Last weekend was exciting for distance running fans. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge broke the "unbreakable" two-hour marathon barrier and compatriot Brigid Kosgei smashed a 16 year old women's marathon world record by more than a minute.
Kosgei's record was achieved during a standard competitive marathon race in Chicago, but Kipchoge's attempt involved a major commercial sponsor and precisely engineered non-race conditions: a wind break of a pace setting runners, a guiding laser beam, and performance-enhancing Nike Vaporfly shoes.
We asked former international athlete and exercise science writer Alex Hutchinson about the uneasy mix of commerce, technology and sport.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
