Unbellievable -- sub 2 hour marathon

[Peter_Spaeth]

In my late teens, I ran a marathon in just under THREE hours, by sheer force of will. The will was not so much in the event itself, but in the relentless training necessary to develop the physical and mental fitness to run that long and that far.

That pace, of course, is a jog compared to what the elite runners can do. When I was running, the world record of 2:08 was held by Derek Clayton of Australia, who said he accomplished it by training "on the edge of death." And many people were skeptical of his time, because the second fastest time was significantly slower.

For a man to now run under 2 hours is, to me, miraculous, pacers or not. And it looks like a woman just obliterated the marathon record too.