The Race to Run a Two-Hour Marathon

For decades, the Berlin Marathon has been the place where premier endurance athletes test their limits. With its flat course, temperate late-September weather, and enthusiastic crowds, the German capital has been the site of the last half-dozen men’s world records. This year one of the latest record-breakers will face off against two other top runners to try to set another milestone, possibly even breaching the symbolic two-hour barrier.

The possibility of being associated with such a feat has garnered the attention of corporate backers. Nike Inc., which has watched Adidas-shod runners set the past five records, is sponsoring Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge, the 2016 Olympic gold medalist. Running for Adidas AG is countryman Wilson Kipsang, who in 2013 set a world’s fastest time in Berlin (a record broken a year later). Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele, who won last year’s Berlin race with the second-fastest time ever, is working with Vodafone Group Plc, which is testing how wearable technology might boost performance. While none of the companies will say how much they’re spending on their efforts, it’s small compared with the payoff if their runner comes in under two hours, says Tom Vriens, European chief of Navigate Research, a sports and entertainment consultant. “The exposure is absolutely tremendous,” he says. “It’s a fantastic storyline for a marketing campaign.”