A new study suggests it’s possible, but even with gains in shoe technology it may be out of reach – for now
The day before Eliud Kipchoge’s first attempt at a sub-two-hour marathon in 2017, a Nike vice-president described it to me as “a moonshot”. Now, though, the track and field equivalent of landing on Mars is apparently just away.
That was the startling conclusion of a study in the Royal Society Open Science journal last week, which predicted that a woman could shatter the four-minute mile barrier with the help of aerodynamics. Not just any woman but Faith Kipyegon, the Kenyan Olympic 1500m champion and the greatest female middle distance runner in history.