On April 26, a group of African runners—Sebastian Sawe, Yomif Kejelcha, and Jacob Kiplimo—ran historic times of 1:59:30, 1:59:41, and 2:00:28, respectively in the London Marathon, smashing Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 previous world record time. This marks a historic moment in athletics, symbolizing the advances in technology, super shoes, and training strategies.
Sawe’s time demolished the previous world record by 65 seconds, which is a considerable jump. The Kenyan reported to the Associated Press, “What comes today is not for me alone,” Sawe said, “but for all of us today in London.” All three men broke the previous record with a sheer show of talent. Even the third-place finisher, Jacop Kiplimo, broke the previous record by 7 seconds. According to Total Running Productions on YouTube, “If you would have told me that Kiplimo was set to run a time of 2 hours and 28 seconds, I would have guessed he was set to win this race by more than a minute” however, that time is only good enough for third.
Over the last 10 years, the elite field of the marathon running has been nothing short of astonishing. However, the true validity of the foot is being placed in a boat of controversy. Over the past 10 years, athletes’ times have dropped progressively, while their shoes have been simultaneously developing at a rapid pace. The shoes that the newer generation athletes are using are one of the most advanced products manufactured for the feet, called supershoes. The previous world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum broke the record while wearing the most advanced superheroes on the planet, the Nike Alphafly 3, claiming that it made runners more than 4% faster. Fast forward, 3 years later, new shoes continue to be manufactured with more advancements than ever before. As a prime example, Adidas managed to create the shoe that allowed both Sawe and Kejelcha to break the 2-hour barrier in a legal competition. These shoes, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3, have reportedly taken 3 years of advanced research and development, according to the Adidas website. These shoes were filled with max cushioning, light materials, and an extraordinarily springy carbon-fiber plate..
Many critics argued that Sawe’s record should not have been counted due to technological doping. Technological doping means that Sawe wasn’t able to run the record due to his actual physical skill. Instead, it was the use of supershoes and the technologies that come with them that he was able to shatter the record in the manner that he did.
Despite what the critics are claiming, what Sebastian Sabe, Yomif Kejelcha, and Jacob Kiplimo did this weekend is nothing short of amazing. Their feet proved to the world that anyone can achieve anything. These athletes proved that with the right mindset, the right training, and the right goals, one could do anything that they set their mind towards. The world record being broken is an example of how capable humans really are, as well as a remarkable athletic achievement for these athletes.
