Well, it is hunting season

I know for myself I'm always thinking "Ehhhhh 2 seconds a mile for this half is all I need to do for my goal time? That's easy!" Even though I know it's not haha I agree, it can be easy to get that idea into your head and I doubt professionals are immune to it.

I have high hopes that Tola will become a star marathoner, although I am doubtful we will see a marathoner of Kipchoge's caliber for a while. Jakob Ingebritsen, a phenomenal 1500m and 5k runner has expressed interest in future marathoning, but I imagine he has a lot still to achieve on the track before making the move.

2.6 seconds a mile is A LOT during this distance, even during a half and arguably a 10k, specifically at this level of competition. Quantitatively it is small, but in the sense of athletics that's a huge jump.

I believe he's been vocal about retiring from true competition after the 2024 olympics with a possible last attempt for a record Berlin 2025. I forget when this was, but I recall it's been discussed.

I think to better visualize it yet, it is important to add a cutoff time to include just the exceptional recreational runners and professional/semi-pro to see how substantially faster Kipchoge is compared to the field.

A cutoff around 2:45 would be sufficient. There are only THREE times an athlete has ran under 2:02 in marathon history on record eligible courses, two of which are Kipchoge.

There have been FIVE sub 2:02 races ran at the marathon distance including non-eligible courses, FOUR of which are Kipchoge.

He is a phenomenal athlete and I can't wait to see him crush the only.pic field for the third time in 2024.