NAIROBI, July 7 (Xinhua) -- Olympic marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge has welcomed the choice of Vienna for Ineos 1:59 Challenge this October.
"My belief is that the location and course is perfect. The weather is likely to be good. The city is one that loves sport and the course is flat and straight," Kipchoge said on Sunday from Eldoret, Kenya.
"I have never been to Vienna but I am looking forward to racing there, but first I have to continue to focus on my daily preparation and take things day by day in my pursuit of an historic sub-two-hour marathon," he added.
Kipchoge, who holds the world record at 2:01:39, hopes to set new mark and become the first man to run the marathon in under two hours.
He has since resumed training in Kaptagat, near Eldoret and believes he will be ready for the battle in three months' time, noting that his body responded well to the first phase of training.
"Having said that, nothing can quite prepare you for the first few days again in camp when the body has to adjust to the demands of going for a long run and the speed sessions again. The legs are sore and the muscles ache," said Kipchoge.
In 2017, Kipchoge made the initial attempt in Monza, Italy to run the marathon under two hours and fell short by just 26 seconds when he clocked 2:00:25.
"I came closer and still believe I can do it. Two years ago in Monza, the world got to 26 seconds from breaking the last milestone in athletics. This October I want to break this barrier," Kipchoge said.
He said the Monza attempt was the "proudest moment" of his career and that he was excited to have another go at the two-hour barrier.
"Running the fastest ever marathon time of 2:00:25 was the proudest moment of my career. To get another chance to break the magical two-hour mark is incredibly exciting. I always say that no human is limited, and I know that it is possible for me to break this barrier," he said.
