Getting faster and faster, Kirwa aims at 2:04

[Ryan]

Frankfurt, Germany - Everybody loves a barrier to break, or even write about. Ten seconds for 100 metres, the four minute mile, the eight minute steeplechase, etc, etc. Their pursuit has consumed kilos of calories and acres of newsprint. In the world of marathon running the barrier is, of course, two hours!
 
But nobody is going to run a sub-two hour marathon anytime soon. And that’s Haile Gebrselassie telling you that. Repeatedly. Give it around twenty years, maybe forty, says the Great One, who broke the most recent barrier with his 2:03:59 in Berlin just over a year ago.
 
But it is only a matter of time. For Geb is only the figurehead on the prow of a crowded vessel that is getting faster and faster. This year’s acceleration alone has seen ten of the fastest times in history, the most recent addition to the world top 20 being Gilbert Kirwa of Kenya, who won the Commerzbank Frankfurt Marathon - IAAF Gold Label Road Race - in 2:06:14, equal 17th fastest time ever.

IAAF article

[Ed]

Kirwa is pretty young but that two and a half minutes he needs to cut is huge - Two minutes at a 8:30 pace is relatively easier to cut than two minutes at a 4:45 pace.

[Andrew A.]

He did go from 2:08:21 to 2:06:14 (both wins) between his first and second marathons.  He is rather new to the distance and he won, so he may have run just hard enough to win.  With a better field and a crew of pacers (i.e. at Virgin London) he likely could see some significant improvement in performance.