Ruth Chepngetich Shatters Women's Marathon World Record

Ruth Chepngetich ran the fastest women's marathon in history on October 13, 2024, with a time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 56 seconds. She won the Chicago Marathon for the third time.

What happened?

Ruth Chepngetich crushed the previous world record of 2:11:53 set by Tigst Assefa at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

She distanced runner-up Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia by 7:36. Chepngetich entered the race as the fourth-fastest woman in history with a personal best of 2:14:18.

Why it matters for Ruth Chepngetich

This win marks a significant achievement for Chepngetich, who was ninth in her most recent marathon in London in April after an injury in February curtailed her build-up.

She was not on Kenya's three-woman Olympic team announced the following week. But Chepngetich was inspired by Kelvin Kiptum, who broke the men's world record at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.

What comes next?

The next major marathon is the New York City Marathon on November 3. Chepngetich's win at the Chicago Marathon sets her up for a strong performance in New York.

Chepngetich averaged sub-five-minute miles for the marathon, with a pace of 4:57 minutes per mile. This is the first time a woman has achieved this feat in a marathon.

The Chicago Marathon course has seen four of the five fastest women's marathons in history over the last six years. Chepngetich's win continues this trend of fast times on the pancake-flat course.

Chepngetich's time of 2:09:56 is a new world record, beating the previous record by 2 minutes. She is now the fastest woman in marathon history.

The men's race was won by John Korir, who finished with a time of 2:02:44. Korir is now the sixth-fastest male marathoner in history.

Chepngetich's achievement is a testament to her hard work and dedication to the sport. She continues to push the boundaries of what is possible for women in marathon running.

The fastest women's marathons in history are now dominated by Chepngetich and other top female runners. The top five times are:
1. Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) — 2:09:56 (2024 Chicago)
2. Tigst Assefa (Ethiopia) — 2:11:53 (2023 Berlin)
3. Sifan Hassan (Netherlands) — 2:13:44 (2023 Chicago)
4. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) — 2:14:04 (2019 Chicago)
5. Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) — 2:14:18 (2022 Chicago)

Chepngetich's world record win at the Chicago Marathon will be remembered as one of the greatest achievements in women's marathon history.