In the immediate aftermath of the race, though, the question that sticks in my mind is the opposite: How much faster could Kipchoge have gone if he’d had a rival with him in those final two laps? We know, after all, that racing against even virtual competition can boost performance by a percent or two compared to time-trialing against the clock. In a head-to-head race, could he have summoned the finishing kick that is nearly always seen in world-record runs?
