<p>Just a few years ago, Dennis Kimetto was working on his family's farm in Kenya's Rift Valley highlands, growing potatoes, maize and taking care of livestock.<br /><br /></p>.<p>He would watch from the fields as groups of runners sped by in their pursuit of international stardom, before an opening with a local training group set him on a course that saw him smash the marathon world record and become the first man to break the 2hrs 03min barrier last week.<br /><br />"I used to watch a lot of athletics on television, I was inspired," he told AFP, hours after returning home from Berlin to a hero's welcome.<br /><br />Family hardship meant Kimetto had to drop out of school at 14 to help on the farm and at the local market, but he eventually struck up a conversation with Geoffrey Mutai — already one of the world's fastest road racers.<br /><br />"I was invited to join the athletics training camp at Kapngetuny, which is only a few kilometres from my home," the quietly-spoken 30-year-old recalled. Through running with Mutai's group he gained access to running kit and shoes, which cost a small fortune in Kenya, and an overseas manager and agent.<br /><br />Long-inspired by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie and Kenyan Paul Tergat's epic 10,000M duel at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Kimetto threw himself into the group training regimen that — when coupled with their unique physiology — puts Kenya's runners on a level above the rest.<br /><br />Living in humble dormitories, eating simple food — Kimetto recommends plenty of fruit, vegetables, fermented milk and ugali, the local maize-flour mash — and running huge training volumes of close to 250 kilometres (160 miles) a week, his talent soon became evident.<br /><br />His first major win came in Nairobi's Half Marathon in 2011, and he went on to finish second behind mentor Mutai in the Berlin Marathon in 2012 — his 2:04.16 was the fastest debut in history.<br /><br />Kimetto's performance was also notable because he represented a new breed of Kenyan road racers — who one coach has described as "turbo diesels" — who have no track pedigree, modest top-end speed yet have the speed endurance to excel on the roads.<br /><br />In 2013 he won the Tokyo Marathon, setting a course record of 2:06.50, and then the 2013 Chicago Marathon, where he set another course record of 2:03.45.Last Sunday, on the fast-and-flat Berlin course, he raised the bar even higher, taking 26 seconds off the marathon world record of his neighbour and training partner Wilson Kipsang.<br /><br />His 2:02.57 also made him the first man to break the 2:03 barrier, and has again prompted fresh debate over whether a sub-2 hour marathon may one day be possible.<br /><br />"I didn't expect to run a new world record when we started the race. But at the 21km mark I realised it was possible and we urged the pacemakers to increase the pace," he said.<br /><br />"It was a matter of endurance under much internal pain. It was physically painful, and we have to push hard to persevere, or 'kuvumilia' as we say in Swahili. But when I heard the crowd cheering me on I was able to keep pushing myself."A half-dozen runners followed pacesetters to the halfway point in 1:01:45. Emmanuel Mutai reached 30 kilometers in 1:27:37, a record for the distance. He surged to try to break Kimetto and another Kenyan, Geoffrey Kamworor.<br /><br />By 35 kilometers Kamworor, who would finish fourth, had drifted off the pace. It was left to Kimetto and Mutai to settle the race and the world record.<br /><br />Kimetto began to draw away slightly. At 40 kilometers, his lead expanded to seven seconds. In April, Kimetto dropped out late during the Boston Marathon because of a hamstring injury. There was no such disruption this time. Kimetto ran through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and maintained his speed to set a world record and break the 2:03 barrier. <br /><br />The race netted him $154,000 (122,000 euros), not including appearance fees or bonuses from sponsors. He is also well-placed to win the World Marathon Majors title for 2013-2014, which would earn him another $500,000.<br /><br />His winnings, he said, will be ploughed back into school and college fees for young family members, and support for his community and training group -- all keeping with the runners' tradition of 'Harambee', or pulling together. Kimetto only smiled when asked about breaking the two-hour barrier, but said he thinks he can still go faster.<br /><br />"I'm going to run harder. I'm going to run faster. I'll take a short break, but in the new year I'll train with my fellow runners to try and break my own record."<br /><br /></p>
