You’ve heard that life is more of a marathon than a sprint, but for Eliud Kipchoge, the metaphor falls flat.

Being the first human to ever run that race in under two hours, it is understandable that he would think differently about it. To watch him run is to behold the glory of a man flying, touching the ground for just a fraction of a second, stabbing at it with long powerful strides that propel him into another little flight.

But the sub-two hour marathon? 

It’s inhuman. 

How can a human cover 26.2 miles in under 2 hours?

Kipchoge told TIME magazine, “Personally, I don't believe in limits.”

In order to break the two hour mark, you have to hold a 4:34 pace.

Just for comparison, the average marathon pace for American males in 2019 was 4:30:36, which is a 10:19 pace.[1]

I don’t know if you’ve ever cranked the treadmill up to 10 miles per hour, but that is usually the max speed of those things, and it will throw you off the back with some quickness.

Kipchoge was doing north of 13 miles per hour…for 2 hours.[2]

So how did he do it?

Kipchoge says this: “I always tell people that this is a really simple deal: Work hard. If you work hard…then you can really perform without taking shortcuts. If you’re taking shortcuts, you can’t be free.”[3]

While there are scientific and genetic factors, training tricks, pacing philosophy, there is obviously no replacement for absolute devotion to the sport.

In order to break that speed barrier, he had to train like he meant it. He had to recognize the dignity of the sport and the honor of the accomplishment, embrace it, and give it his all.

So when we use the metaphor of the marathon, which marathon are we talking about? The average marathon, or the Kipchoge marathon? 

When we talk about hunkering down for the corona-quarantine, we know now this isn’t going to be some little sprint. It’s going to be a marathon.

Whether it is an average marathon or a Kipchoge marathon is up to us.

We can pitter patter around in our shortcuts and fears and anxieties, or we can discipline ourselves to do what we never could before, finding freedom in the restriction.

The marathon is an obstacle that humans voluntarily sign up for because they know it will bring out the best in them. 

Even though we didn’t sign up for this, the opportunity is before us. We can look for shortcuts, or we can innovate. 

If you want to know the truth, as a whole, America always rises to the challenge. For us, natural innovators and problem-solvers, the marathon is more like a Kipchoge marathon than an average one. 

Inhuman or not, the birds are calling to us. Can you hear them?

Now is the time! Stand still, or take flight!

——

[1] https://www.verywellfit.com/how-long-does-it-take-to-run-a-marathon-2911423

[2] https://www.depicus.com/swim-bike-run/pace-conversion-chart

[3] https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/eliud_kipchoge_1044567

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