Who was the first runner to record an official marathon time under 2 hours 2 minutes?

Eliud Kipchoge was the first runner to record an official marathon time under 2 hours 2 minutes.

He ran 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon, lowering the men’s world record by 78 seconds. The performance made him the first athlete to break 2:02 in a race recognized under standard competition conditions.

Kipchoge’s time was achieved on Berlin’s fast, flat course, which has hosted many men’s world records. His result followed Dennis Kimetto’s 2:02:57 in Berlin in 2014 and represented a major advance in marathon performance.

Kipchoge also ran 1:59:40 in the 2019 INEOS 1:59 Challenge, but that exhibition was not eligible as an official world record because it used rotating pacemakers, a support vehicle, and other special conditions.