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The world marathon record holder celebrated the British billionaire and his firm for helping him make history in Vienna four years ago
World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge has paid tribute to British billionaire and his company INEOS which was behind his INEOS 1:59 Challenge that saw him become the first man to run the 42km race under two hours.
Kipchoge etched his name in history when he recorded a time of 1:59:40 in Vienna, Austria in 2019, becoming the first person in recorded history to break the two-hour barrier over a marathon distance.
The two-time Olympic champion was backed by sophisticated technology that went into his preparations all thanks to Ratciffe’s INEOS, a global chemical company, and while the firm was marking a great milestone on Friday, Kipchoge did not forget that huge act of generosity.
“I would like to say happy 25th birthday to Jim and the whole INEOS company,” Kipchoge said. “INEOS gave me an important chance to try to beat the two-hour barrier in marathon, which we did on 12 October 2019 in Vienna. Let’s keep pushing our boundaries together for many more years.”
For the INEOS Challenge, Kipchoge was joined by 41 one pacemakers, who rotated twice each lap and ran in a V-formation, rather than the diamond formation to shield him from the wind.
Kipchoge was placed at the bottom of the formation with two pacemakers running behind him. Each lap of the course featured two 4.3km out-and-back stretches of Hauptallee with the turning points coming at the Lusthaus and Praterstern roundabouts at either end of the avenue, in the Praterpark.
The effort did not count as a new world record under World Athletics rules due to the setup of the challenge.
Specifically, it was not an open event and Kipchoge was handed fluids by his support team throughout. The run featured a pace car and included rotating teams of other runners pacing Kipchoge in a formation designed to reduce wind resistance and maximise efficiency.
The achievement was, however, recognised by Guinness World Records with the titles 'Fastest marathon distance (male)' and 'First marathon distance run under two hours' and it is where he coined the now famous ‘No Human is Limited’ mantra.
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