2011 New York Marathon Results: Runners Push Limits of Human Performance

Sunday's New York Marathon was perhaps the best ever. Three men were able to break the previous record time, which had stood for 10 years.

The winner, Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya, finished the race in two hours, five minutes and six seconds, obliterating the old record of 2:07:43. Two other runners, Emmanuel Mutai and Tsegaye Kebede, also beat the previous record.

All three men were awarded bonuses of $70,000 for their record-breaking efforts.

This race was yet another reminder of the incredible athletic feats we human beings are capable of doing.

The first New York Marathon took place in 1970 and was won by Gary Muhrcke with a time of 2:31:38.

Thirty-one years later, the time is almost laughable.

Geoffrey Mutai could have cooled down, eaten a hot dog and watched an episode of Seinfeld before Muhrcke crossed the finish line.

The most astonishing part of all this is that this wasn't even Geoffrey Mutai's fastest marathon. Earlier this year, the 30-year-old absolutely shattered the Boston Marathon record, finishing in 2:03:02.

That's a full two minutes faster than his New York performance.

Geoffrey Mutai separated himself early from the record pack of 47,107 participants. With six miles left in the race, he accelerated past a group of seven men and finished the last part of the race with victory all but assured.

"I try at the last minute to push it a little more," Mutai said. "We all worked together, and then it was time to push it. For me, I was trying to run my own race."

With his ridiculous performances, Mutai is entering legend status. There's no doubt in my mind that he's capable of beating his Boston time, which would have been a world record if not for some technicalities.

Someday, somewhere, a runner will complete a marathon in under two minutes. Until then, everybody should appreciate the accomplishments of Mutai and his fellow record breakers.