Nike unveiled a new initiative called Breaking2, which will see the company attempt to break a two-hour marathon time. The current men’s world record time is 2:02:57.
To help achieve a sub two-hour marathon, Nike is working with a diverse team of leaders across several fields of science and sport with a holistic approach to athletes, product, training, nutrition and environment.
“Attempting to break the sub two-hour marathon challenges the perception of what is possible in sport, resets the expectations of product and enables Nike to gather incredible athlete insight. These lessons can be applied across everything Nike does, including products and services,” said the company.
Nike spent significant time identifying three elite athletes who it will enlist for the challenge. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea are all lined up to attempt the impossible and run a sub two-hour marathon.
Meanwhile, the Breaking2 team includes world-class experts across biomechanics, coaching, design, engineering, materials development, nutrition and sports psychology and physiology. Alignment of the group’s diverse knowledge bases aims to unpack performance at the molecular level. In this, the team will obsess every detail of the Breaking2 attempt, from weather conditions to jerseys, enabling Eliud, Lelisa and Zersenay to maximize their potential.
Photo courtesy Nike, Lelisa Desisa (left), Eliud Kipchoge (middle), Zersenay Tadese (right)
