The new 10K world record by Rhonex Kipruto sets an unbelievably high bar.
Rhonex Kipruto, 20, just ran a world-record 10K, breaking the distance record set just a few weeks ago. On Sunday, Kipruto ran in the 10K Valencia Ibercaja in a time of 26:24.
The new record broke the short-lived old record by a huge 14 seconds. Six weeks ago, runner Joshua Cheptegei set the 10K world record with a time of 26:38 on a racecourse in Valencia, Spain. Kipruto ran 14 seconds faster than Cheptegei’s record time, and 48 seconds faster than his closest competitor.
While both runners broke records in the city of Valencia, they ran different courses. Both records are still pending.
In the race video, commentators and spectators alike begin chanting, “World record, world record!” as Kipruto nears the finish line.
Breaking the record is hard enough, but breaking it with his time was even more impressive. For context, to run the new record pace, one has to maintain a pace of about 4 minutes 15 seconds per mile for 6.2 miles. That is screaming fast — more than 14 mph.
Click here to watch Kipruto break the record.
Other Records
In addition to having a runner set a world-record 10K, the Valencia race saw a new world-record 5K and a new European 10K record as well. (Kipruto covered the 5K distance in 13:06; Swiss Julien Wanders set the European 10K record with a time of 27:13.)
In addition to being the fastest 10K runner on roads, Kipruto is now the third-fastest male athlete in history. Ethiopian runners Kenenisa Bekele (26:17) and Haile Gebrselassie (26:22) hold faster times on track courses.
