Last week I had mentioned that it is just a matter of time before a runner breaks the two-hour mark in a marathon. This week it happened at the London Marathon. Sabastian Sawe from Kenya ran a time of 1:59:30 to run the fastest marathon ever. Close behind him in second place was Tigat Assefa from Ethiopia with a time of 1:59:41.
It is hard to imagine averaging a 4:30 per mile pace for 26.2 miles. Running a 4:30 mile is a great time in itself but to do it for a marathon distance is truly amazing. The London Marathon set another record with a record number of finishers at 59,830 runners. This beats the New York Marathon of 59,286 runners.
Having that many runners enter a marathon is almost as unbelievable as a 4:30 mile pace. An interesting note is 5 of the 10 fastest marathons run are in the London Marathon.
I still recall the time when Roger Bannister first broke the four minute mile and it was considered a fantastic feat of endurance. Now the two-hour mark which has stood for all these years is broken. I am not sure if there will be that many runners breaking that time the way runners have broken Bannister’s four-minute mile time. It seems once a record fastest time has been broken, runners know that it can be done and they no longer see it as an impossible task.
I started to think about how the human body can adjust to demands and reach limits never thought possible. My first thoughts of running a marathon was one of those “it will never happen” kind of thing. Then 16 marathons later it wasn’t that hard after all. My first few years of running an eight minute per mile was a major accomplishment. Years later the time was closer to a six minute mile. Now I watch local 5K and 10K races and children under 12 years are running fast times.
And records for runners at 80-90+ years running marathons or sprinting 100 meters in a Master’s Track Meet the changes in meeting new challenges are now common occurrences. Every runner that starts a running program and looks back at the beginning distances and time and compares it to what they can do now is a perfect demonstration of the body adapting to stress.
This is true with strength contests as well. Back when Paul Anersonl at a super heavyweight lifted 400 pounds over his head, it was considered the ultimate record. Now lifters in the middle weight class are now lifting close to that weight.
One of the fastest growing sports in high school is powerlifting and competition is for both boys and girls. I remember entering a meet and watching a girl that probably weighed 98 pounds squat with over 200 pounds. The weight looked like it would crush her but she lifted it and was ready for more weight. Limits are meant to be broken.
When you talk about world records such as running under two hours it should not be confused with personal records or improvement. In David Epstein’s book, “The Sports Gene” he writes about how there are some individuals that have the genes to reach these ultimate goals if they choose to work hard to reach them. Researchers have developed tests to determine an individual’s potential.
One example is the VO2 Max test on a treadmill. With a tube collecting your air as you run, a machine analyzes the CO2 level and can predict your potential for running. My test results showed I had a potential of running a three hour marathon. I made it to 3:03 so for me that was pretty close to reaching my potential.
Another key factor that Epstein mentioned is that many of the world class runners from Africa started running at a young age and was a factor in their ability to reach high levels of performance. Reach for your personal best ability.
