The sacrifice of Kelvin Kiptum, the Kenyan athlete who aims for the impossible: running a marathon in less than 2 hours

It may be due to the influence of “super-sneakers”, for the general advancement of everything concerning the technical equipment of athletes or for the change in preparation and nutrition, but there is a concrete reality and it is that Marathon records – and all long-distance races – are on their way to a new dimension.

The clearest example occurred during the last edition of the Berlin Marathon, held in September, when the Ethiopian Tigst Assefa (2h11m53) and the Dutch Sifan Hassan (2h13m44) in the same competition they broke the world record which until then belonged to the Kenyan Brigida Kosgei (2h14m04).

The difference of more than two minutes between Assefa’s score and Kosgei’s is hard to believe if you analyze the evolution of records in this discipline. And if we are talking about businesses, among men the Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum he broke the record of his compatriot and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge for exactly 34 seconds: 2h0m35 versus 2h01m09. Another madness of historic proportions.

Kiptum, however, is not satisfied with that fantastic record, obtained at the age of 23 in Chicago. Now, at midnight on December 2nd, the new star of athletics aims to cover 42,195 meters in less than two hours, what some time ago seemed unattainable for any human being. But he proposes it and has already chosen the scenario: Rotterdam.

“The route is ideal and the crowds in the streets push you to do your best. I would love to be part of the rich history of this marathon. If the preparation goes well and the weather conditions allow it, I will try“Kiptum said La Gazzetta dello Sport.

To do this you will have to push yourself hard in the preceding months, even more than in the race itself, which will take place on Sunday 14 April in the Netherlands. According to what was stated in the same interview, he will run up to 270 kilometers per week and will see his family in dribs and drabs as he trains to a high standard at a camp in his native Chepkorio.

“It’s a conscious choice made with my wife to focus 100% on my goals”said the 24-year-old, who will also be the protagonist of one of the most anticipated events of the Olympic Games when he will fight for gold with Eliud Kipchoge in what is already an athletics classic.

He grew up admiring Kipchoge, a historical figure who at 39 begins to say goodbye to high performance, but he has surpassed him and now he is the great one. Everything in his career happens at high speed. He was the fastest debutant in a marathon in Valencia 2022 (2h01m53), then was one step away from the world record in London 2023 (2h01m25) and ended up overtaking his idol in Chicago.

Among his goals is the gold medal Paris 2024 and mentions the Tokyo 2025 World Cup as another date marked on his calendar, but first he will compete against himself and history in Rotterdam. “I would like to continue to grow and thus, inevitably, break the barrier (of two hours),” he said

“I didn’t train in the ideal way. “I missed several weeks due to the rainy season and also suffered a groin injury,” he said while speaking to the press before the Chicago race, where he had set the world record. Therefore, now that he will have adequate training to suit his needs, he is thrilled and thrilled at the prospect of writing a new golden page in his still short career.

Kelvin Kiptum, star of the present and future: his journey to the top

Kelvin Kiptum is one of many Kenyans with natural physical conditions for the race, but his case is special; He is not one more. He knew how to make the most of those qualities and today, even though he is only 24 years old, is generating a revolution in the world of athletics that goes far beyond its birthplace.

Trained in cross-country and road racing, he appeared in international events at just 20 years old, when he ran four half marathons, the best of which was in Belfort, France, with a time of 59 minutes and 53 seconds. Then, after a year without races due to the pandemic, at the end of 2020 he ran the best time of his life (58m42) in Valencia, where he achieved sixth place. He insisted on that distance in 2021 and a new victory arrived, in Lens with 59m35.

In the prime of his youth and without much experience, but with credentials that led him to compete in the elite, in 2022 he decided to “attack” the marathon directly. What I said: again in Valencia he managed to become the fastest rookie in history, proving it Age is just a number when talent is abundant.