Eliud Kipchoge became the first person to run a marathon under two hours in a controlled 2019 exhibition.
Kipchoge completed the 42.195-kilometer distance in 1:59:40.2 at Vienna’s Prater park on October 12, 2019. The attempt used rotating pacemakers, a pace car, and carefully planned conditions, allowing him to maintain an unusually consistent pace.
Because the event was designed specifically as a record attempt and did not meet standard competition rules, World Athletics did not recognize the time as an official world record. Kipchoge’s official record-setting performances came in eligible races, including his 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.
The achievement was still a landmark in human endurance. Kipchoge’s average pace was about 2:50 per kilometer, or roughly 4:34 per mile. The project’s name, INEOS 1:59 Challenge, reflects the goal of breaking the two-hour barrier.