Kenenisa Bekele Runs 2:01:41 in Berlin

Kenenisa Bekele ran 2:01:41 in Berlin on Sunday, narrowly missing Eliud Kipchoge's world record by two seconds.

What happened?

Bekele's time was a shock to the running world, as he had not won a marathon in three years and his previous attempt at the distance ended in a dropout.

He hit halfway in 61:05, a second faster than Kipchoge's split when he set the record.

Why it matters for Kenenisa Bekele

Bekele's performance puts him in the esteemed 2:01 club, with over a minute between him and the next best marathoner.

His second half was 60:36, three seconds off Kipchoge's final 13.1 miles in 2018.

What comes next?

With the Ineos 1:59 Challenge in Vienna just 13 days away, Eliud Kipchoge will have a chance to respond to Bekele's challenge.

Kipchoge's run in Austria won't be world record-eligible, but he'll run for history knowing his title as the best marathoner is less certain.

Bekele's countryman Birhanu Legese paced much of his effort, but Bekele caught him at 38K and put a comfortable 30 seconds on Legese by 40K.

The women's race saw Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia win with a time of 2:20:14, while American Sara Hall ran a personal best of 2:22:16 to place fifth.

Hall's time moves her to sixth all-time on the U.S. women's marathon list, behind Deena Kastor and Jordan Hasay.

Sally Kipyego was seventh in 2:25:10, and Mare Dibaba finished second in 2:20:21.

Kenenisa Bekele's 2:01:41 time is a testament to his enduring talent and dedication to the sport.

He has 20 global gold medals to his name, cementing his status as one of the greatest distance runners in history.

The 37-year-old Bekele will look to build on this performance in future competitions, and his fans will be eagerly awaiting his next move.

The running world will be watching to see how Eliud Kipchoge responds to Bekele's challenge, and what the future holds for these two marathon giants.