The old and somewhat tiring joke goes, that you can find the Irish at everything, and Faith Kipyegon's 'Breaking4' project was no exception.
Kipyegon didn’t manage to become the first woman to break the four-minute barrier for the mile, but she did achieve the fastest time ever run with a 4:06.42 clocking and in the process has inspired one of her Irish pacers from the bid.
Cathal Doyle, Olympian, multiple national record holder and probably the gutsiest man in Irish athletics, was one of a long list of pacers to assist Kipyegon in the 1609m exhibition run at the Stade Charlety in the French capital on Thursday evening.
Doyle says running three laps with Kipyegon is up there with one of the best experiences he has had in his 27 years.
"It was probably just one of the coolest things you'll probably ever do, it was just a bit crazy because I've never paced a race before, especially at that kind of level," Doyle told RTÉ Sport.
Doyle walked down the tunnel onto the track in the French capital that just ten months ago saw him progress to the Olympic semi-final, to be the tip of the 'shield' formation for Kipyegon after some gruelling training with the Nike team leading the project.
"Training was actually pretty intense… We had two sessions every day in the morning and evening. We were shown on a laptop the formation. And I was like, 'Oh, I've kind of drawn the short straw here'."
The five-time national champion explains that he ran in the middle of lane two, where there were markers for him to follow, meaning he ran marginally further than the rest, which can make pacing trickier.
The Nike team, meticulous in their planning, attempted to cover every possible scenario that the athletes learned through dozens of repetitions.
"There was just scenario after scenario, there must've been about six different scenarios. The front five of us around Faith were the shield. And then the guys around near her were the ‘spoiler’.
"Luckily for my job, I actually didn't have to think. All I had to do was just run hard and stay in line where I was…it was just a lot of practice."
"Luckily for my job, I actually didn't have to think. All I had to do was just run hard and stay in line where I was… It was just a lot of practice."
Doyle reveals the call to be involved came only last week, thanks to some intervention from training partner and fellow Nike-sponsored athlete Elliot Giles.
"He (Giles) asked if he could bring a training partner, and then they realised this guy can pace when they looked up my personal bests.
"I only knew I was doing it less than a week ago, there wasn’t even a second thought."
For any athlete racing on the circuit, it can become monotonous quickly.
Doyle is no exception, running almost 25 races last season and 12 already this year, so the 'Breaking4' project offered a change from the continuance of the track season.
"You never get a chance to do stuff like this, running meets is cool and it's fun and all, but at the same time, they're all the same. So, this was a little bit different."
"You never get a chance to do stuff like this, running meets is cool and it's fun and all, but at the same time, they're all the same. So, this was a little bit different."
There were doubts from both fans and media of the sport as to whether the goal was achievable, but Doyle details that there was no question of its feasibility among the 13 pacers, and it was vital those around Kipyegon believed.
"Everyone was just so focused on their role. There wasn't even a question of, will she do it or not?
"In there, you're starting to believe that maybe she could do it, but apparently a 3:59 mile for a woman equates to a 1:58 men's marathon.
"So, it was even more difficult than the ‘Breaking2 ’ project with (Eliud) Kipchoge. But everyone was fully invested."
The event, organised by the shoe brand that has become synonymous with technology, development and science-backed projects like the one Doyle took part in, also specified that the pacers didn’t tell Kipyegon the exact time per lap, allowing her to focus only on the task.
"She didn't actually know the paces either. We were strictly told 'don't tell her'.
"No talk of splits on the warm-up - zero talk, do not mention splits. She hadn't a clue so all she had to do was hold on for dear life."
The stadium had a sizeable crowd, not full, but not bad for realistically four minutes of entertainment.
The Irish Olympian explained he wasn’t sure how a visibly nervous Kipyegon kept it together, knowing that it would be a rare scenario in which all eyes are exclusively on her.
"I don't even know how she could pull it together. You walked out and a couple of thousand people there and they're all cheering for just her on the line."
"I don't even know how she could pull it together. You walked out and a couple of thousand people there and they're all cheering for just her on the line."
Doyle is now excited to get back racing after six days in the French capital working towards something "crazy" which has changed his perspective on his own goals.
Which is exactly why Kipyegon attempted the near-impossible feat in the first place.
"I'm actually pretty buzzing now to race again and train, even though I was just among the 10 others, it's just being around really good people and really successful people. It does rub off on you and then you kind of feel like, ‘oh, I want to be that as well now’."
