Eliud Kipchoge made history Saturday morning, running a marathon in under two hours and becoming the first person in history to do so.
The Kenyan national completed the feat at a special event set up for his attempt to break the two-hour mark in Vienna, Austria. He ended up completing the 26.2 mile course with an unofficial 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds time.
"It has taken 65 years for a human being to make history in sport after Roger Bannister,” Kipchoge told NBC Sports. Bannister is the British man who was the first person to run a 4 minutes mile in 1954. "I can tell people that no human is limited. I expect more people all over the world to run under two hours after today."
The event was held at the Prater, a park in Vienna that had fans of the running lining up around the six-mile circuit course.
Kipchoge posted several photos after he reached the finish line in record time to Twitter, celebrating his accomplishment.
"Today we went to the Moon and came back to earth! I am at a loss for words for all the support I have received from all over the world," Kipchoge wrote on Twitter. "Thank you to all who gave me the opportunity. Asante."
This is the second time Kipchoge has attempted to run a marathon in under two hours. However, Saturday's event will not count as an official world record for Kipchoge because the 34-year-old was helped by a pack of pacer who kept him on track. He was also assisted with special Nike shoes and a lead pace car that used laser beams to project the ideal place for him to run.
The Olympic champion was already competing against himself. He set the official world record pace for a marathon at the Berlin Marathon in 2018, running the course in 2 hours, 1 minute, 39 seconds, a record that will stand for now.
Photo: Getty Images