Kipchoge had a trained nutrition bottle-passer, a human interest story in the NYTimes said. Eliud drinks every two miles. A German friend is there and knows how to pass him a bottle without slowing down. The helper bikes the next two miles and passes again. They have been working together for five years.

Alternatively an elite runner can leave a distinctly marked bottle at any mile table. But perhaps lose a few seconds fetching it.