Kiptum wants to run under two hours in Rotterdam as World Athletics considers Half-Marathon for future Worlds

Kiptum wants to run under two hours in Rotterdam as World Athletics considers Half-Marathon for future Worlds

World record holder in marathon Kelvin Kiptum has enjoyed a remarkable 2023, breaking the men's marathon world record, and the Kenyan now wants to run the first sub-two-hour marathon in Rotterdam in April.

In October, running in just his third marathon, Kiptum took 34 seconds off the previous record in winning the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, 35 seconds. He also won the London Marathon in April in 2:01:25, which at the time was the second-fastest time ever for a marathon.

Asked what was next in his sights, Kiptum told Gazzetta dello Sport: "It's already known: the Rotterdam Marathon on April 14. I would like to grow further and so, inevitably, break the barrier."

Kiptum, who noted the race is linked to his management team, was set to make his marathon debut in Rotterdam in 2022, but those plans were scuttled by an injury.

Fellow Kenyan marathoner Eliud Kipchoge, who held the world record until Kiptum broke it, ran a 1:59:40 marathon in 2019 in an event called the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. That did not count as a world record due to the conditions of the event, including the use of multiple pace setters.

The intense training involved in chasing the historic mark means Kiptum is seeing his family only once per week.

"It's a choice made in full conscience, in agreement with my wife, to focus 100% on my goals," the 24-year-old said.

One of those goals will be to compete at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Kiptum is one of 10 men's runners who are in contention for spots on the Kenyan team, as is two-time defending gold medalist Kipchoge.

"There are three places, and I want to be there," Kiptum said. "As a team, we will collaborate, but then everyone looks out for themselves."

 For now, Kiptum's training and thoughts all lead to Rotterdam, with the dream of becoming the first athlete to ever run the marathon in under two hours.

"I'll go there to run fast. The course is ideal, and the crowds in the streets push you to give your best. I would love to be a part of the rich history of this marathon," he said. "If the preparation goes in the right direction, with peaks of 270 kilometers per week, and the weather conditions permit, I will go for it."

Meanwhile, World Athletics president Sebastian Coe has disclosed that plans are underway to add World Championships marathons to World Marathon Majors.

As reported by Athletics Weekly, Coe noted that he has been in discussions with the WMM organisers about weaving the world championship road races into their big-city event programs.

 “The issue for us is really about how we can create those opportunities. A lot of athletes are also looking at the world championships and thinking that Chicago or New York is around the corner and asking themselves whether they should be running the worlds when they can earn good money on the roads a few weeks later.

"Maybe we can reduce the marathon to a half-marathon at the world championships which would at least take some of the athlete welfare issues away and would allow them to do it in the build-up to a marathon majors event,” he added.