Chapter 05 of 5
Breaking Two
Biology, carbon-plated shoes and the first marathon under two hours.
- The Goal
The two-hour barrier
For years, scientists debated whether a human could ever run a marathon in under two hours.
- The Maths
Under 2:51 per kilometre
Breaking two hours means averaging faster than about 2 minutes 51 seconds per kilometre — for 42 kilometres straight.
- Fuel
The body's limited tank
Muscles burn stored carbohydrate called glycogen. Even a well-trained runner can only store enough for part of a marathon at race pace.
17 more cards in this chapter
Could you answer this?
Why didn't Kipchoge's 1:59:40 run in Vienna count as an official world record?
🏃 The Marathon: From Myth to Two Hours
- 01The Messenger Who Never WasHow a muddled ancient legend became the Olympics' most famous race.
- 02The Royal DistanceWhy the marathon is 26.2 miles — and the race that broke a runner's body.
- 03Barefoot Through RomeThe unknown Ethiopian who won the Olympic marathon without shoes.
- 04The Women Who Ran AnywayWomen were told they couldn't run 26.2 miles. They proved otherwise.
- 05Breaking TwoBiology, carbon-plated shoes and the first marathon under two hours.