So…Ineos are taking the mantle on for the latest sub2 attempt.
I see he’s also wearing a MUCH nicer colour way of Next% for the media shows, of sky blue and white.
Yeah but it’s in London, in October IF they can get the authorities to play.
I’m no weather expert (though i did work in the Met Office for a year haha), but that’s a gamble and a half on the weather front!!! Surely.
They’ve said the challenge is definitely that they’d need a three week window in order to be able to select the appropriate weather. That’s why the most realistic option is a park ring road like Battersea Park (where I do a lot of running). Parts of the road are often shut for filming etc, and they had the Formula E there in the first season.
The issue with that one is the sharp 90 degree turn at the north western corner. Maybe they could insert some artificial curbing to make the official racing line more of a sweeping bend to smooth it out. Being by the river, it can be quite wind exposed.
Someone needs to tip Kipchoge off that GPS normally measures a bit short in Battersea Park so he’s going to probably fall short of marathon distance when he uploads his 1:59:57 to Strava, and he’ll be gutted.
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Hahahaha
That north west corner is bugger for being a GPS black spot!
I can imagine whoever holds the KOMs around there will frantically be flagging his run as suspicious.
On which grounds? 
Surely inserting artificial surfaces to aid him on a road course is ‘crossing the line’? Otherwise, why not just have him run behind a big windbreak like the cycling speed record?
Outside assistance? Motor pacing, drafting, illegal equipment.
If I saw someone post a 45min 10 mile on a segment near me I would assume they were on a bike!
These attempts don’t comply with IAAF rules for the WR anyway do they? Given that, I’m not sure why they are bothering; it’s like saying you can break the Hour Record, but only when you’re moto paced.
Anyone know what specifically it was that made the previous attempt not comply with IAAF? I know the pace makers subbing in/out was against the rules but was the ‘wind break’ Tesla also an issue? IIRC they had a huge big timing clock on the back which provided additional wind break but I’m sure I remember seeing something that the impact of that was actually negligible compared to the runners around him.
If it’s just the pacers then I feel a bit sorry for him - basically he’s suffering for being so much faster than everyone else. If there were 10 Kipchoges, who could stay the course, it’d be within the rules (i.e. he’d be paced the whole way).
Slightly shorter, but Bannister’s pacemakers all had to toe the start line I believe.
What about if they had a big truck follow him with a fan on it? 
I vaguely recall an earlier Bannister attempt where one of the pacers jogged around until they got lapped then suddenly picked up the pace. Pacers in general were frowned upon in those days (I think they had to actually finish the race), so this probably resulted in a new rule being written.
I was only meaning like they did for the Formula E. Just make it so that the “racing line” is more of a sweeping bend, compared to the current road/path layout, where if you were to take an official course measurement, you’d have to go tight to the 90 degree bend which is going to be a significant issue in terms of speed if you’re taking that corner 15+ times.
Why are they using Battersea park? I would have thought somewhere that’s completely flat, no tight bends and not exposed to any wind would be the best bet.
They’re not for sure. As far as I’m aware, it was just referenced as a potential option. They’ve said “London”, so the availability of an entirely flat loop of closed to traffic tarmac is pretty slim pickings. Having somewhere closed to traffic as a matter of course is advantageous as you can then just pick the best day for conditions out of a wide(ish) window.
All bar one corner in the park is naturally just sweeping bends, it is completely flat, so manipulate the layout of that one tight bend and then all you need to do is wait for a cool, calm day.
They want supporters this time, so it wouldn’t be unheard of to close a few roads…maybe as part of a “no traffic” pilot day?
How many people that buy shoes* care about the IAAF or even know what it is?
*Or whatever the sponsors sell.
It’s to prove it can be done.
I think it’s more Kipchoge wanting to know he can do it, if someone also wants to pay him to do it, why the heck not?
It’ll be pretty incredible if he manages it.
For me, it’ll plant the seed in professional athletes minds that it can be done.
It won’t be long after until we see it in competition.
Admittedly, it’d take a Radcliffe-Esque freak to do it, but it’ll be done.
Perhaps once he breaks 2 in these conditions it will give him the psychological edge he needs to be able to do it in real race conditions - he set current record at Berlin after the Breaking 2 Project run? Maybe just a small margin but perhaps thats what they want. Once one person does it will others then follow quickly?
After Bannister went sub 4 for the mile, it was broken again fairly quickly and a year later didn’t 3 people do it in the same race?