The Second Shaving Shortcut

Will the two-hour marathon barrier be broken by… a motivational quote?

- Ross Tucker

The original sub-two-hour marathon group was set up at the end of 2014, intended to help achieve a 1:59.59 marathon within five years. I attended the Africa launch of the project in Cape Town.

At the launch, Dr Tim Noakes spoke about the role of the mind in breaking through this barrier – and it gave me pause for thought.

The premise is provocative: to what extent does the mind – and belief, specifically – play a role in performance? In Noakes’ own words: “To break two hours, you first have to convince the brain that it’s possible.” He later suggested that what’s preventing the current crop of elites from doing it is their brains – by which he means mental strength.

You’ll hear no argument from me against the importance of mental and emotional factors. Even us mortals – who may break two hours in the half marathon – have experienced how emotional factors such as self-belief can swing us from failure to success, and vice versa.

Noakes’ Contribution