Humans are Getting Faster and it’s a Catch 22
“Athletics is not so much about the legs. It is about the heart and the mind.”
1:59:30
When I checked my social media on Sunday morning, these numbers were plastered all over all of my news feeds. Kenyan runner Sabastian Sawe had set a new world record at the London Marathon—the first time any runner had broken the two-hour barrier since Eliod Kipchoge did six years earlier, in 2019. Kipchoge’s race did not count as an official record because his race did not follow World Athletics regulations, but since Sawe ran his on an official marathon course, his did.
Following Sawe’s historic win and blazingly fast marathon time, Kipchoge took to Instagram to congratulate his successor, writing, “today is a historical day for marathon running! Seeing two athletes break the magical 2-hour barrier at London Marathon is the proof that we are just at the beginning of what is possible when talent, progress and an unwavering belief in the human potential come together.”
And that wasn’t it for the incredible wins in London this past weekend. In addition to Sawe’s new world record, the second place finisher, Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia also broke the two hour barrier, finishing just eleven seconds after Sawe, and Tigst Assefa won the women’s race, breaking her own world record in 2:15:41.
Following the historic run this past Sunday, the running world exploded. Headlines proclaimed this the era of the “super human” speed, and the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro Evo 3—the shoes Sawe wore on the course, will retail for $500 when they are available to the masses later this year. My DMs blew up with people sending me posts and memes about Sawe’s incredible finish time, and even my dad and aunt—who are usually not super in tune with professional runners and marathon records—texted me asking if I had heard about the new world record (obviously, I had).
So what does this mean for running. Is it exciting?
Of course it is. In fact, it is so impressive and speedy that it almost is beyond comprehension. I’ll never forget where I was when the first two-hour marathon barrier was broken. I was in Chicago for the marathon, and Kipchoge’s successful attempt in Vienna ended up falling on the Saturday night before the race. I remember my wife and I were both running that year, and tracking Kipchoge and watching his race—and waking up to the results—was such a great vibe for our own marathon. I remember walking to the start line and the crowds were abuzz talking about how insanely fast Kipchoge had to run to break two hours. For those who haven’t done the math—Kipchoge ran an average pace of 4:34 per mile, which equals 13mph (aka, a 13 speed on a treadmill). I remember explaining that to my friends and clients who were not distance runners and it just absolutely blew everyone’s mind. What Kipchoge had done for running was incredible; not only had he run a time that was previously thought impossible, but he had the gen pop talking about marathon running. Running was hip, and cool, and trending… and distance runners were finally having their moment in the mainstream.
However, following Kipchoge’s successful run, years went by before Sawe’s world record—six years, to be exact.
In 2023, Kelvin Kiptum came close to breaking two hours on an official course at the Chicago Marathon, running a 2:00:35—but until London this year, he was the world record holder. And now, with not one, but two runners breaking two hours, the world is once again abuzz with how fast humans have gotten, and whether or not limits do exist. So yes, this is exciting. Marathoning is once again in the mainstream news, and everyone is talking about the new world record - even people who know literally nothing about the sport. And how can you not be impressed? Sawe ran a blistering 4:33 mile pace—for 26.2 miles—and accelerated to 4:17 pace the last 5K. This is a 13.2 on a treadmill. And the negative splits? Unbelievable. Most normal human beings (myself included) wouldn’t be able to hold this pace for thirty seconds, let alone for a full marathon. And obviously, as a marathon runner and coach, I love when anything running (positive, that is) makes it into the news and into everyday conversations.
However, as exciting as this is, I also see this as a huge problem for running. Not necessarily the ‘professional athlete doing incredible things’ aspect of it, but the entire approach to speed in running. As a coach who is constantly telling her athletes to enjoy the journey of the run, and to focus on the joy of the sport, no matte rehab the time on the finish line says, the newly re-ignited fascination with speed and record-breaking in distance running seems to be going against everything I try to instill in my athletes.
