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An impressive margin. Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich beat the women’s marathon world record by almost two minutes this Sunday, October 13, by winning in Chicago in 2:09:57. The old record was held by the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa, who completed the 42.195 km in 2 h 11 min 53 s on September 24, 2023 in Berlin.
“I dedicate this record to Kelvin (Kiptum), he also broke a world record here and he could have broken one again”said Chepngetich after the finish. World record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in February at the age of 23 in a road accident, also established his mark a year ago on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was his compatriot John Korir who won the men’s race this year, unattached, in 2h 2 min 43 sec.
“I am very proud of myself. I had this world record in mind, it was my dream, and today everything was perfect: the weather, and my preparation”said Ruth Chepngetich again. The 30-year-old athlete achieved an extraordinary feat, running the entire race at a pace never before approached by women. At the 10th km, she was on the basis of 2:07:30, before slowing down very slightly, to however become the first woman in history to go below the symbolic bar of 2:10. World champion in marathon 2019, she had already won the Chicago Marathon twice, in 2021 and 2022. Her personal best over the distance was 2:14:18.
