29-Sep-2013 – Berlin Marathon – 2:03:23 – Adidas AdiZero Adios 2
Date of birth: 15-Mar-1982
Nationality: Kenyan
World Record Duration: 11 months, 30 days
The athlete:
Kipsang started his marathon career in 2010, and later that year set the new course record at the Frankfurt Marathon by winning in 2:04:57. Next year at the same event, Kipsang came within four seconds of beating the world record set by Patrick Makau Musyoki. 2012 would have Kipsang scoring bronze at the Olympics in London, following his win at the London Marathon that same year.
In regards to Kipsang’s performance at the 2013 Berlin Marathon, it was remarkably unremarkable. Kipsang had trained to beat the world record, and encountered no major setbacks in his training regime. The day of the race presented ideal conditions for distance running, sunny and crisp.
While his pace was enough for the new world record by the halfway point, by the 30 kilometre mark Kipsang was 30 seconds behind. Feeling strong, he rallied over the remaining quarter of the race, and managed to set the new world record in the process. The man who finished second, in only his second marathon no less, was one Eliud Kipchoge.
Kipsang would go on to win the London Marathon and New York City Marathon in 2014. In 2017, he partnered with Adidas in an attempt to set the new world record with the AdiZero Sub2. Although starting strongly, wind in the latter stages of the race would cause Kipsang to start slowing down, although he would still win with a time of 2:03:58.
As you may have read, Wilson Kipsang was banned by World Athletics for violating anti-doping rules. I will make no further comment on these matters, there are articles listed below that give further information. It should be noted that this ban does not relate to his performance at the 2013 Berlin Marathon.
The shoes:
When first putting together this website, I unfortunatly made an error when identifying the shoes worn by Kipsang to set the world record. While he did wear the newly released Adidas AdiZero Adios Boost for the 2013 London Marathon, he apparently preferred the EVA-equipped AdiZero Adios 2 that he had competed in the year before and as images from the race show switched back to this model for the 2013 Berlin Marathon. I have updated this page accordingly, and to read more about the AdiZero Adios 2 please check out the page on Patrick Makau Musyoki, who used the same model to set the world record at the 2011 Berlin Marathon.
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Kipsang_Kiprotich
https://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/30/sports/kenyan-wilson-kipsang-sets-world-record-at-berlin-marathon.html
https://www.si.com/edge/2017/02/24/adidas-adizero-sub2-marathon-shoe-wilson-kipsang-tokyo
http://citiusmag.com/2017-tokyo-marathon-wilson-kipsang-results/
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/jul/03/wilson-kipsang-hit-with-four-year-ban-for-violating-anti-doping-rules
https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a30500148/wilson-kipsang-anti-doping-violations/
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-athletics-doping-kipsang-idUSKBN2441NA
https://www.podiumrunner.com/gear/kissing-world-records-goodbye-sneak-peek-at-the-adidas-adizero-adios-2/
https://runblogger.com/2012/04/adidas-adizero-adios-2-running-shoe.html