THE world's fastest marathon runner is hoping the legacy of Oxford's Sir Roger Bannister will inspire him to achieve his own 'impossible' dream.

Fresh from winning his fourth London Marathon, Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge paid a trip to the hallowed Iffley Road running track last week to announce his latest attempt to become the first person ever to run 26.2 miles in under two hours. 

The 34-year-old, who already holds the world record for the fastest ever marathon at 2:01:39, is believed to be the only person alive capable of achieving the feat.

Oxford Mail:

He fell just 26 seconds short in his last attempt in Monza in 2017 - a run which didn't count as a world record because it didn't follow the official competition rules.

Backed by Britain's richest man, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he's now planning another go this autumn at a venue that is still to be decided.  

Today's announcement comes on the 65th anniversary of Sir Roger Bannister's sub-four-minute mile, an achievement which many had previously believed to be impossible.

OBITUARY: Sir Roger Bannister

On May 6, 1954 Sir Roger, who died last year, ran a mile in three minutes 59.4 seconds to cement his place in the history books. 

Speaking on his visit to the track where that record was broken, Kipchoge said: “This will surpass anything. I want to run under two hours. It will surpass everything because it will be history for the human family.

“I have a good team. A very great team. When a great team and great minds meet, they discuss positive ideas and I don’t want to say, ‘Can I do it or not?’ My mind is that I am going to do it. So my heart and mind is on 1:59.

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“The only thing we can change is the mentality. People start to think we can run under two hours. That is the only thing. It’s my mentality already.”

No exact date has been set for the one-off race, but October remains an option, with London a proposed venue.