Ruth Chepngetich, a 30-year-old Kenyan athlete, has astoundingly set a new women’s marathon world record, finishing Sunday’s Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56, demolishing the previous thought-to-be impossible to crack 2:10 barrier. She knocked roughly two minutes off of the former record of 2:11:53 recorded by Tigst Assefa from Ethiopia in September 2023 in Berlin. Assefa’s time, in turn, had significantly shattered the prior world record of 2:14:04.
In just over a year, Chepngetich has twice reevaluated the boundaries of what was believed achievable in women’s long-distance running. Moreover, she finished almost eight minutes before the silver medalist, Sutume Kebede from Ethiopia, who clocked in at 2:17:32. Despite being the only female in the top ten finishers, Chepngetich secured the tenth place, with only nine men outpacing her.
The world champion of 2019, Chepngetich had her previous best time of 2:14:18 on the same course when she secured victory in 2022. However, her latest feat of 2:09:56 was unforeseen. Incidentally, this new record equals the time of John Treacy, who clinched the Olympic silver medal 40 years ago in Los Angeles.
Chicago, despite its nickname as the windy city, has definitely gained recognition for its ultra-fast course. Around this same time last year, Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set the men’s world record, slicing more than 30 seconds off the existing record, finishing the race in 2:00:35. Regrettably, four months later, Kiptum lost his life in a road accident in Kenya.
Chepngetich completed the initial 5km phase in 15 minutes, further extending to her 10km mark on an impressive 30:14. She remained steadfast and crossed the half marathon distance in the fifth-quickest time ever recorded of 1:04:16, all throughout accepting aid from male pacers Barnabus Kiptum and Evans Nyakamba Mayaka across most of the race. Chepngetich’s motivation was the vivid recollection of the 2022 event where she fell short of setting the world record by a mere 14 seconds. “This is my dream, I’m very happy with myself,” she declared while carrying the Kenyan flag after crossing the finish line, before promptly returning to greet the audience. “I fought hard with the world record in my crosshairs. I’ve brought the world record home to Kenya and I’m dedicating it to Kelvin Kiptum.”
Being the equivalent of a man finishing below two hours, a woman finishing within the 2:10 mark is a monumental feat, a milestone that has not been achieved yet in a recognised marathon competition, except for Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya who registered a time of 1:59:40 in a Vienna promotional event five years prior.
Nonetheless, it is only the third time in over two decades that the women’s marathon record has been surpassed. The previous record holders being Brigid Kosgei’s 2:14.04 in 2019 which improved Paula Radcliffe’s 2003 London Marathon time of 2:15.25, before Assefa clocked her own record time of 2:11:53 last year.
In other news, at the Autumn International Cross-Country held at the Sport Ireland Campus on Sunday, Keelan Kilrehill of Moy Valley AC retained his men’s championship from the previous year, leveraging the clear, solid conditions to clock a time of 23:51 in the 8km race, with Sean Tobin of Clonmel AC following with 24:16, and Spain’s Isaac Hirschman-Chandler finishing third at 24:20. With his 24th birthday just around the corner, Kilrehill is steadily preparing himself for the National Cross-Country in Enniskillen on November 17th, aiming to qualify for the European Cross-Country Championships scheduled in Antalya, Turkey, on December 8th.
Íde Nic Dhómhnaill, affiliated with West Limerick AC, returned with the aim to retain her women’s title from the previous year. However, this time the 39-year-old Dublin-residing educator and mother to two was relegated to the second position, completing the 6km race in 20:25. The remarkable victory was claimed by England’s Sophie Tarver clocking 20:12. The titleholder of the Irish Cross-Country, Fiona Everard of Bandon AC, rounded off the podium with a timing of 20:33, preparing well for her title defence next month. Nic Dhómhnaill is also setting her sights on representing in the European championship, having not taken part last year due to sickness.