April Powers

[Mid Life Crisis Marathon Man]

Book Review – “Two Hours” by Ed Caesar

This book is of course about the ultimate running goal: the when, where, how and by whom the first sub-two hour marathon will be run. The rate at which the marathon record has fallen toward the two hour mark in recent years is making many think this will happen sooner rather than later.

Caesar covers all the factors that will constitute a successful attempt: genetics, training, methodology, pace-making, weather, race type, mental preparation, money and of course, drugs, but more on that later. The central figure in Two Hours is Geoffrey Mutai, at the time the book was written the holder of title of fastest-ever marathon, his blistering 2:03:02 at the 2011 Boston Marathon, not a world record of course because Boston is not a qualifying event for the title, and in any case, now beaten by Dennis Kimetto’s 2:02:57.

He follows Mutai’s humble upbringing in the mountains of Kenya’s Rift Valley, neatly introducing us to the natural, easy world of Kenyan running; the influence of western training methods and money and the impact it has had on the people of the region, not all of which has of course been for their benefit.

Many readers will be impressed not only with the work ethic and discipline of even modest Kenyan runners, but also the mental ruggedness that separates the true elite from the merely world-class athletes and Caesar does a superb job of capturing this important essence of Kenyan excellence.

The matrix of factors that determine exactly when and how the two hour mark will be broken (and there seems no question that it will in fact happen) is complex, and this maze of circumstance may delay its inevitable realisation. Whilst the physiology of endurance athletes suggests sub-two hours is entirely possible, the chances of everything being ideal for an attempt at the mark is still remote.

Caesar reaches no dramatic crystal-ball conclusion about when the first sub-two hour marathon will be run. Rather he points out that as the mark is approached, the complex issues surrounding the record grow rapidly more complex. For example, the number of race routes that are fast enough to permit the attempt dwindle as the records fall. The weather increasingly becomes a factor, ruling out even more races, and then there’s the time of day, morning being widely considered a poor time for such an attempt. And these are just the factors that are outside of the athlete’s control.
 
He also asks if it will necessarily be a black African to break the record, citing some evidence that suggests the African’s greatness is as much to do with their mental toughness as their physicality, and that culture has a a big impact on the sport. Get this mental aspect  right, and it’s still possible that other nations will again rise to the forefront of endurance running.

Caesar doesn't shy away from the muddying element of drug cheats, either. I have been told myself by an Olympic athletics coach that it’s “inconceivable” that elite marathoners are not using performance enhancing drugs. Caesar doesn’t attempt to prove this one way or the other, but does note that Kenyan drug cheats have in fact been caught and that illicit drugs are simple to find and purchase throughout Kenya. Despite this, Kenya refuses to acknowledge the use of drugs among their athletes, and also refuses to establish a blood-testing laboratory within its borders. Meantime, the use of EPO for boosting the endurance and recovery rates during off-season training  is widely speculated. Caesar’s portrayal of Mutai however strongly suggest that the true top athletes have no need for these sorts of drugs, but points out that the riches on offer for athletic success in such a poor part of the world make denial of the temptations of drug use naive in the extreme.

This is a great piece of writing – you’ll learn a lot about the psyche and physical training methods of Kenyan running, much of which is eye opening. It’s also an easy read in what is a difficult subject. Chapters on genetics and training methods are craftily written and kept brief enough to not lose focus on the humanity of the athletes. Caesar is first and foremost a people person, not a sports physiologist and his writing keeps the athlete’s personality upfront so that we can empathise with even the greatest athlete. They are after all human, and this is often lost in the world of big money with its emphasis on record after record. As Caesar says, Kenya pumps out champion after champion, each of whom has only a handful of years in the limelight before fading into oblivion. Some, such as poor Sammy Wanjiru the Olympic champion, winner of London and dual winner of Chicago marathons, failed to deal with success well at all with tragic consequences.

I loved this book. On the whole it is a bright, positive endorsement of our sport and the power of the human spirit, and I highly recommend it.