I remember a similar clamour when Uta Pippig ran a 2:21 in 1994 in Boston with a huge tailwind. Suddenly the talking heads were chattering that a women's sub-2:20 was just around the corner ... ignoring the positive effects of the tailwind.
Pippig's 3 Boston wins were as follows: guess which one had the tailwind.
1994 Uta Pippig Germany 2:21:45
1995 Uta Pippig Germany 2:25:11
1996 Uta Pippig Germany 2:27:12
(The 3-4 min rule mentioned earlier in this thread will be lengthened the longer the duration of the performance.)
It took some time for that women's first sub-2:20 to come. For the record it was run by Naoko Takahashi in Berlin in 2001 with 2:19:46, although it must be noted that Tegla Loroupe came close twice with 2:20:47 (Rotterdam 1998) and 2:20:43 (Berlin 1999).