Cardoos explains it's an equation that measures the amounts of blood pumped through the body, times the amount of oxygen extracted by the tissue. That's measured by what's called VO2 max.

He says that elite marathoners simply have a bigger engine than others. MARK CARROLL: The day where we see, you know, a two-hour marathon in a world marathon major is probably not too far away.īUSTILLOS: Nathan Cardoos is the medical director at the Ryan Center for Sports Medicine at Boston University. He believes a sub-two-hour marathon in a race can happen soon. Mark Carroll is the head coach of the Boston Athletic Association's High Performance Team. But it did give the first glimpse into humans being able to break running's next big barrier.

UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: Eliud Kipchoge storms into the history books in Vienna - 1:59:40 the unofficial time - the first man to run a marathon in under two hours.īUSTILLOS: The result was not an official record because it was in a controlled setting with special support runners and equipment to pace him. In 2019, he ran a marathon in under two hours at a special event in Vienna, Austria. But my plan is I am to see myself winning.īUSTILLOS: For all of Kipchoge's accomplishments, there's one that stands out as the most extraordinary. For Boston, he's not sure what he'll be able to do.ĮLIUD KIPCHOGE: My plan is not really to run a course record or anything else. He ran the fastest competitive marathon ever, a record two hours, one minute and nine seconds in Berlin last year. But first-time Boston marathoner Eliud Kipchoge has an idea.

Let's get as loud as you can get.ĮSTEBAN BUSTILLOS, BYLINE: No one knows for certain how fast a human can run a marathon. UNIDENTIFIED ANNOUNCER: Ladies and gentlemen, here he comes. But how quickly can a person run 26.2 miles? Esteban Bustillos from member station GBH in Boston has this report. Many of them are out to set a personal best record or maybe break the course record. Some of the best marathoners in the world will be in Boston next week for one of the city's most beloved traditions.

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