They call Sabastian Sawe
the Quiet Assassin and the 31-year-old Kenyan ran the
marathon in 1:59:30 this weekend in London, breaking a
record many people that couldn’t be done. We will
never run this fast, and probably we won’t even
get a bib for London. It’s expensive and competitive
and Sawe, who’s married and has a son and was raised
in that marathon mecca Iten, is a generational talent
from a family of runners with discipline, consistency
and longer legs than a giraffe.
Sawe, however, has access to the same
stuff as you and I: heart, ambition, and dreams. He has
adidas Pro Evo 3 shoes, had bread and tea for race breakfast,
and takes himself seriously. He sets out a goal, makes
it his priority, and isn’t afraid to take his shot.
He works hard, and sticks with it. Last year, he won both
the Berlin and London marathons, but wasn’t satisfied.
He took more than two minutes off his PB — when
he was already beating the best runners in the world.
The reason I care about the marathon record dropping,
when I know I’ll never run like a Kenyan, or even
a fast 26-year-old girl, is because it reminds me that
anything can happen. I can do whatever I want with my
company, with my relationship, and with my race goals.
I can choose to eat better and get off screens and take
to heart some of the lessons of the Quiet Assassin, who
doesn’t showboat or self-aggrandize. Who believes
in himself and his team and sets about doing his work
with a steady belief in his future and his system. Sneakers
are getting better, nutrition is getting better, and we
have more access to data and supplements that will help
us run further and faster now than at any other time in
human history.
Sawe did what no one has done because
he works hard, but also because the sport is expanding.
He has better stuff, the same stuff that you and I can
use, than runners before him. This means, that if you’re
careful, you can also expand upon your running. You can
run longer — meaning the cap on your racing doesn’t
have to be what it once was. Maybe you qualify for Boston
when you turn seventy. Maybe you try a half marathon this
fall. Maybe you run 5K this weekend, and, if you don’t
do these things now, maybe you’ll do them tomorrow.
The Quiet Assassin didn’t spend
time thinking about other people. He didn’t worry
about what came before him. He set long-term goals, kept
his head down and did the work. No matter our age, we’re
only young once. We won’t be running marathons,
or 5Ks or 10Ks, forever. 800,000 people saw Sabastian
Sawe break the two-hour record in London and everyone
from Hawaii to the Strait of Hormuz heard about his legendary
run, a young man doing the impossible — inspiring
everyone to believe in themselves.
It’s a great time to be a runner.
That’s why races sell-out and half marathons bibs
are harder to find than cheap gasoline and everyone’s
clamouring for the next $300 shoes. The marathon world
record being broken is important to you not just because
you love the sport and appreciate what goes into lacing
up your sneakers, but because it’s a reminder that
the future is unknown.
Make the most of your opportunities. The
Quiet Assassin was just one more reminder that dreams
do come true.
https://irun.ca/racing-news/why-the-worlds-fastest-marathon-should-excite-you/?utm_source=irun-email-669046.beehiiv.com&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=why-the-shattered-two-hour-marathon-record-matters-to-you
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