Ruth Chepngetich shatters women’s world record at Chicago Marathon

Kenyan distance runner Ruth Chepngetich completed the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56 on Sunday, smashing the women’s full marathon world record. Chepngetich became the first woman to ever run under 2:10 at the full marathon distance.

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

Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa held the previous women’s world record of 2:11:53, a feat she accomplished at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

Chepngetich, 30, won gold in the women’s marathon at the 2019 World Championships. Entering Sunday, Chepngetich’s personal best in a full marathon was 2:14:18, set two years ago on Oct. 9, 2022. Her record for a half marathon is 1:04:02, set on April 4, 2021.

Sunday marked Chepngetich’s third win at the Chicago Marathon after taking gold in the 2021 and 2022 events. She also won bronze at the 2020 London Marathon.

She clocked a 1:04:16 at the halfway point on Sunday — the fifth-fastest time in history for the half marathon distance, according to World Athletics. She dedicated her world record to the late Kelvin Kiptum, a Kenyan runner who died in a car crash in February after breaking the men’s world marathon record in Chicago last year.

“I feel so great. I’m very proud of myself,” Chepngetich said Sunday, according to World Athletics. “This is my dream. I fought a lot, thinking about the world record. The world record has come back to Kenya.”

Sutume Asefa Kebede of Ethiopia finished second with a time of 2:17:32, while Irine Cheptai of Kenya was third (2:17:51). In the men’s race, John Korir was first with a time of 2:02:44. He beat Huseydin Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia in second (2:04:39) and Amos Kipruto of Kenya in third (2:04:50).

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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