Who completed the first sub-two-hour marathon in the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge?

Eliud Kipchoge completed the first sub-two-hour marathon in the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge.

Kipchoge ran 42.195 kilometres in 1:59:40.2 on October 12, 2019, in Vienna, Austria. He was assisted by a rotating group of pacemakers and a laser pacing system, while a support car helped maintain the target speed.

The performance was a landmark in endurance sport, but it was not accepted as an official world record. World Athletics rules require record attempts to meet specific conditions concerning competition, pacing, and assistance. The event was designed as a controlled attempt rather than a standard open marathon.

Kipchoge had already won Olympic gold at Rio 2016 and held the official men’s world record at the time. His achievement nevertheless demonstrated that a human could cover the marathon distance in under two hours under carefully optimized conditions.