While none of the clients I am training or see on a daily basis are training to break two hours in the marathon, they are working toward big goals; many of them want to try to qualify for Boston. Many want to break their own personal records. And the majority? They just want to run happy, healthy, and be able to say they ran 26.2 miles (or 13.1 miles… or 3.1 miles… or one mile) without stopping. However, when a human runs a full marathon in a time that would be very fast for the average human to run a half marathon in, it becomes hard not to question one’s ability, relative to athletes who are the top of the sport. As someone who just ran the Boston Marathon in just over four hours, there were some moments of discouragement when I learned that Sawe had run the full marathon faster than my splits at the half on Marathon Monday. And on a more relatable scale, this coupled with all the running/fitness influencers polluting my feed, taking selfies at every mile and normalizing unattainable speeds, unconventional training methods… it all really has me scratching my head. How can running be about finding joy in the progress and celebrating the small wins, not the splits on Strava or finish line clocks, when it seems that all anyone is talking about or seems to care about is time?
For instance, on a similar thread, Nike has recently been the focus of negative press based on a window sign they put in the big flagship store in Boston on Newbury Street (near the marathon finish line) on Boston Marathon weekend. The sign read “Runners Welcome. Walkers Tolerated.” For very good reason, this sign was met with immediate backlash, and Nike removed the sign within hours of installing it.
This was absolutely horrifying—and a terrible lack of judgement on Nike’s marketing team. On what planet would you villainize walking, especially for a marathon with a huge contingency of charity runners, many of whom don’t run the course for time at all? In fact, many sub-elite and qualifying runners stop to walk at different times on the course. Hell, literally the only marathon in my 48-marathon (soon to be 49 at the time this blog is published) that I didn’t stop to walk at one point or another was in Chicago in 2016. That’s a lot of walking. What is wrong with walking? And why would a major company make walkers feel as though they don’t have a place in the running community? Shame on you Nike. You are making running unwelcoming and not fun!
My very first question I ask my runners is, even before I ask about their time (or my response to them when they tell me their time), is “but did you have fun?” Because as someone who has obsessed about times, I can assure you that the majority of runners who are only focused on speed are not having fun, because let’s be really real here… running is not fun! It’s tedious, it’s time consuming, it’s hard, and most times, it’s downright boring. So when you add in comparison and self doubt about not being a “real runner” because you don’t think you’re fast enough? You might as well hang up the running shoes immediately, because there is absolutely no fun in that.
So yes, being in awe of and being inspired by the marathon greats? Excellent. I love that everyone is so invested in the speedy aspect of the sport. But let’s not make that what defines distance running. I can name literally thousands of other things, in my opinion, that are more impressive than a professional athlete running at superhuman speeds. To name a few? I’m impressed by the double amputee who passed me running Boston last Monday with a huge smile on his face. I am impressed by a friend I coached to run their first Boston Marathon, fundraising for cancer research and juggling training with three boys and all their commitments and a full time job. I am impressed by the client who finally was able to hit double digits on a sprint in my Barry’s class for the first time. I am impressed by the client who always ran through injury who finally listened to her body and withdrew from a big race to give herself time to heal. I am impressed by the person working to run one mile without stopping. I am impressed by the person who went into a big race on a perfect training cycle who imploded on race day, and even though the A Goal went out the window, still had the courage to finish. And most importantly, I am impressed by every runner who just has the courage to try.
I saw a quote the other day that read, “congrats on your failure, most people don’t even start.” And that is it. That’s what it’s all about, my friends. It’s not about comparing yourself to other runners who only show the highlight reels of their races and training. It’s not about comparing your times not to the times you ran years ago. And it’s definitely not about comparing yourself to elite athletes. Is this “era of speed” fun and exciting for running? Yes. Is it the future of running? Absolutely not. This sport is really about setting goals for yourself and just celebrating the act of showing up. At the end of the day, the only person you really are running for is you. So celebrate that—and all the milestones you’re crushing along the way.
Xo