It’s been nearly a month since Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum surprised the sector together with his record-breaking two-hour and 35-second marathon to win the Chicago Marathon, however the brand new global checklist holder is already having a look forward to chase that sub-two barrier in 2024.
It was once introduced on Friday that Kiptum’s subsequent race would be the Rotterdam Marathon, on April 14, 2024.
Many concept Kiptum would select to go back to London to look forward to variety from Group Kenya for the Paris Olympic marathon in August, or perhaps intention for the checklist of turning into the primary guy to run sub-two in Berlin in September.
Why Rotterdam?
Despite the fact that Rotterdam isn’t probably the most Abbott International Marathon Majors, the path is understood to be flat and speedy. The path checklist is held by means of Belgium marathoner Bashir Abdi (2:03:36), set in 2021 most effective 3 months prior to he received bronze within the marathon on the Tokyo Olympic Video games. Kiptum can be desperate to decrease Abdi’s path checklist and to present the two-hour barrier a shot.
There are lots of explanation why Rotterdam is the very best are compatible for Kiptum, as a substitute of returning to London to shield his 2023 identify. Rotterdam is one week previous than London, which might give him, preferably, 16 weeks to get better and educate for the Olympic marathon, as a substitute of a tighter 15-week turnaround.
Kelvin Kiptum selection of Rotterdam Marathon is a fascinating thriller. By no means would I’ve guessed.
I assumed London Marathon would had been his top choice.
Then Paris Olympic Video games or Berlin Marathon….
Rotterdam is on 14th April, London on twenty first. https://t.co/oOBAv8wotW
— Katami Michelle (@MichKatami) November 3, 2023
The Rotterdam path is flatter, with round 100m in elevation acquire, versus London’s 145m. Kiptum’s supervisor, Belgium’s Marc Corstjens, may be in control of hanging in combination the elite box in Rotterdam, which this 12 months will draw in best ability chasing the boys’s Olympic qualification usual of two:08:10. And it simply occurs to be two and a part weeks prior to the Olympic qualification window closes.
A celeb within the making
One year in the past, the working global had no thought who Kiptum was once. Then he made his jaw-dropping debut on the 2022 Valencia Marathon, with a lightning-fast time of two:01:53–the third-fastest marathon in historical past and the quickest debut of all time.
He endured his profitable streak in April on the 2023 London Marathon, decreasing his non-public easiest to two:01:25 and breaking Eliud Kipchoge’s path checklist by means of greater than a minute.
It was once in Chicago the place Kiptum etched his title within the historical past books, clocking 2:00:35 to damage Kipchoge’s global marathon checklist of two:01:09, in most effective his 1/3 try on the distance.
Kipchoge has been the one guy to run beneath the two-hour barrier, however he did so beneath best stipulations, with a lot of pacers, in a non-sanctioned race. Rotterdam will provide a chance for Kiptum to damage a barrier that, till just lately, the athletics global concept was once unbreachable.