‘Beyond outrageous’ marathon world record stuns

At the London Marathon of 2003, England’s Paula Radcliffe redefined what was thought to be possible by laying down a 2:15:25.

And at the Chicago Marathon of 2019, Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei took a sizeable chunk off Radcliffe’s world record when she punched out a 2:14:04.

But neither of those staggering runs changed women’s marathon running to the extent that Sunday’s result will change the sport.

Putting Assefa’s run into perspective, purely by time it’s equivalent to the men’s marathon world record plummeting from 2:01:09 to 1:58:58.

And in an indication of the closing gap between men and women in marathon running, there are now only 24 Australian men in history who’ve run quicker than Assefa’s time of 2:11:53.

In the short period of time that’s passed since Assefa burst through the finishing tape, debate has already kicked off about the influence of “super shoes” on distance running.

Radcliffe’s colossal run of 2:15:25 in 2003 came years — 13 to be exact — before the release of the first super shoe, dubbed the Nike Vaporfly 4%.

Since then, world and national records have tumbled relentlessly, and the energy-returning technology was of huge assistance to Assefa as she streaked to victory in Adidas’ newest super shoe, called the Adizero Adios Pro Eva 1.

Like all super shoes, the Adidas masterpiece propels runners down the road as a carbon-fibre plate and a thick layer of foam work in tandem.

In the case of elite runners like Assefa, incredible athletes are producing results that are ripping the pre-super-shoe record books to shreds.

Assefa dominated the women’s field in Berlin, finishing five minutes and 56 seconds ahead of Kenya’s Sheila Chepkirui.

The Ethiopian ran a negative split, clocking 66:20 for the first half and 65:33 for the second. Astonishingly, her back half was one minute and 55 seconds quicker than her standalone half-marathon personal best.

She had never contested a marathon before 2022 and had only competed in two marathons before Sunday. She posted 2:34:01 in the Riyadh Marathon in March last year and 2:15:37 in last year’s Berlin Marathon, in which she took victory.

Making Sunday’s result even more extraordinary is she is a former 800-metre runner. She contested the women’s 800 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she was eliminated in the heats.

“I think such is the result of hard working which I’ve done for the last year,” Assefa said through a translator after Sunday’s Berlin Marathon.

“That I broke the record with such a result was not expected from me.”

Australia’s Liam Adams finished 28th in 2:11:47, meaning the men’s Paris 2024 entry standard of 2:08:10 remains elusive. The full-time Melbourne sparky went through the first half in 63:46 but faded over the back half, clocking 68:01.

Tunes were blasting and thousands were cheering as Assefa crashed through the finishing tape.

She performed the sign of the cross, dropped to her knees, kissed the road and stretched out her arms as she looked to the heavens.

She then grabbed the Ethiopian flag and greeted thousands of amazed spectators who’d lined the streets of the German capital.