The venue for the “INEOS 1:59 Challenge” is still to be decided, with a number of options that offer a flat-looped circuit being investigated for the event.
“A London venue is being considered,” organisers said.
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