World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge will be competing at Vienna park for the 1:59.00 Challenge in October.
According to Daily Nation, Kipchoge will attempt to be the first man to run the 42-kilometre distance in under two hours, a feat, if achieved.
The Vienna race will start on Vienna’s iconic Imperial Bridge, the Reichsbrücke, which is the traditional starting point for the annual Vienna City Marathon, the organisers said in a statement on Wednesday.
October 12 is the date for the attempt which has been put together by giant British chemical company INEOS and dubbed the “INEOS 1:59 Challenge”, given the fact that Kipchoge is aiming at stopping the clock at one hour and 59 minutes, with a leeway of 59 seconds, as long as he dips under 2:00:00.
In a similar attempt choreographed by American sportswear giant Nike in Monza, Italy, in 2017, Kipchoge fell just 26 seconds shy of the record, which means he will have to gain these crucial seconds in Vienna, translating to an improvement of about 0.62 seconds per kilometre which, by Kipchoge’s lofty standards, is achievable.
There’s an eight-day window, between October 12 and 20, for the Vienna attempt, just to be sure the right weather conditions are realised
Kipchoge is training for the attempt at his traditional Global Sports Communication and NN Running Team camp in Kaptagat.
Vienna City Marathon chief Wolfgang Konrad has been working with INEOS to organise the INEOS 1:59 Challenge.
The organisers also announced that there will be no charges for spectators to witness the historic run.
Source: Daily Nation