Aleksandr Sorokin in action in Vilnius
Lithuania’s Aleksandr Sorokin broke the world 100km record* at the Nord Security World’s Fastest Run in Vilnius on Sunday (14).
His winning time of 6:05:35, pending ratification, is an improvement of three minutes and 39 seconds on the previous official world record of 6:09:14, set by Japan’s Nao Kazami in 2018. Sorokin had clocked 6:05:41 in a 100,000m race on the track last year but it was not ratified as a world 100km record.
Competing in a field of 30 international ultra-runners on a 1.644km circuit in the Lithuanian capital, Sorokin ran his own race in a bid to break the record. He covered the marathon distance in about 2:32:30, just seven minutes shy of the PB he set for that discipline in Seville earlier this year.
He maintained that rhythm as he reached half way in just under 3:02, putting him well on course to break Kazami’s record. With temperatures now at 19C – the race having started at 6am local time – Sorokin’s pace barely dropped in the second half as he crossed the finish line in 6:05:35.
“I am extremely happy that I managed to break a world record and that I did so in my native city,” said the 41-year-old. “Vilnius is the city where I started running and it’s my great pleasure to thank it by making history right here.”
