Choosing the big milestones on the way to the record milestone.
1967: First big jump under 2:10
Derek Clayton shocked the sport by running 2:09:36 in Fukuoka, smashing previous expectations and shaving nearly two and a half minutes off the previous world record. It was one of the first signs that huge hurdles in the marathon can come down dramatically, not just gradually.
1998-2003. Professionalization speeds up times
Scores from Ronaldo da Costa, Khalid Khanushi and Paul Tergat brought the record down to 2:04:55. Prize money, pace and course design began to play a much bigger role.
2007-2008. Gebrselassie redefines opportunity
Despite early attempts at the London Marathon, Haile Gebrselassi broke the world record twice in Berlin, dipping under 2:04 for the first time. His dominance made people seriously question whether 2:00 a.m. might one day be available.
2011-2014. Berlin conveyor belt
Patrick Macau, Wilson Kipsang and Dennis Kimetto extended the streak of German road records to 2:02:57. Progress was steady, but sub-two still seemed a long way off.
2014: Sub-2hr Project
University of Brighton sports scientist Yiannis Pitsiladis led the team responsible for bringing the runners closer to the two-hour barrier. A team of experts in genetics, nutrition, biomechanics and physiology came together to figure out how to shave more time off the marathon record.
2016: Nike releases the moon shot
Nike publicly announced the Breaking2 project, with the goal of running a marathon in under two hours. It marked a shift from organic progression to a deliberately designed experience of history.
2017: Breaking2 at Monza
At the Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Eliud Kipchoge ran a time-controlled 2:00:25. Although not a record holder, it proved that the ban was no longer theoretical. If he had run just one second faster per mile, the Kenyan would have dropped under two hours.
2018: Kipchoge’s Berlin Masterclass
Eliud Kipchoge’s official world record of 2:01:39 in Berlin was widely regarded as the greatest legal marathon ever run. It brought the sport within two hours of hitting distance in race conditions.
2019: INEOS 1:59 Challenge
At Vienna’s Hauptallee, Kipchoge ran 1:59:41 to become the first person to run a marathon under two hours. With spinning speedometers, super Nike shoes, flat, smooth roads and perfect weather conditions, the psychological barrier was finally broken, albeit unofficially. However, not everyone approved of the production nature of the experience.
2020-2022. Shoes, Science and Frontier Achievement
Advances in footwear technology and race performance have helped reduce even the entire board. Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 in Berlin showed that even the official race was approaching the barrier.
2023: The twist changes the trajectory
Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago, the fastest official marathon at the time. Crucially, he did so with an aggressive second half, suggesting it was only a matter of time before
second second was achieved in the official race.
2026: The barrier finally falls
Sebastian Soi made history at the London Marathon in 1:59:30. Decades of growing progress, innovation and belief culminated in the first official two-hour marathon.
Men’s marathon world record breakthrough
2:55:18 John Hayes (USA), London 1908
2:52:45 Robert Fowler (USA), Yonkers 1909
2:48:52 James Clark (USA), New York 1909
2:46:04 Albert Raines (USA) New York 1909
2:42:31 Henry Barrett (GBR), London 1909
2:40:34 Thure Johansson (SWE), Stockholm 1909
2:38:18 Harry Green (GBR), London 1913
2:36:06 Alexis Algren (SWE), London 1913
2:32:25 Hannes Kolehmainen (FIN), Antwerp 1920
2:30:57 Harry Payne (GBR), London 1929
2:26:44 Yasuo Ikenaka (JPN), Tokyo 1935
2:26:42 Son Kee Chung (KOR), Tokyo 1935
2:20:42 Jim Peters (GBR), London 1952
2:18:40 Jim Peters (GBR), Chiswick 1953
2:18:34 Jim Peters (GBR), Turku 1953
2:17:39 Jim Peters (GBR), Chiswick 1954
2:15:17 Sergey Popov (URS), Stockholm 1958
2:15:16 Abebe Bikila (ETH), Tokyo 1964
2:15:15 Toru Terasawa (JNR), Beppu 1963
2:14:28 Buddy Edelen (USA), Fukuoka 1963
2:13:55 Basil Heatley (GBR), Chiswick 1964
2:12:11 Abebe Bikila (ETH), Tokyo 1964
2:12:00 Morio Shigematsu (JPN), Chiswick 1965
2:09:36 Derek Clayton (USA), Fukuoka 1967
2:08:18 Robert de Castella (USA), Fukuoka 1981
2:08:05 Steve Jones (GBR), Chicago 1984
2:07:12 Carlos Lopez (POR), Rotterdam 1985
2:06:50 Belaine Dinsamo (ETH), Rotterdam 1988.
2:06:05 Ronaldo da Costa (BRA), Berlin 1998
2:05:42 Khalid Khanushi (USA), Chicago 1999.
2:05:38 Khalid Khannouchi (USA), London 2002
2:04:55 Paul Tergat (KEN), Berlin 2003
2:04:26 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), Berlin 2007
2:03:59 Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), Berlin 2008
2:03:38 Patrick Makau (KEN), Berlin 2011
2:03:23 Wilson Kipsang (KEN), Berlin 2013
2:02:57 Denis Kimetto (KEN), Berlin 2014
2:01:39 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Berlin 2018
2:01:09 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN), Berlin 2022
2:00:35 Kelvin Kiptum (KEN), Chicago 2023
1:59:30 Sabastian Sawe (KEN), London 2026
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