In only his fifth race at the distance, the he smashed the 2:03 barrier a year after his compatriot Wilson Kipsang had brought the world record down to 2:03:23 on the same course.
Kimetto’s is the tenth world record on a course which makes full use of Berlin’s flat terrain and gentle corners. The BMW Berlin-Marathon is an IAAF Gold Label race and part of the World Marathon Majors Series.
Emmanuel Mutai finished second in 2:03:13, ten seconds inside the old record while Ethiopia’s Abera Kuma broke through to the marathon elite with third place in a personal best of 2:05:56.
Here are a few fun facts in the wake of Kimetto’s mark.
Kimetto’s average pace per mile: 4:41.5
Kimetto’s average pace per 5K: 14:34.9
Kimetto’s average pace for one lap of a standard outdoor track: 69.93 seconds
Kimetto’s time at halfway: 61:45
Kimetto’s split for his second half marathon: 61:12
Kimetto’s 5K split from 30K to 35K: 14:10
Number of times the men’s world record has been broken since 2002: 6
Number of those new records set in Berlin: 6
Number of times Emmanuel Mutai has broken a course record while finishing second to Kimetto: 2
Number of times Mutai has finished second at a World Marathon Majors race since 2009: 7
-By runnersworld.com