Marathon World Record Splits: Why the Negative Split is the Key to a Marathon World Record!

In September 2018, Eliud Kipchoge became the new marathon world record holder.

The Kenyan improved the previous world record of his teammate Dennis Kimetto from 2:02:57 hours to 2:01:39 hours. Another remarkable feature of his outstanding world record was the race pacing, as he ran the second half of the marathon significantly faster than the first 21.1 kilometers.

Faster than the Best German Half Marathon Runner Ever

Kipchoge was already on world record pace after the half marathon, clocking 61:06 minutes. However, the fact that he improved the previous world record by 78 seconds was mainly due to his furious second 21.1 kilometers, which he ran in just 60:33 minutes. This was even one second faster than German half marathon record holder Carsten Eich, who has held the national half marathon record since 1993 with 1:00:34 minutes.

What is a Negative Split?

That a negative split is not unusual in marathon records is shown by past world records. More than half of the official marathon world records were achieved with so-called negative splits, meaning the second half of the marathon was run faster than the first half.

Haile Gebrselassie Also Set Marathon World Records with Negative Splits

The first officially recognized marathon world record was set by Paul Tergat on 28.09.2003 in Berlin, also with an impressive negative split. He ran the first 21.1 kilometers in 1:03:01 hours and then accelerated, completing the second half in 1:01:54. Two world records by Ethiopian marathon legend Haile Gebrselassie followed, also achieved with negative splits.

First Without a Negative Split in 2011

In 2011, Patrick Makau was the first runner to set a marathon world record without maintaining a negative split in the second half. The difference was only a few seconds, with splits of 61:43 minutes and 61:55 minutes. Two years later, Wilson Kipsang also set a marathon world record without a negative split. An interesting detail of the first five marathon world records: all athletes ran the second half almost at the same pace as the first half, with half marathon splits between 1:01:51 and 1:01:57. This suggested that a negative split would likely be needed for further improvement of the marathon world record.

The Key to a Marathon World Record

And so it was. Dennis Kimetto broke the 2:03-hour barrier for the first time in 2014. His success recipe was the second 21.1 kilometers, which were considerably faster than previous world records. Kimetto started the first half cautiously with 61:45 minutes, slightly above world record pace, but increased his speed to run the second half in 61:12 minutes, almost 40 seconds faster than his predecessors.

Eliud Kipchoge’s Incredible Marathon

Four years after Kimetto, Eliud Kipchoge astonished the athletics world even more. Not only was he incredibly fast in the first half, but he managed to increase the pace again in the second half. The 61:06 minutes for the first 21.1 kilometers were the fastest first half of any marathon world record, but not entirely unusual. In recent years, some marathons, especially London, saw top runners start with similar fast paces. However, none maintained or increased that pace. Kipchoge was the first runner to do so, completing the second half in 60:33 minutes.

Almost All Marathon World Records with Negative Splits!

Since 2003, five of the seven marathon world records were set with negative splits. Across these seven records, the second 21.1 kilometers were a total of 145 seconds faster, over 20 seconds faster per runner. At such a high level, this is significant and also relevant for amateur runners. These records show which marathon strategy works best. No world record was set by running the first half significantly faster, and in four of the seven records, the second half was over 30 seconds faster than the first half.

Marathon Strategy: How to Run a Marathon Properly!

Marathon runners should not start too fast. The first one or two kilometers might be slightly faster due to excitement or adrenaline, but the planned marathon pace must then be maintained. Running faster to gain a time advantage is a mistake and usually leads to a collapse near the end. Eliud Kipchoge, Haile Gebrselassie, and others are perfect examples of successful marathon pacing.