Amid jubilant scenes in Vienna on Saturday morning, Eliud Kipchoge became the first runner to finish a marathon in under two hours.

The 34-year-old Kenyan completed the course in Vienna, in an incredible one hour, 59 minutes and 40 seconds.

He celebrated with his arms outstretched and waved to the crowds as he sprinted over the line before he was greeted by a loving embrace from his wife Grace.

Eliud Kipchoge crosses the line to become the first athlete to run a sub-two hour marathon

The 34-year-old Kenyan celebrates with his arms stretched after smashing the world record

The Kenyan runner points to his record as he clutches his country's national flag

Kipchoge said afterwards: 'I want to inspire many people, that no human is limited'

Kipchoge holds the Kenyan flag aloft as he celebrates his incredible feat of endurance

A delighted Kipchoge is embraced by his wife Grace after crossing the finish line

Kipchoge celebrates alongside his pace-setters after beating the record by 20 seconds

Kipchoge salutes the adoring crowd after finishing in a time of 1:59:40 in the Austrian capital

In incredible scenes Kipchoge was somehow able to keep running as he celebrated with the crowd before being hugged by his INEOS team-mates as he waved aloft the Kenyan national flag.

Afterwards he told the BBC: 'I am feeling good. After Roger Bannister in 1954 it took another 63 years, I tried and I did not get it.

'After 65 years, I am the first man! I want to inspire many people, that no human is limited.'

Kipchoge, the four-time London Marathon winner whose official world record time is 2:01.39, added: 'I can say I'm tired. It was a hard run. Remember, the pacemakers are among the best athletes in the world.

'I can say thank you to them, I appreciate them for accepting and together we made history on this one.

'We can make this world a beautiful world and a peaceful world. My wife and three children, I am happy for them to come and witness history.

'The positively of sport, I want to make it a clean sport and an interesting sport.'

Kipchoge warms up on the start line ahead of beginning his record marathon attempt

The Kenyan marathon man was attempting to run the first sub-two hour marathon in Vienna

Kipchoge runs with seven of the 41 pace-setters who helped him to reach his target

The pacer car fires a fluorescent green laser beam onto the road to mark where he needs to be

Kipchoge and his pacemaking team follow the timing vehicle as it emits a green laser

Kipchoge was racing alone but assisted by 41 pacemakers, including former Olympic and world record holders, in his attempt to achieve the milestone.

The time will not be an official world record but is nonetheless a historic moment in distance running.

The INEOS 1:59 Challenge was Kipchoge's second shot at the record after missing out by 25 seconds in his first attempt in Monza two years ago.

He had been greeted with a misty autumnal morning as he tore up the specially tailored course over 4.4 laps of the Prater Hauptallee, a park in central Vienna.

Guided by lasers on the road from a support car in front and surrounded by seven pacemakers at a time, the world record holder stuck to a pace of 2min 50sec per kilometre.

He hit the hour-mark with 11 seconds to spare and with 500m to go burst clear of his support team to finally break the hallowed two-hour barrier.

Kipchoge was being guided by rotating seven-man teams of pacemakers, many themselves world class runners, and by an electric pacecar that emitted green lasers to show the ideal pace and the position they should be running.

A smattering of crowds gathered in Vienna to watch the sub-two attempt on Saturday morning

The runners make their way past the Lusthaus on a chilly autumnal morning in Austria

Kipchoge takes the acclaim of the crowd as he races towards the finish line

The highly controlled attempt to break the two-hour barrier consisted of 4.4 laps of a 9.6 kilometre course, including a long straight with a loop at each end.

The sport's governing body, the IAAF, are not recognising the run as an official record because it is not in open competition and it uses in and out pacemakers.

In Monza, the scientific support team was put together by Nike.

This time, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe, through his company Ineos, funded Kipchoge's shot at history.

As in Monza, Kipchoge ran in the Vaporfly, a Nike shoe containing a highly controversial carbon-fibre plate in the soles, supposedly capable of improving times by one per cent over any other shoe.

Last September he ran the distance of 26 miles and 385 yards in the Berlin Marathon just 99 seconds outside the two-hour mark, shattering Kimetto's record by a minute and 18 seconds.

In April, he eased away from Sir Mo Farah soon after crossing Tower Bridge, finishing in 2hr 2min 38sec.

Britain's richest man and founder of INEOS, Jim Ratcliffe (left), congratulates Kipchoge