Sub 2hr Marathon!

[Harry Black]

I think the cost of following this woupd be prohibitive though. I dont think it should stand as an official record.

Well, it’s not an official record anyway.

I know. Im saying I believe that this is justified.

[Alex Simmons]

I think the cost of following this woupd be prohibitive though. I dont think it should stand as an official record.

It's cost prohibitive in cycling (and in many sporting endeavours), but people still do it.

In cycling you have to hire the venue (an expensive indoor velodrome), usually you need to consider travelling to a velodrome located at altitude for the ideal performance benefits, spend weeks there acclimating for peak performance (cost of accommodation and travel for you and your support crew), not do much else for all those weeks, so no one is earning income, you need to pay to be a part of the biological passport program (anti-doping) which will set you back about $30k, costs for the UCI international level officials to be in attendance, anti doping costs on the day, then there is the equipment and clothing, which will be roughly $30-50k, then there are the 50-100 hours of aerodynamics testing and refinement.... and so on.

[Friendly Angel]

For the cycling Hour Record the official governing body (the UCI) has had rules in place for generations. It's part of the history and culture of the sport.

Right, I'm proposing the Marathon governing body do the same thing.  They can decide if the special shoes are legal, how pacers are allowed to assist, how much elevation change, whether it can be indoors, all that stuff.

The fastest Boston is the record for the Boston
The fastest Olympic is the record for the Olympic
And the fastest 26.1 miles is the record for the Marathon.

[Tassie Dave]

For the cycling Hour Record the official governing body (the UCI) has had rules in place for generations. It's part of the history and culture of the sport.

Right, I'm proposing the Marathon governing body do the same thing.  They can decide if the special shoes are legal, how pacers are allowed to assist, how much elevation change, whether it can be indoors, all that stuff.

The fastest Boston is the record for the Boston
The fastest Olympic is the record for the Olympic
And the fastest 26.1 miles is the record for the Marathon.

They do have those rules. World records can't be set at the Boston marathon because it has too great a drop in elevation.

IAAF Rule 260.28
The IAAF now recognises World Records in road races for the following distances: 10km; 15km; 20km; Half Marathon; 25km; 30km; Marathon (42.195km); 100km; Road Relay (Marathon distance only). IAAF Rule 260 states that the following criteria with regard to the course must be complied with in order for a World Road Record to be ratified:

The course must be measured by one or more “A” or “B” grade IAAF/AIMS approved measurers.
The start and finish points of a course, measured along a theoretical straight line between them, shall not be further apart than 50% of the race distance.
The overall decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed 1:1000, i.e. 1m per km (0.1%).
Any course measurer who originally measured the course or another “A” or “B” grade measurer in possession of the complete measurement data and maps must validate that the course measured was the course run, normally by riding in the lead vehicle.
The course must be verified (i.e. re-measured) as late as possible before the race, on the day of the race or as soon as practical after the race, preferably by a different “A” grade measurer from any of those who did the original measurement.
Note: If the course was originally measured by at least two “A” grade or one “A” and one “B” grade measurers, and at least one of them is present at the race to validate the course as per Rule 260.28(d), no verification (re-measurement) under this Rule 260.28(e) will be required.
World Records in Road Running Events set at intermediate distances within a race must comply with the conditions set under Rule 260. The intermediate distances must have been measured and marked during the course measurement and must have been verified in accordance with Rule 260.28(e).
For the Road Relay, the race shall be run in stages of 5km, 10km, 5km, 10km, 5km, 7.195km. The stages must have been measured and marked during the course measurement with a tolerance of ± 1% of the stage distance and must have been verified in accordance with Rule 260.28(e).

And the fastest 26.1 miles is the record for the Marathon.

I know that's a typo, but the marathon is 209 yards longer than that.
26 miles 385 yards (26.218 miles), or as it is officially measured 42 kilometres 195 metres (42.195m)

I'm sure there are many runners that wish it was 209 yards shorter 

[bachfiend]

For the cycling Hour Record the official governing body (the UCI) has had rules in place for generations. It's part of the history and culture of the sport.

Right, I'm proposing the Marathon governing body do the same thing.  They can decide if the special shoes are legal, how pacers are allowed to assist, how much elevation change, whether it can be indoors, all that stuff.

The fastest Boston is the record for the Boston
The fastest Olympic is the record for the Olympic
And the fastest 26.1 miles is the record for the Marathon.

They do have those rules. World records can't be set at the Boston marathon because it has too great a drop in elevation.

IAAF Rule 260.28
The IAAF now recognises World Records in road races for the following distances: 10km; 15km; 20km; Half Marathon; 25km; 30km; Marathon (42.195km); 100km; Road Relay (Marathon distance only). IAAF Rule 260 states that the following criteria with regard to the course must be complied with in order for a World Road Record to be ratified:

The course must be measured by one or more “A” or “B” grade IAAF/AIMS approved measurers.
The start and finish points of a course, measured along a theoretical straight line between them, shall not be further apart than 50% of the race distance.
The overall decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed 1:1000, i.e. 1m per km (0.1%).
Any course measurer who originally measured the course or another “A” or “B” grade measurer in possession of the complete measurement data and maps must validate that the course measured was the course run, normally by riding in the lead vehicle.
The course must be verified (i.e. re-measured) as late as possible before the race, on the day of the race or as soon as practical after the race, preferably by a different “A” grade measurer from any of those who did the original measurement.
Note: If the course was originally measured by at least two “A” grade or one “A” and one “B” grade measurers, and at least one of them is present at the race to validate the course as per Rule 260.28(d), no verification (re-measurement) under this Rule 260.28(e) will be required.
World Records in Road Running Events set at intermediate distances within a race must comply with the conditions set under Rule 260. The intermediate distances must have been measured and marked during the course measurement and must have been verified in accordance with Rule 260.28(e).
For the Road Relay, the race shall be run in stages of 5km, 10km, 5km, 10km, 5km, 7.195km. The stages must have been measured and marked during the course measurement with a tolerance of ± 1% of the stage distance and must have been verified in accordance with Rule 260.28(e).

And the fastest 26.1 miles is the record for the Marathon.

I know that's a typo, but the marathon is 209 yards longer than that.
26 miles 385 yards (26.218 miles), or as it is officially measured 42 kilometres 195 metres (42.195m)

I'm sure there are many runners that wish it was 209 yards shorter 

I certainly know of one acquaintance who wished the marathon was 10 metres shorter after finishing one marathon in 3 hours 0 minutes and 1 second.  Perhaps the only occasion he ever came close to doing a sub-3 hour marathon, the dream of many an amateur marathon runner.