Maybe it was always like that, but it was never so obvious: athletics, or a derivation of it, by and for the sale of shoes. The most legendary fondista, Eliud Kipchoge , broke the most legendary barrier, the two hours, in the most legendary distance, the marathon, and the only thing that will remain is an exaggerated increase in the revenues of the brand that organized everything, Nike. It was a wonderful 'unboxing', the ad of all time, a beautiful 'showroom', but nothing more.
His time (1:59:40) will not only be a record outside the world records of the International Athletics Federation (IAAF) but also because of the nature of the challenge it will even be an act of faith: no official body certified to run exactly 42 kilometers and 195 meters inside the Prater park in Vienna. The organizers of the project published the data of their own measurement, but no one outside could corroborate it. Nor did it matter: the important thing was to show the latest Nike model, the Vaporfly Next%, the rest was secondary.
With half a million viewers following it on YouTube and many more through several television channels around the world (in Spain, by Teledeporte), Kipchoge kept a steady pace throughout the -support- marathon. Every kilometer, two minutes and 50 seconds, at most two seconds slower, at most two seconds slower. Aided by a car and 41 hares in turn that set the pace and stopped the wind, the current Olympic champion and world record holder of the distance did not faint at any time.
Unlike. In fact, until kilometer 35 he didn't even open his mouth, from 40 he started to smile and in the end he even allowed himself to cheer the audience present. While two years ago, in the previous experiment of Nike, organized then in the circuit of Monza, Kipchoge lowered the pace at the end and stayed at 26 seconds of its challenge, this time it remained constant in the last kilometers and, moreover, He completed the final meters in a hurry.
Upon reaching the finish line, the marathoner hugged his coach, Patrick Sang , was boosted by the runners who had acted as a hare, got a Kenyan flag and even scored a couple of sprints to celebrate with the fans who had met in the goal. His wife, Grace Sugutt , and their three children watched the joy of Kipchoge from afar waiting for everyone to finish congratulating him in order to approach him.
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