The Marathon MoonShot

Standing on the sweeping bend of the infamous Curva Parabolica, three of the greatest distance runners in history shiver in the late-afternoon breeze, awaiting the signal to begin.

- Alex Hutchinson

Around them, an uncanny silence prevails. The Autodromo Nazionale Monza, a historic Formula One racetrack nestled in the woodlands of a former royal park northeast of Milan, can seat 115 000 spectators. Since its construction back in 1922, the ‘Temple of Speed’, as it’s affectionately known, has echoed with the high-octane roar of epic races, hosted countless speed records (at 372.6 kph, which Colombian driver Juan Pablo Montoya reached in the 2005 Italian Grand Prix, a marathon would take less than seven minutes), and mourned the deaths of more than 50 drivers and 40 spectators, mostly in the freewheeling early days of motorsport.

On this bright day in early March, though, the stands are deserted. On the track are reigning Olympic Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, half marathon world record holder Zersenay Tadese, and rising star Lelisa Desisa. Clustered around them are a handpicked group of 11 Kenyan and Ethiopian runners, flown to Italy for the sole purpose of setting the pace and blocking the wind for the chosen three, plus a small crew of harried and visibly nervous scientists. Since last December, when Nike revealed that it was marshalling its considerable resources for a springtime assault on the two-hour marathon barrier, speculation had swirled about how, precisely, the company planned to slice such a big chunk off Kenyan Dennis Kimetto’s 2014 world record of 2:02.57. Would they run down a mountain? Wear rocket-powered shoes in a giant wind tunnel? Now the veil will finally be lifted, as Kipchoge, Tadese, and Desisa prepare to run a test half marathon with a goal time of exactly 60 minutes. After almost three years of planning, it’s time for a reality check.