Hi-tech running shoes have sent world records tumbling and sparked debate. Do they herald the end of the level playing field, or are they the saviour of long-distance racing?
The 31-year-old British athlete Phil Sesemann arrived at the Seville marathon in February with a clear aim: to run the 26.2-mile course in less then two hours, eight minutes and 10 seconds. If he recorded that time or went faster, he’d meet the British qualifying standard to compete for Team GB at this summer’s Olympics in Paris; one second slower, he would be watching the race from his sofa at home in Leeds.
Having a plan and executing it are, of course, very different propositions, especially in the marathon, a fabled distance that has been sadistically breaking hearts, minds and bodies for more than two millennia. And the qualifying time was no small achievement: only three British men had ever run faster. Add to this that Sesemann, who has dark hair and the angular handsomeness of Cillian Murphy, is still pretty raw at the event. For much of his 20s, he combined part-time running with being a junior doctor at St James’s hospital in Leeds. He only switched to the marathon in late 2021 and would need to run a huge personal best (PB) to qualify.
