Barega to pace Kipchoge’s Ineos 1:59 challenge

Ethiopian Selemon Barega after winning gold in the Boys 3000m at the 2017 IAAF World U18 Championships in Nairobi in 2018 PHOTO/Raymond Makhaya

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 4 – Fresh from winning a 5,000m silver at the IAAF World Championships in Doha, Qatar, Ethiopian teenager Selemon barega is among the star additions to Eliud Kipchoge’s Ineos 1:59 challenge pace-making team.

Kipchoge, the reigning World Marathon Record Holder will attempt to run a marathon below the two-hour mark in Vienna Austria between October 12-20 and he will have a group of 41 pacemakers selected from all over the world to assist him break the barrier.

Barega is among the final set of 14 pacers named in the all-star team with 10 of them still competing at the World Championships in Doha. The 19-year old Barega is also the fastest man in the world over 3000m this year and the second fastest over 5000m and 10000m.

Also confirmed to help Kipchoge in the historic INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna are Ugandan Ronald Musagala, the winner of two Diamond League 1500m races in 2019 and reigning Olymnpic 1500m champion Matthew Centrowitz.

Another Ugandan, Jacob Kiplimo, a 1500m specialist, USA’s Hillary Bor and Lopez Lomong, Australians Stewart McSweyn and Patrick Siernan will be joined by Kenyans Ronald Kwemoi, Justus Kimutai, Jonathan Korir, Alex Korio and Nicholas Rotich.

Other athletes currently competing at the World Championships who will be part of the pacemaking team include all three of Norway’s Ingebrigtsen brothers – Henrik, Filip and Jakob, American Paul Chelimo and Swiss Julien Wanders.

The Ineos 1:59 challenge team will decide the exact date of the challenge depending on weather, with Kipchoge set to take a second shot at making history. He first made the attempt in 2017 in Monza, Italy with his apparel sponsors Nike under the BreakingTwo challenge.

This time, Kipchoge says he is wiser and stronger.

“My mentality is different this time round and I have experience from how I ran in Monza,” the world record holder said in a past interview.

The Ineos 1:59 challenge, bankrolled by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe will be different from the BreakingTwo challenge in that it will have more pacemakers and a crowd cheering him on.

Kipchoge said in a previous interview that the presence of a crowd will give him that extra adrenaline as he will have fans cheering and not feel ‘alone’ in the quest. In Monza, he came 26 seconds close to achieving the feat.

For the full list of pacemakers, CLICK HERE