Record-breaking Six Days

Talk about a monumental week in marathons.

This past Monday, at the Boston Marathon, was an enormous course record-breaking performance by John Korir, finishing the course in a blazing fast 2:01:52. How the heck he could possibly have pulled off such a feat, smashing the prior record by more than 1 minute, is anyone's guess -- damn! And if he's capable of doing that time on THAT course (and doing it in a negative split, no less), he's sure to be able to break 2 hours on a flat course. And everyone was wondering if/when he would finally be the first one to do it.

Well, what's all the more amazing is that he won't be the first or even the second one to do it.

Just six days later, at the London Marathon, TWO men finished in earth-shattering time. First up was Sebastian Sawe, who finished in 1:59:30. Not only crushing the previous official world record set by Kelvin Kiptum only months before his untimely death a couple of years ago, but ALSO beating Eliud Kipchoge's special INEOS 1:59 event time -- where he had a specially designed event optimizing absolutely everything that can be controlled -- perfect flat course, perpetually fresh contingent of pacers forming a wind break in front of him, laser-guided course knowing the exact area that he must run inside of (no chance of going unduly wide of the tangent line), etc. No, Sebastian Sawe did it in London during normal racing conditions! (And he was fortunate for the temps to be nearly ideal, ranging about 52 - 55F during his time on the course.)

Only 11 seconds later, in 1:59:41, came Yomif Kejelcha. While he will be remembered in the print results of world record times for a while, this miraculous DEBUT marathon likely will be overlooked in conversations because, despite the fact that he broke the "impossible" two hour barrier, he did so in SECOND place. Absolutely amazing.

Heck, even the runner in third place broke the previous 2:00:35 record. Jacob Kipling, while not cracking 2 hours, came in a tantalizingly close 2:00:28. Dang! Top three all beating the previous world record.

What is the physical limit? I don't think anyone will be able to answer that question, now.

And, yes, Tigst Asefa broke the women's-only marathon world record in an amazing time of 2:15:41.

The records just keep on tumbling down. Truly amazing.