Kipchoge's sub-two hour marathon like landing on the moon

RESENDING WITH SCRIPT AND SHOTLIST

VIDEO SHOWS: NEWS CONFERENCE WITH ELUID KIPCHOGE AFTER HE BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO RUN A MARATHON IN UNDER TWO HOURS

SHOWS: VIENNA, AUSTRIA (OCTOBER 12, 2019) (SUNSET AND VINE/INEOS - SEE RESTRICTIONS)

1. ELIUD KIPCHOGE ENTERS NEWS CONFERENCE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) ELUID KIPCHOGE SAYING:

"For the last two hours we were on the moon, and after breaking the two hour, we are now on earth."

3. KIPCHOGE RUNNING WITH PACEMAKERS DURING HIS RUN

4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIPCHOGE SAYING:

"From the first kilometres today I was really comfortable. I've been training for it for the last four and a half months, and above all actually I've been putting in my heart and my mind that I would run under two hours in marathon to make history and pass a positive thought and a message to the whole world that no man is limited."

5. KIPCHOGE AS HE CROSSES THE LINE AS HE BECAME THE FIRST PERSON TO RUN A MARATHON IN UNDER TWO HOURS

6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIPCHOGE REPLYING TO QUESTION AS TO WHETHER THERE WAS ANY MOMENT HE FELT IT WASN'T POSSIBLE TO BREAK THE TWO HOURS, SAYING:

"Not at all but I was really calm and trying to maintain, to go with the pace, not to be crazy, not to be slow but to follow the instructions and follow what the pacemakers were doing so in my mind actually, you know many things are going, will it happen, what will happen in 30 kilometres, 35, 40, but all in all my mind was actually on running under two hours so I had no, it was not 50-50, no it was 90 per cent."

7. KIPCHOGE POINTING TO CLOCK AFTER FINISHING HIS MARATHON RUN

8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIPCHOGE SAYING:

"You know pressure was actually very big on my shoulders, in fact yesterday I had a lot of pressure, although I received a lot of phone calls from the president of Kenya, deputies here, I received a lot of calls from all over the world and all the messages with encouragement and when you receive a lot of calls from high profile people on the other hand it's a pressure."

9. KIPCHOGE RUNNING WITH KENYAN FLAG AFTER FINISHING HIS MARATHON RUN

10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIPCHOGE SAYING:

"I'm feeling good, let us talk about here, about Kenyans..... I can say that I am happy to run under two hours and rally the whole world, not only Kenya but the whole world, glued to their TVs, their Youtube, their Facebook pages, Twitter, and also those who came here to see it live so I think actually sport is whereby you can unify people and sell a positive message to the whole world."

11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TEAM INEOS OWNER JIM RATCLIFFE (SITTING NEXT TO KIPCHOGE) SAYING:

"Yes, I'm quite happy (LAUGHS) Well you know it's a sport isn't it and I knew, I could see that Eliud believed he could do it, but I'm a very amateur runner and everyone's the same who runs, you go out and have a run, and sometimes it's a good run and sometimes it isn't and you don't really know why that is so it's sport and there's no guarantees in sport, are there. You could have had a bad day but you had a really good day (RATCLIFFE AND KIPCHOGE LAUGH) Well, maybe you always knew you were going to have a good day but anyway it's sport and there's no guarantees in sport, an amazing achievement, extraordinary."

12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIPCHOGE SAYING:

"I am the happiest man today that the message no human is limited is now in everybody's mind that if you believe in something, and you put in your mind, transfer, put in your heart and transfer to your mind and say it in your mouth, then it can be realised so I am a happy man."

13. END OF NEWS CONFERENCE, KIPCHOGE AND RATCLIFFE LEAVE NEWS CONFERENCE

STORY: Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge made athletics history on Saturday (October 12) when he became the first person to run a marathon in under two hours, stretching the limits of human endeavour and passing a milestone few thought could be reached for decades if at all.

Guided by green laser beams shone onto the road and helped by 41 world class athletes choreographed into rotating teams of pacemakers, the Olympic champion and world record holder smashed the barrier by 20 seconds, finishing in one hour 59.40 minutes.

It was regarded as the biggest achievement in athletics since Briton Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile in 1954 and was likened by Kipchoge himself to landing on the moon.

"For the last two hours we were on the moon, and after breaking the two hour, we are now on earth," Kipchoge said at his news conference.

However, it was not recognised as a world record by the sport's governing International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) as it was not in open competition and used rotating pacemakers.

As the pacemakers peeled away for the last kilometre, Kipchoge accelerated down the final straight, smiled and pointed at people in the crowd who gave him a rousing reception.

Barely sweating, the 34-year-old looked as if he had completed a quiet morning run as he reflected on his unique achievement.

"From the first kilometre, I was really comfortable," he said after before being mobbed by his team mates.

"I have been training for this for four and a half months, I have been putting my heart and mind to run under two hours for a marathon and make history.

Although the IAAF did not recognise the run, its president, Sebastian Coe, had said he was in favour of such events and argued that it was not a huge issue if they were not recognised by the sport's governing body.

There was unbridled joy in Kipchoge's homeland as thousands of people celebrated on the streets.

In Nairobi, traffic stopped with people gathering in bars and anywhere with television screens as national hero Kipchoge closed in on completing the stunning achievement.

The run, organised and funded by the British chemical company INEOS and dubbed the INEOS 1.59 challenge, was Kipchoge's second attempt to break the barrier, having missed out by 26 seconds in Monza two years ago.

The 9.6 kilometre course, a long straight with two loops at the end, was designed with slightly steeped banks and had been partially resurfaced to help Kipchoge keep pace and avoid injury.

The venue and time were carefully chosen by organisers to provide the best-possible conditions -- cool and windless -- although it was slightly more humid than expected and there were a few spots of rain.

The pacemakers were divided into teams of seven, with five forming an inverted arrowhead in front of Kipchoge and two more behind him and running in stints of 4.8 kilometres.

The transitions between pacemaking teams proved to be one of the most challenging aspects of the run and Kipchoge seemed to trip during one exchange.

They were preceded by an electric car which shone green laser beams onto the road to show the right pace and keep the runners on the right lines.

Throughout the run, Kipchoge ran at a remarkably steady pace which varied between 2.48 and 2.52 minutes per kilometre and was consistently around 10 seconds under the target.

There was a stretch around the halfway mark where he seemed to be struggling but he quickly regained his composure.

"I was really calm and trying to go with the pace, not to be crazy or slow, but to follow instructions and what the pacemakers are doing," he said, adding that the achievement meant a lot of his homeland.

"Everyone can step out of their door and think positively."

(Production: Annette Faydenko)