Kenya's Ruth Chepngetich sets new world record at Chicago Marathon

Ruth Chepngetich too off almost two minutes from the previous WR at the event.

Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich took almost two minutes off the world record* at the Chicago Marathon, winning the World Athletics Platinum Label Road Race in 2:09:56 on Sunday (October 13).

Not only did she obliterate Tigist Assefa’s world record of 2:11:53, set in Berlin last year, Chepngetich also notched up her third Chicago Marathon victory and chopped more than four minutes off her previous best of 2:14:18, set when winning here in 2022.

WORLD RECORD ‼️🇰🇪's Ruth Chepngetich destroys the marathon world record in Chicago with an incredible 2:09:57 😮‍💨That's almost 2 minutes faster than the previous world record 🤯She finishes in 10th place overall of the @ChiMarathon 👏 pic.twitter.com/ftM1J0j1F1

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) October 13, 2024

On a good day for Kenyan runners, John Korir took the men’s title in 2:02:43, the second-fastest time ever recorded in Chicago behind the world record of 2:00:35 set by the late Kelvin Kiptum last year.

Chepngetich breezed through the first 5km in 15:00 and then reached 10km in an astonishing 30:14. She continued her relentless pace and hit the half-way mark in an incredible 1:04:16, the fifth-fastest clocking in history for the half marathon distance and putting her on course for a sub-2:09 finish.

Spurred on by her memories of the 2022 race, when she missed out on the world record by just 14 seconds, Chepngetich powered through the final stages and crossed the line in 2:09:57, becoming the first woman to break 2:10.

“I feel so great. I’m very proud of myself. This is my dream. I fought a lot, thinking about the world record. The world record has come back to Kenya, and I dedicate this world record to Kelvin Kiptum.”

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