New Marathon World Record: 2:03.38

On Sunday, while I was out for a morning stroll in Minneapolis, Patrick Makau did this in Berlin:

(© Victah Sailer/BMW BERLIN-MARATHON)

BERLIN -- Haile Gebrselassie lost the race against time on Sunday when Patrick Makau shattered his marathon world record and ended an era of two decades dominated by arguably the greatest distance runner in history.

His lungs seizing up and struggling for air after more than 27 kilometers (17 miles) of the Berlin Marathon, Gebrselassie finally quit shortly after kilometer 35.

By then, Makau was more than two minutes ahead -- on his own and on the way to the German capital's landmark Brandenburg Gate and a new world record.

"I was hoping to gain a lot of experience but not to win," Makau said after slashing 21 seconds from Gebrselassie's old mark.

Makau pulled away after 27 kilometers and finished in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 38 seconds.

For some perspective, running a 2:03.38 marathon would be like running a 4:43 mile, only 26.21875 times in a row. That's impressive.

I say some perspective because, at some point, greatness—no matter the object—becomes virtually indigestible by the stomach of our minds. We have a category and some words for it: impressive (see above), awesome, incredible, amazing, mind-boggling. But I suppose any true sensitivity to its glory is gone. The apprehension threshold (whatever that is) has been exceeded, sort of like experiencing the temperature drops of a Minnesota winter. Cold is cold; numb is numb.

Nevertheless, is not the appropriate response to greatness grasping—a pressing in to see as much as we can?

The fastest mile my two legs have ever carried me was close to 5:00 flat. This means that, if Sunday was a good day, I could have tagged along within shouting distance of Patrick for almost a mile. I like to think we would have discussed his training regimen, race strategy, running story and favorite Gatorade flavor. It's more likely, however, that the conversation would have stalled into awkwardness given my comparative fitness level and general lack of proficiency in Swahili.

How much greater, and much more worthy of contemplation, is the One who creates creatures with mind-boggling abilities like this?

It's fitting to marvel at a 2:03.38 world record marathon performance, but not only.