Nike pick three athletes in attempt create history by completing marathon in under two hours
NIKE are hoping to achieve something no person has ever done – by completing a marathon in under two hours.
Long distance runners Lelisa Desisa, Zersenay Tadese and Eliud Kipchoge will undertake the huge challenge at Italy’s famous Monza racetrack on Sunday May 6.
The current marathon record is held by Kenya's Dennis Kimetto when he ran the 26.2 mile race in two hours two minutes and 57 seconds at the Berlin Marathon in 2014.
His average speed for that race was a staggering four minutes 41 seconds per mile which means the trio of runners will need to run six seconds quicker per mile in order to complete Nike's "Breaking-2" challenge.
Dennis Kimetto is the current record holder with a time of two hours, two minutes and 57 secondsReuters
But it is not as easy as simply running, factors need to be taken into consideration such as temperature and wind.
The group will be helped out with a group of 'in and out' pacemakers who will try to keep them in touching distance of the record.
Their training schedules, nutrition and recovery patterns have all been closely monitored ahead of the race.
Lelisa Desisa, seen here leading the pack, will attempt to break the sub-two hour recordReutersThree marathon runners will run around the famous Monza racetrack in Italy
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The athlete's training schedules, nutrition and recovery patterns have all been closely monitored
Kenya's Kipchoge has a personal best of 2:03:05, Ethiopia's Desisa is a two-time Boston Marathon winner and Tadese is the half-marathon world record holder with a time of 58:23.
Nike's vice president of events Sandy Bodecker said: "The best of the best live for this.
"The sub-two-hour marathon is the last big, once-in-a-generation barrier. It will impact the way runners view distance running and human potential forever.
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