On Sunday, September 24th, Eliud Kipchoge clinched his fifth Berlin Marathon triumph, while Tigist Assefa shattered the women's world record by over two minutes.
Competing in his initial race since securing a sixth-place finish at the Boston Marathon in April, the 38-year-old double Olympic champion, Kipchoge, crossed the finish line unaccompanied, clocking an impressive time of 2:02:42
Within the initial three kilometers of the race, Kipchoge, Derseh Kindie, and three pacemakers quickly established a significant lead over the rest of the competitors, while last year's London Marathon victor, Amos Kipruto, found himself in the second group.
At the 10-kilometer mark, the frontrunners had already built a 16-second advantage over the world record pace. This lead extended to as much as 23 seconds by the time they reached the 16-kilometer mark, although it narrowed to 13 seconds as they hit the halfway point in a time of 1:00:22.
At the 26-kilometer mark, Kipchoge emerged from his almost meditative state to converse with the lone remaining pacemaker, Hillary Chepkwony, as they fell behind the world record pace