By winning in 2:09:57, the athlete reduced the old record, which was held by the Ethiopian Tigist Assefa, by almost two minutes.
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.
