{"id":90329,"date":"2019-10-17T14:03:11","date_gmt":"2019-10-17T21:03:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=90329"},"modified":"2020-05-22T13:03:53","modified_gmt":"2020-05-22T20:03:53","slug":"the-significance-of-brigid-kosgeis-marathon-record","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-significance-of-brigid-kosgeis-marathon-record","title":{"rendered":"The Significance of Brigid Kosgei\u2019s Marathon Record"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s easy to understand why running fans almost missed one of the most epic marathon performances ever last weekend. All eyes were focused on Eliud Kipchoge\u2019s <\/span>two-hour, barrier-breaking effort<\/span><\/a> in Vienna\u2014plenty of U.S. fans stayed up well into the wee hours on Saturday night to catch it, in fact. When the 34-year-old runner from Kenya hit 1:59:40, it seemed as if the sport had used up all its mind-boggling performances for one weekend.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then 25-year-old Brigid Kosgei from Kenya set off at a screaming pace on Sunday at the Chicago Marathon, and runners the world over began to sit up and take notice. She passed the 5-kilometer mark at a pace that would have put her across the finish line at 2:10:31. Those paying attention were rewarded with another\u2014and some would argue equally more important\u2014<\/span>barrier-breaking marathon performance<\/span><\/a>. Kosgei ultimately crossed the finish line in 2:14:04, shattering <\/span>Paula Radcliffe<\/span><\/a>\u2019s 16-year-old world record of 2:15:25.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI did not see this coming,\u201d said Steve Magness, performance coach and author. \u201cPaula\u2019s record stood for so long and it was a minute-and-a-half faster than the next-closest performance (Kenyan Mary Keitany) that Kosgei caught me off guard.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Magness and others, like Dr. Michael Joyner, a Mayo Clinic physiologist, Kosgei\u2019s world record is equivalent to, or better than, Kipchoge\u2019s sub-2:00 mark. Joyner and two <\/span>colleagues<\/span>, in fact,<\/span> did the math<\/span><\/a> back in 2015 that showed Radcliffe\u2019s <\/span>2:15:25 marathon time from 2003 <\/span>had already achieved the equivalent to a men\u2019s two-hour marathon. So by those measures, Kosgei blew it out of the park.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Brigid Kosgei shattered the women’s marathon record last weekend at the Chicago Marathon, beating a record that had stood for 16 years. (Photo Courtesy of Chicago Marathon)<\/p><\/div>\n

How it played out<\/b><\/p>\n

Alison Wade, author of the weekly newsletter<\/span> Fast Women<\/span><\/a>, said that while Kosgei\u2019s record was unexpected this past weekend, it makes sense. \u201cGiven the big jumps men have been making at the marathon distance, the women were due for a breakthrough, too,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Several factors likely led to Kosgei\u2019s performance. First\u2014and the factor everyone is talking about\u2014are the shoes. Like Kipchoge, Kosgei donned the latest <\/span>Nike<\/span><\/a> iteration of its performance-enhancing marathon shoe, dubbed the <\/span>ZoomX Vaporfly Next%<\/span>. \u201cThere\u2019s no question the shoes are changing the marathon,\u201d said Magness. \u201cWe see it with elites and sub-elites.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While the shoes may give anywhere from a 1.1 percent to 5 percent performance boost thanks to their carbon-fiber plates and thick, light foam soles, other factors aided Kosgei in Chicago. \u201cWhen you look at the big, fast marathons from this year, there really weren\u2019t many where females focused on breaking records,\u201d Wade said. \u201cRather, the women were focused on competition.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wade made her case with London, where the field was big and competitive, making the time on the clock less important. In New York last year, the second half was speedy for the top women, but that followed a slower first half. \u201cIn Chicago, Kosgei really didn\u2019t have too many competitors to worry about for the top spot, so she was freed up to go for the record instead,\u201d said Wade.<\/span><\/p>\n

And go for it she did. Kosgei\u2019s first 5K was a 15:28, leading to speculation that she\u2019d implode. But with the help of two pacers through the 30K mark, Kosgei held on with her nearest competitor, Ethiopia\u2019s Ababel Yeshaneh, more than six minutes back.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wade said another telling sign that the marathon record was ripe for the taking can be found in performances at shorter distances. \u201cThere have been big breakthroughs in women\u2019s performances at most of the other distances,\u201d she said. \u201cWe just hadn\u2019t seen it yet in the marathon.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The weather in Chicago was just about marathon picture-perfect, too, and the flat course lends itself to speed. When you take all the factors into account, perhaps no one should be surprised that a 2:14:04 was possible.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Kosgei\u2019s agent, Federico Rosa, has been associated with Kenyan athletes who have been suspended for doping, Kosgei herself has never thrown a positive test. In fact, she trained in different camps than those who have.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead<\/b><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>If nothing else, Kosgei has demonstrated that we haven\u2019t seen the fastest women\u2019s marathon yet. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to see what happens when women are given opportunity,\u201d said Joyner. \u201cThanks to Title IX, the talent pool is expanding and women are catching up with performances like this.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Magness foresees another women\u2019s marathon record drop before terribly long. \u201cIf Kosgei can do that with a too-fast first 5K and only two pacers, I think a 2:13 could happen soon,\u201d he said. \u201cIf a female is given conditions that mimic Kipchoge\u2019s, who knows?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s easy to understand why running fans almost missed one of the most epic marathon performances ever last weekend. All eyes were focused on Eliud Kipchoge\u2019s two-hour, barrier-breaking effort in Vienna\u2014plenty of U.S. fans stayed up well into the wee hours on Saturday night to catch it, in fact. When the 34-year-old runner from Kenya […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":90571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[727,692,1376],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-90329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-run","tag-latest-posts","tag-news","tag-running"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-significance-of-brigid-kosgeis-marathon-record","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Significance of Brigid Kosgei\u2019s Marathon Record","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-significance-of-brigid-kosgeis-marathon-record","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/run\/the-significance-of-brigid-kosgeis-marathon-record"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/EAV_8424.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2019\/10\/EAV_8424.jpg?fit=1500%2C998"},"articleSection":"Run","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["latest posts","news","running"],"dateCreated":"2019-10-17T21:03:11Z","datePublished":"2019-10-17T21:03:11Z","dateModified":"2020-05-22T20:03:53Z"},"rendered":"