DLV national coach explains: What is actually behind the world record madness?

One athletics world record follows the next. The running scene is currently experiencing an unprecedented record hunt. What is behind it? Heinz Klein, national coach at the German Athletics Association, talks about the most plausible reasons and the consequences for young athletes.

Welcome to the new world of world records. A first foretaste, a kind of sneak preview for the record-breaking year of 2025, was already available on New Year's Eve 2024: Kenyan Beatrice Chebet was the first woman ever to stay under the 14-minute mark over five kilometers on the road, setting a world record in 13:54 minutes. The tone was set.

February was really wild. Buckle up: six world records were set in the shortest month of the year. From the 1500 meters indoors to the half marathon on the road and the 20 kilometers walking.

Sometimes two records were set in one race. This is what happened to superstar Jakob Ingebrigtsen. On February 13, the Norwegian ran the mile, i.e. 1609 meters, indoors in Liévin, France, in 3:45.14 minutes (more than a second faster than the old record) and, as a bycatch, set a record for the 1500 meters in 3:29.63 minutes with his intermediate time. The American Yared Nuguse had set the record just five days earlier. That's how fast it is these days.

Carbon plates ensure noticeable changes

A month full of records. The times just keep falling. This flood of records leads to one question: What is happening here? What is it all about? Coincidence?

The German national running coach Werner Klein sees several factors as reasons for the accumulation. "On the one hand, training methods have developed further in recent years, which enables ever more targeted performance and competition control. On the other hand, technological development, especially in the area of ​​competition shoes, also plays a role," he told sport.de and ntv.de.

In recent years, since around 2017, it has been the so-called carbon shoes in the professional sector that have ensured that times are falling. The carbon plates integrated into the shoe ensure that the toe joint is stiffened. This saves energy when running. In addition, special cushioning foams in the shoes enable energy recovery. Running has also become a battle for the shoe industry. They are supposed to make athletes up to four percent faster. Valuable seconds, even minutes over long distances.

question mark on the one hand, presumption of innocence on the other

In addition, competitions "today are often optimally geared towards world records, which encourages a record hunt," the national coach continues. However, many times in the recent past have baffled experts and fans, and sometimes even led to head-shaking in the running scene. Despite all the presumption of innocence, there are still a few question marks.

Especially with immense leaps like the record set by Jacob Kiplimo, who took a whopping 48 seconds off the old half marathon record in Barcelona just over a week ago. Half an eternity over the 21.1 kilometers.

In addition to the aspects mentioned, DLV coach Klein sees the increasing professionalization of the sport as a decisive factor. "Athletes benefit from optimized training concepts, improved sports science and a sophisticated racing strategy," he says. At the same time, the high level of performance in international comparison means "that athletes push each other to ever better performances."

True to the motto: If someone suddenly breaks times that they would not have dared to do before, other athletes will also have more confidence and run faster. The mental aspect could also play a decisive role in the flood of records.

Athletics thrives on records, but ...

In fact, training theory has developed significantly in recent years. Athletes are increasingly running at their anaerobic threshold during training, doing several fast sessions a day and thus improving their performance.

Competition nutrition has also taken on a more important role over longer distances. The targeted intake of perfect mixtures of carbohydrates during the run has reached a peak. Due to their chemical composition, the gels and drinks are sometimes specifically passed through the stomach directly into the intestines for better absorption.

The records and developments are also being discussed in the German team and environment, says Klein. "Our focus is on how we can use the knowledge gained from these performances for our own athletes. It is important that, despite all the progress, the basic principles of sustainable and targeted performance development are maintained," says the national coach.

One thing is clear: athletics has always thrived on records and the eternal pursuit of them. However, it is questionable what effect such a sudden accumulation of incredible records, such as in the marathon, half marathon or middle distances, can have on young athletes. Do they motivate them or do the intangible, sometimes inhumane times lead to demotivation? The squad standards are also measured in strict terms of times.

Kiplimo is already chasing the next record in April

"Records are an essential part of sport and always have a great impact - both for the athletes themselves and for the public perception of athletics," says Klein. He believes that they can "have an inspirational effect and motivate young people." At the same time, it is important to "show realistic development steps and not rely solely on records as a benchmark," Klein continues. "Ultimately, athletics thrives on the variety of achievements and stories that the sport writes - and not just on numbers."

Nevertheless, records will naturally make the biggest headlines. The running world experienced perhaps the craziest one last autumn, when Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich beat the women's marathon record by almost two minutes in 2:09:56 hours. A gigantic leap that even experts were at a loss for words.

And actually, it's only a matter of time before the most magical limit falls. The men's marathon record is 2:00:35 hours. Set by Kelvin Kiptum in 2023, shortly afterwards the rapidly rising running star died in a traffic accident in Kenya.

So there are only 35 seconds left to reach this barrier, which was once said to never be broken. "Today it is possible to run under 2 hours, which I would not have said a few years ago," said running coach and bestselling author Herbert Steffny to sport.de. This makes the scene all the more excited about the marathon debut of the new half marathon world record holder Jacob Kiplimo. In April he will be running the 42.195 kilometers for the first time in London. The record hunt continues. On and on.