Kenyan athletics star Eliud Kipchoge wrote himself into the history books last weekend after running the first ever sub-two-hour marathon in the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna.

The legendary 34-year-old, who currently holds the official marathon world record, smashed the target in Opec’s home city, coming home in a time of 1:59:40 on 12 October.

It was Kipchoge’s second attempt at the sub-two-hour mark after an earlier Nike-sponsored attempt at the Monza racing track in Italy in 2017 came up just short.

After that, chemicals and shale giant Ineos took up the mantle of sponsoring the push to break the barrier.

Although an almost super-human feat and one that elevates Kipchoge’s already lofty status among the sport’s greats, the time is not a world record, as it was not set in competition. Kipchoge was using pacemakers who joined the race at intervals, and he had drinks delivered to him by motorbike, meaning he did not have to slow down at drinks stations.

“Today we went to the Moon and came back to earth! I am at a loss for words for all the support I have received from all over the world,” the great man himself wrote on Twitter after his feat, which was accomplished with the help of 41 pacemakers.

"I wanted to run under two hours and show human beings can do a good job and lead a good life. It shows the positivity of sport. I want to make the sport an interesting sport whereby all the human beings can run and together we can make this world a beautiful world.”

Ineos founder Jim Ratcliffe added: "That was sensational. It is quite difficult to believe it's actually happened because it happened so quickly. That last kilometre where he actually accelerated and came through on his own was just superhuman."

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Kipchoge and Ineos make history