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Unofficial Betting Guide for Eliud Kipchoge’s Sub-Two Hour Marathon Attempt

By David Melly

October 10, 2019

Sometime in the wee hours of the morning on Saturday, Oct. 12, the greatest marathoner of all time and a team of 41 pacemakers littered with Olympic medalists will take to the streets of Vienna to answer one of the fundamental questions of the sport: Given perfect conditions, just how fast can the human body run 26.2 miles?

After capturing our imaginations with Nike’s ambitious “breaking2” project in 2017 and shattering our already-high expectations with his world record in 2018, Eliud Kipchoge, the 34-year-old unquestioned king of the distance will attempt to become the first person ever to have his marathon personal best start with a “1.” After some guy named Bekele threatened his record in Berlin, the heat is on for the Dalai Lama of distance running to make this exhibition worth the time, effort, and millions of dollars invested by a billionaire who made his money primarily by accelerating climate change.

But why should that stop you from making a little money of your own off this historic event? Introducing the Official Citius Mag 1:59 Challenge Betting Guide. Oddsmakers have Kipchoge at a remarkable 6/4 to break 2 hours, but there are plenty of other prop bets at stake that offers fans the chance to invest in some stakes that are sure to keep you engaged and, more importantly, awake during the live stream, which is scheduled to begin at 11 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

10/1: 44-year-old pacemaker Bernard Lagat finishes the entire race, running 1:59:59 with a sub-60 final 400m.

7/5: The commentators say “go down to your local track” in the first 10 minutes.

3/1: In lieu of commentary, the live stream just plays the Sound of Music soundtrack on a loop in a thoughtful tribute to the race’s Austrian hosts.

2/3: The race is thrown into chaos after pacemaker and notorious ‘bow-thrower Filip Ingebrigtsen accidentally shoves Kipchoge to the ground while trying to protect his own position on the inside.

10/1: Kipchoge opts to wear the HOKA One One Carbon X marathon racers due to their superior design and proven ability to improve performance.

5/2: The race location is changed at the last minute to Doha, Qatar after a large sum of money is wire transferred to race organizers from an anonymous donor. It’s 105 degrees and Kipchoge fails to break 3 hours.

15/2: Nike unveils its cutting-edge design for its new lightweight elite racing uniform, which is just a banana hammock.

50/1: Kipchoge’s sub-2 clocking is nullified when he tests positive for testosterone cream rubbed on him by a rival marathoner, proving that Alberto Salazar was right all along.

7/1: Kenenisa Bekele hops into the race at the last minute and actually leads Kipchoge at 40K on pace to break 2 hours, only to drop out for undisclosed reasons.

If you know what’s good for you and your wallet, you’ll start laying down some heavy cash on these bets before Saturday’s race. Best of luck to everyone!

David Melly

David began contributing to CITIUS in 2018, and quickly cemented himself as an integral part of the team thanks to his quick wit, hot takes, undying love for the sport and willingness to get yelled at online.