This recap was taped right after the race, and before we learned that the clock atop the lead pace vehicle had frozen early in the race indicating 2:50/Km pace, thus misleading the lead pack into believing they were running under world record pace through half-way, when in fact they were 32-seconds behind their intended pace.
With the world record being as significant as it is at 2:03:38 – set by Kenya’s Patrick Makua last year in Berlin – the chance to better that mark without ideal pacing was a step too far for Geoffrey Mutai, who, according to sources in Kenya, was near, but not at, the top of his form. That he and training mate Dennis Kimetto were still able to run the fourth and fifth fastest times in history despite that error in pacing is a testament to their fighting spirit.
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