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A best but not a record
Steven LynchAugust 28, 2013
How long has there been a recognised world record in the marathon? I remember books that called it "world's best" and said that the differences in courses made a world record impossible to judge … asked Derek Bromage
The first world record - as opposed to "world best" - recognised by the IAAF was in 2003, when Paul Tergat ran two hours four minutes and 55 seconds in the Berlin Marathon. The world best before that was set by Khalid Khannouchi at the previous year's London Marathon.
Because of the problems of the terrain covered by different courses, there are strict rules for the eligibility of a course to qualify for a world record (even I might have a chance if all 26 miles were downhill!): probably the most important one stipulates that any decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed an average of one in a thousand, or one metre per kilometre.
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