London Marathon 2013 Will See World Record Get Challenged

The 26.2-mile world record has strong competition during the 2013 London Marathon.

In an article by Simon Hart of the Telegraph, Kenya's Wilson Kipsang commented on the potential of a new record:

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“We want to go on a world record pace and see what can happen,” said Kipsang. “There are a lot of guys in the race. If we go at world record pace and two or three guys are still feeling strong, then it could happen.”

“I think for the first half of the race it’s going to be really good,” said Kipsang. “Mo [Farah] will have a lot of attention and it will help the guys who are finishing the race to relax and let him have all the attention for the first half."

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And believe what Kipsang says, because he nearly took the course record himself last year.

At the 2012 London Marathon, Kipsang clocked at 2 hours, 4 minutes and 44 seconds for the win. London's record is currently held by another Kenyan runner, Emmanuel Mutai, who finished 2:04.39 in 2011.

Now the world record will not be an easy task. Fellow countryman Patrick Makau left everyone in the dust with a time of 2:03.38 in Berlin in 2011. That said, back in January the field was released and according to the event's official website, it's one of the best lists of competitors ever.

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The race will feature the best elite men’s marathon field ever assembled and will include 11 men who’ve completed the distance in under 2:06, as well as all three medalists from the London 2012 Olympic Marathon and the winners of the 2012 Berlin, Chicago, London, Frankfurt and Dubai Marathons.

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The level of talent will simply speed up the pace, period.

These guys are used to easily dominating the competition, but when squaring off in such a grand stage, we have to expect every participant's A-game. Despite the longevity of a marathon, regarding the playing field makes it no different compared to sprints, relays or mid-distance events.

Better competition forces the athletes to move quicker, because the pace only gradually increases as the miles stack up. And as a result, well, a new world record enters the books.