‘No human is limited,’ says marathon champion

He had run a marathon in less than two hours. Eliud Kipchoge chewed up the 26.2 mile course in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in 1 hour 59 minutes and 40 seconds.

And he looked as if he had barely broken a sweat.

Inspired by Sir Roger Bannister, who broke the four-minute mile on a cinder track in Oxford in 1954, he said: “It took me another 65 years [...] but I’ve done it!”

For most of history, the “sub-two” marathon existed only as science fiction.

To achieve the goal on Saturday required a massive investment from sponsors.

First, a laser-guided route to maintain the perfect pace around a spectator-lined course chosen in Vienna’s Prater Park for its favourable gradients.

Second, a troop of 41 world-class pacesetters, rotating in groups and in the perfect wind-reducing formation.

Third, a start time carefully chosen and in conditions judged most favourable by weather experts.

Fourth, energy gels handed to Kipchoge from a bike to avoid any need to break his stride.

Plus, a specially designed pair of Nike shoes believed to be able to provide a 4% improvement for runners.

So, was the record tainted by technology?

The appliance of science

Yes, it was. This was a massive team effort funded by a billionaire. The time will not be an official world record because the world governing body does not recognise performances with help from pacemakers and drinks being handed over by a man on a bicycle.

Not at all, say most experts. This does not detract from a physical feat that will be remembered forever by everyone who witnessed it. Kipchoge has not faced doping allegations, nor is there any suggestion of foul play in Saturday’s run. The conquest of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay was made in 1953 using supplementary oxygen. Yet nobody denies it was a triumph.