Ruth Chepngetich put her name in the history books thanks to a remarkable performance at the Chicago Marathon, which she won with a world record time of 2:09:57.
Chepngetich, a heavy favourite to win the race on Sunday, October 13, shattered the world record of 2:11:53 previously set by Ethiopian Tigst Assefa at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.
The 30-year-old started the race decently, getting ahead of her closest rivals Asefa Kebede and Joyciline Jepkosgei early on. At the hour mark, however, there were obvious signs that Chepngetich would cruise to victory as she had established a clear distance between herself and her major threats.
Thanks to her victory, the Kericho native became the first woman in history to run under 2:10 mark - a record which has been set by a margin of nearly two minutes.
Chepngetich, who won the Chicago Marathon for the third time in a row, described her latest feat as a dream, saying, "I feel so great. I am very proud of myself and I've done well for the victory and the world record."
"This is my dream that has come true. I fight a lot thinking about the world record. I am very grateful."
Over the last six years, four out of the five fastest women’s marathons were run on the flat of Chicago course.
In the men's category, John Korir won men’s race with a dominant performance, besting a personal record of 2:02:43 for his first World Marathon Major title.
The 27-year-old is the younger brother of 2012 Boston Marathon winner Wesley Korir. With a record of 2:02:43, he is now officially the sixth-fastest male marathoner in history.
Like his female counterpart, Korir started strong and eventually broke away from the leading pack just after crossing the 30km mark. From then onwards, there was always going to be one winner.
Expectedly, Korir admitted he derived some inspiration from the late marathoner Kelvin Kiptum and his brother Wesley. “Feels very good to win," he said. " I want to thank my big brother Wesley for his help. It was tough. I came here to win and battle. My brother Wesley told me to be patient and believe in myself and run my race. I am really delighted."
Similarly, the late Kelvin Kiptum who died in a car crash at 24 broke the men’s world record by winning in 2:00:35 at the 2023 Chicago Marathon. All eyes are now on the New York City Marathon to be held on November 3 later this year.
