World marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge had a feel of the course ahead of the Ineos 1:59 challenge slated for Saturday in Vienna, Austria.
The Olympic marathon champion arrived in the Austrian capital on Tuesday and was delighted and looking forward to the historical event
"I am very excited to be here in Vienna. I have now seen the course for the first time and it looks great. I can't wait to run on it and hopefully I will see you all there this weekend," noted Kipchoge.
Kipchoge will have a light training run on Wednesday and Thursday.
The performance team were to decide the date of the race by last evening.
If the green light is given, a countdown will start and Kipchoge will switch his nutrition and begin carb-loading. Kipchoge and his team will then make their final preparations and the world can start getting ready to watch the INEOS 1:59 Challenge live.
Once the date is set, the exact start time for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge will be confirmed the day before. The start time will be between 6 am - 10 am Kenyan time.
The decision for the optimal start time will take into account various factors including weather, nutrition and Kipchoge’s circadian rhythm.
Robby Ketchell, who is leading the weather analysis for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge Performance Team, said: “We know there are millions of people around the world who want to watch Eliud make history, whether that is on TV or on the streets in Vienna, and they want to know when it will be taking place.
“The unique nature of this extraordinary event means we are not in a position where we can confirm the date or the start time of the Challenge until we can be absolutely certain the weather conditions are suitable.
The optimum weather conditions for the INEOS 1:59 Challenge are a temperature between 7 and 14 degrees Celsius, humidity below 80 per cent, dry conditions and without too much wind.
Kipchoge will be making a second stab at a sub 2 hour run, having missed out two years ago in Monza, Italy where he clocked 2:00:25. He will have 41 pacemakers for the historic event.
