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Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich made history at the Chicago Marathon Sunday, October 14, shattering the women’s marathon world record. The 30-year-old marathoner crossed the finish line in a groundbreaking time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds, slicing nearly two minutes off the previous record held by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa.
Chepngetich’s feat marks the first time any woman has run a marathon in under 2 hours and 10 minutes.
This was her third consecutive Chicago Marathon win, a race she has clearly made her own, having come close to breaking the previous world record in 2022 when she missed it by a mere 14 seconds.
Chepngetich, who also claimed the 2019 world marathon title, couldn’t hide her joy after her record-breaking performance. “I feel so great, I’m proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true,” she said.
“I fight a lot thinking about the world record, and I have fulfilled it.” Her achievement is even more impressive given the Chicago Marathon’s reputation as a stage for fast times; four of the five fastest women’s marathon times have been run in this city over the last six years.
In the men’s race, Kenya’s John Korir also had a memorable day, securing a personal-best time of 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 44 seconds to claim victory.
Korir broke away from a leading pack of seven runners in the final stages of the race to take the win, edging out Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa, who finished second, and Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, who took third.
Korir’s victory carried extra emotional weight as he dedicated his performance to his late compatriot and world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, last year’s Chicago winner, who tragically died in a car accident earlier this year at just 24 years old. Kiptum had set the men’s marathon world record of 2 hours and 35 seconds in Chicago just months before his untimely passing. Korir, who was inspired by Kiptum’s record run, reflected on the importance of his late friend’s legacy. “Today, I was thinking about Kiptum and said, ‘last year if he could run under 2:01, why not me?’ So I had to believe in myself and try to do my best,” Korir shared after his emotional victory.
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