Three, Now Two
There were three athletic achievements I wanted to see before I die:
1. a sub-2:00 marathon.
2. a woman running a sub-4:00 mile.
3. a woman pole vaulting 18'0"
Now, there are only two remaining: Sabastian Sawe breaks two-hour barrier to make history in London Marathon. 1:59:30.
Incredibly, the runner who finished second ALSO broke two hours--in his first marathon. Incredible.
Technology had a role in this, as Sawe's Adidas shoes weighed 3.4 ounces. "As light as a baby kitten," an article mentioned, totally missing the point, as baby kittens are not suitable footwear for running.
If you want to understand how fast this was, go run a hundred meters in 17 seconds. That was his average pace for just under two hours.
The other two will take longer. The women's mile record is 4:06, and the women's pole vault record is 16'7". When the men broke through, they were both considered astounding athletic achievements at the time, and I hope I'm around long enough to see women do the same.
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