Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge ran the fastest official marathon ever on Sunday, easily winning the Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:01:09.
Kipchoge bested his own world record by 30 seconds. He previously set the world record in 2018 with a time of 2:01:39.
The Berlin Marathon is widely considered one of the fastest marathon courses in the world. The flat course combined with optimal weather helped Kipchoge set the world record.
The two-time Olympic gold medalist was nearly a mile ahead of his closest competition when he crossed the finish line. He defeated Mark Korir by more than four minutes.
Kipchoge appeared to be gunning for more than just a world record to start the marathon. He covered the first half of the marathon in 59:51 giving hopes that he would be the first to officially break the two-hour mark.
"I am overjoyed to have broken the world record in Berlin. I wanted to run the first half so fast," said Kipchoge.
Kipchoge unofficially ran a marathon in under two hours in 2019, but the result was considered unofficial given the event was made specifically for Kipchoge.
The Berlin Marathon is considered one of six Marathon Majors. The race had more than 23,000 finishers.
Tigist Assefa of Ethiopia ran the third-fastest marathon for a woman, covering the 26.2 miles in 2:15:37. Berlin marked her first time winning a major.
