We wouldn’t normally advise runners to pull an all-nighter, but when the fastest marathoner in the world is attempting to be the first person to break two hours in the marathon, sleep can wait.

It is all scheduled to go down on Saturday, October 12, in Vienna, Austria, where Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya will try to go sub-two hours in a special event called the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. The race is now set for October 12 in Vienna at 8:15 a.m., which is 2:15 a.m. ET. (Depending on the weather and other logistics, the start has been in balance and could have been held any day from October 12-October 14.)

Kipchoge left his training camp in Kenya and flew to Vienna on October 6 to prepare for the race this. Similar to Kipchoge’s previous attempt to break the barrier in 2017, as part of Nike’s Breaking2 project, the INEOS event will not be eligible for a world record, as it will involve a rotating set of pacers. However, as Kipchoge told Runner’s World in August, getting an official record is not the point.

“This is about history, it’s about leaving a legacy. It’s about inspiring people. It will mean a lot when I run under two hours,” he said.



Here’s how to see the race play out.

WHAT: INEOS 1:59 Challenge

WHEN: Saturday, October 12. The start time for the event will be 8:15 a.m. in Vienna; 2:15 a.m. ET.

WHY TO WATCH: Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya was this close to breaking the barrier in 2017, when he ran 2:00:25. Since then, he has grown stronger and faster, clocking the fastest record-eligible marathons of all time within the last year.

HOW TO WATCH: Right here, courtesy of the INEOS YouTube stream of the event.

At the Breaking2 Project, Kipchoge narrowly missed his target, finishing in 2:00:25. While shaving another 25 seconds off that time will be challenging, the 34-year-old has undoubtedly gotten stronger and faster since his first attempt. Last year, he lopped a minute and 18 seconds off the previous 26.2-mile world record in Berlin, running 2:01:39. Then a few months later, at the 2019 London Marathon in April, he ran his second-fastest time ever, winning the race in 2:02:37.

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It's one year to the day since @EliudKipchoge broke the marathon world record in Berlin.



⏱️ 16.09.2018 - 2:01:39



⏱️ 12.10.2019 - ???#INEOS159 #NoHumanIsLimited pic.twitter.com/hcYc7pVnzi — INEOS 1:59 Challenge (@INEOS159) September 16, 2019

The conditions for Vienna seem to be on Kipchoge’s side: he’ll be running flat, 9.6K paved circuits in a shaded park called The Prater , with spectators lining the course. He’ll also have a top-notch team of pacers, including Bernard Lagat, Lopez Lomong, Matthew Centrowitz, Paul Chelimo, and the talented Norwegian siblings Henrik, Filip, and Jakob Ingebrigtsen .

To learn more about Eliud Kipchoge’s attempt to break 2 in the marathon at the INEOS 1:59 Challenge, visit ineos159challenge.com

Hailey Middlebrook Digital Editor Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner's World and Bicycling magazines.

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