Is this the first blow in Kipchoge’s armour?

October 4, 2020 Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge during the elite men's race Pool via REUTERS

When race commentator Steve Cram announced “this is not normal” midway through yesterday’s London Marathon it was something of an understatement as Eliud Kipchoge, the most dominant performer the distance has ever seen, was finally looking mortal.

An hour later, Kipchoge trailed home eighth in a time six minutes slower than his own world record and over a minute adrift of Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata, who won the race after a spectacular sprint finish in two hours, 05.41 minutes.