The current marathon record is a speedy 02:02:57, run by Kenyan Dennis Kimetto at the Berlin marathon in 2014.
But that isn’t good enough for Nike. Its ambition for 2017 is to break the two-hour barrier in a project called Breaking2. Funds shouldn’t be a problem as Nike made $32 billion in 2015.
In order to make the attempt, Nike has put together a fantastic team of distance runners. They are Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge, the recent Olympic marathon gold medallist, Zersenay Tadese from Eritrea, the current half-marathon record holder, and Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia who has won the Boston Marathon twice.
They will be training in Oregon and although details are being kept closely guarded we understand that the athletes will run a marathon on a closed course – and of course they will be kitted out with the highest tech runwear.
Nike says, “To run the perfect race, the athletes require the most innovative product. This is a critical pillar of the Breaking2 attempt, and where Nike is able to deliver unrivalled performance benefits. After years of extensive research and development, Breaking2 will debut a system of ground-breaking innovation that has the potential to elevate every runner.”…….. intriguing!
Breaking the record by nearly three minutes seems like an almost impossible feat. However, to quote the late, great Muhamad Ali, “Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”
Good luck to the athletes and the Nike team.
