Historic record: Kipchoge runs marathon in 1: 59.40 hours

In Vienna, the Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge has managed a marathon in 1: 59.40 hours. The 34-year-old is the first person to need less than two hours for the 42.195 kilometers. However, the race is not officially evaluated because it took place under laboratory conditions.

In his first attempt two years ago, Kipchoge had missed just 26 seconds. This time, a 9.6-kilometer circuit in the Vienna Prater had been re-paved. In addition, Kipchoge 41 world-class runners were on hand, including the Ingebrigtsen brothers.

Because the pacemakers were replaced regularly, the marathon world record holder and Olympic champion of 2016 could run continuously in the slipstream. In addition, Kipchoge was not dependent on mandatory meals, as is the case in official competitions of the World Athletics Federation IAAF. "This has then not much to do with the classic marathon competition," the German marathon runner Philipp Pflieger had previously said in the SPIEGEL interview.

The costs were borne by the British chemical company Ineos, who has been working in professional sports for some time. In football, the Group took over the French first division club OGC Nice this year and in cycling the Team Sky. Environmentalists have repeatedly criticized Ineos, partly because the company supports fracking, a controversial method of oil and gas extraction.