Story highlights Eliud Kipchoge does marathon in two hours and 24 seconds in Nike's Breaking2 projectOfficial marathon world record of 2:02:57 was set in 2014(CNN) Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge came tantalizingly close to breaking one of the most coveted frontiers left in athletics, running a full marathon in two hours and 24 seconds Saturday. Guided by a platoon of pacing runners, the three started together, but Kipchoge -- the 2016 Olympic champion and the 2016 London Marathon winner -- came closest in the end. The effort came 63 years to the day since Roger Bannister became the first person to run a mile in under four minutes. Nike launched its Breaking2 project in 2014, with Saturday's result culminating hours and hours of research, design and planning -- all devoted to maximizing human potential over the marathon. "People will run faster and faster, similar to when Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile."

Source: CNN May 06, 2017 06:25 UTC