<p>Just a few years ago, Dennis Kimetto was working on his family's farm in Kenya's Rift Valley highlands, growing potatoes, maize and taking care of livestock.<br /><br /></p>.<p>He would watch from the fields as groups of runners sped by in their pursuit of international stardom, before an opening with a local training group set him on a course that saw him smash the marathon world record and become the first man to break the 2hrs 03min barrier last week.<br /><br />"I used to watch a lot of athletics on television, I was inspired," he told AFP, hours after returning home from Berlin to a hero's welcome.<br /><br />Family hardship meant Kimetto had to drop out of school at 14 to help on the farm and at the local market, but he eventually struck up a conversation with Geoffrey Mutai — already one of the world's fastest road racers.<br /><br />"I was invited to join the athletics training camp at Kapngetuny, which is only a few kilometres from my home," the quietly-spoken 30-year-old recalled. Through running with Mutai's group he gained access to running kit and shoes, which cost a small fortune in Kenya, and an overseas manager and agent.<br /><br />Long-inspired by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie and Kenyan Paul Tergat's epic 10,000M duel at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Kimetto threw himself into the group training regimen that — when coupled with their unique physiology — puts Kenya's runners on a level above the rest.<br /><br />Living in humble dormitories, eating simple food — Kimetto recommends plenty of fruit, vegetables, fermented milk and ugali, the local maize-flour mash — and running huge training volumes of close to 250 kilometres (160 miles) a week, his talent soon became evident.<br /><br />His first major win came in Nairobi's Half Marathon in 2011, and he went on to finish second behind mentor Mutai in the Berlin Marathon in 2012 — his 2:04.16 was the fastest debut in history.<br /><br />Kimetto's performance was also notable because he represented a new breed of Kenyan road racers — who one coach has described as "turbo diesels" — who have no track pedigree, modest top-end speed yet have the speed endurance to excel on the roads.<br /><br />In 2013 he won the Tokyo Marathon, setting a course record of 2:06.50, and then the 2013 Chicago Marathon, where he set another course record of 2:03.45.Last Sunday, on the fast-and-flat Berlin course, he raised the bar even higher, taking 26 seconds off the marathon world record of his neighbour and training partner Wilson Kipsang.<br /><br />His 2:02.57 also made him the first man to break the 2:03 barrier, and has again prompted fresh debate over whether a sub-2 hour marathon may one day be possible.<br /><br />"I didn't expect to run a new world record when we started the race. But at the 21km mark I realised it was possible and we urged the pacemakers to increase the pace," he said.<br /><br />"It was a matter of endurance under much internal pain. It was physically painful, and we have to push hard to persevere, or 'kuvumilia' as we say in Swahili. But when I heard the crowd cheering me on I was able to keep pushing myself."A half-dozen runners followed pacesetters to the halfway point in 1:01:45. Emmanuel Mutai reached 30 kilometers in 1:27:37, a record for the distance. He surged to try to break Kimetto and another Kenyan, Geoffrey Kamworor.<br /><br />By 35 kilometers Kamworor, who would finish fourth, had drifted off the pace. It was left to Kimetto and Mutai to settle the race and the world record.<br /><br />Kimetto began to draw away slightly. At 40 kilometers, his lead expanded to seven seconds. In April, Kimetto dropped out late during the Boston Marathon because of a hamstring injury. There was no such disruption this time. Kimetto ran through the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and maintained his speed to set a world record and break the 2:03 barrier. <br /><br />The race netted him $154,000 (122,000 euros), not including appearance fees or bonuses from sponsors. He is also well-placed to win the World Marathon Majors title for 2013-2014, which would earn him another $500,000.<br /><br />His winnings, he said, will be ploughed back into school and college fees for young family members, and support for his community and training group -- all keeping with the runners' tradition of 'Harambee', or pulling together. Kimetto only smiled when asked about breaking the two-hour barrier, but said he thinks he can still go faster.<br /><br />"I'm going to run harder. I'm going to run faster. I'll take a short break, but in the new year I'll train with my fellow runners to try and break my own record."<br /><br /></p>