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It is not a stretch to say Eliud Kipchoge's performance in becoming the first athlete to run a marathon in under two hours has captivated the world, with at least one commentator going as far as likening the feat to Neil Armstrong walking on the moon.
Hyperbole aside, it was a ground-breaking moment and Kipchoge deserves the plaudits he has received in the wake of his stunning display on the streets of Vienna.
It must be acknowledged his attempt at breaking the two-hour barrier was stage-managed and he was given a level of assistance that is not afforded in marathons sanctioned by the international governing body of athletics, the IAAF.
But Kipchoge has already proven himself to be one of the greatest marathoners of all time, courtesy of holding the official world record, and winning Olympic gold to go along with a string of international race victories.
So how did Kipchoge go about making history in Vienna? And is there hope for the recreational athlete or part-time jogger looking to slash minutes or merely seconds when they next hit the road?
He had Olympic champions running in front of him
Among the reasons the IAAF did not ratify Kipchoge's time of one hour, 59 minutes and 40.2 seconds as an official world record was his use of in and out pacemakers.
Almost every attempt at a world record on the road or track relies on the presence of pacemakers, however Saturday's event saw a staggering 41 employed on a rotating basis.
Seven pacemakers surrounded Kipchoge in a V formation for 4.8-kilometre stints, a system devised to not only maintain the required pace at around 2:48 to 2:52 each kilometre, but to also protect him from the impact of wind on what was described as a "pancake flat" course.
The pacemakers were no slouches either, nor were they all marathon specialists.
Among the handpicked 41 were reigning Olympic 1,500m champion Matthew Centrowitz, two-time world championships gold medallist Bernard Lagat, while the Australian contingent included Stewart McSweyn, Brett Robinson and Patrick Tiernan, all national representatives on the track.
He had laser beams guiding the way
Assisting the pacemakers was the visible green laser display that was projected from the electric pace car positioned ahead of Kipchoge and his runners.
The laser beams were used to identify the ideal position on the road for Kipchoge to follow and reportedly programmed to assist him to complete the course in a time of 1:59.50, a mark he ultimately dipped under.
The pace car disappeared with a kilometre to go, as Kipchoge was given his moment in the spotlight.
He had mates on bikes hand-delivering drinks
Pacemakers and a pace car were not the only assistance given to Kipchoge on the road, as he also benefited from his support team — on bicycles — periodically fuelling him with drinks.
This saved him time, as he did not have to slow down to access a water bottle from a designated drinks station, as occurs in mass-participation marathons.
He had specially designed shoes
The aspect of Kipchoge's attempt to run a marathon under two hours that perhaps attracted more attention in the lead-up was the running shoes he wore when he hit the streets of Vienna.
Nike, who sponsor Kipchoge and manufacture the shoes he wears, have previously claimed the bespoke model worn by their star athlete can improve performance by 4 per cent.
In true Nike fashion, the unveiling of the shoes in the build-up to the Vienna event almost attracted as much media exposure as Kipchoge's sub two-hour marathon attempt itself.
Shoe technology is always evolving in professional athletics, and there is no doubt advancements made have assisted in some way with the breaking of world records on the track, in the field and on the road.
But if Kipchoge was asked whether his shoes were responsible for his stunning display in Vienna — or his official marathon world record of 2:01.39 set in Berlin last year — it is likely he will answer in the same way as he has done previously.
"The improvement is happening in the mind," he said in 2018.
But Kipchoge's right — it's all in the mind
The fun runners, weekend joggers and recreational athletes among us can draw much inspiration from what Kipchoge said last year, as well as his comments after he crossed the finish line in Vienna.
"I want to inspire many people, that no human is limited," an ecstatic Kipchoge said just moments after earning himself a slice history.
Not only did Kipchoge break through the two-hour barrier for the marathon but he cleared the significant psychological hurdle that suggested such a feat could not be achieved, in much the same way as Roger Bannister proved when he ran the first sub four-minute mile in 1954.
Running under four minutes for the mile was believed to be impossible and an article in Melbourne's The Age newspaper in the wake of Bannister's historic moment reflected on this sentiment.
"These athletes are like pioneers in many fields of human endeavor," read the article published in 1954.
"The critics once told Marconi his radio signals could not span the globe. Others told the Wright brothers they could not fly. But Marconi and the Wright brothers achieved their ambition.
"Roger Bannister … was like these pioneers."
Kipchoge gave a nod to Bannister in his post-race comments broadcast live around the world, as he highlighted to millions of viewers that self-belief was the most important ingredient of his astonishing effort.
Topics: sport, athletics, austria, australia
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