Ruth Chepngetich smashed the world record at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday with a dominating 2:09:56 that shaved nearly two minutes off of the previous mark.
Chepngetich seemed locked in from the early stages of the race and by the halfway point she opened a sizable margin from the rest of the field.
Sutume Kebede took second in 2:17:32 and Irine Cheptai came in third at 2:17:51.
Kebede seemed to pose the only threat to Chepngetich but eased away as the pace — a blistering 64:16 at the half — held steady.
“The world record has come back to Kenya,” Chepngetich said to reporters after the race. “I dedicate this world record to Kelvin Kiptum.”
This is Chepngetich’s third win in Chicago, and most commanding, after taking victory in the 2021 (2:22:31) and 2022 (2:14:18) races.
She is now the first woman to break the 2:10 barrier in the marathon, a mark that she and her pacers seemed set on reaching as her lead continued grew to over four minutes at the later stages of the race.
“I feel so great. I’m proud of myself and I thank God for the victory and the world record,” she said to reporters at the finish line. “This is my dream that has come true. I fight a lot thinking about [the] world record and I have fulfilled it and I’m much grateful.”
The record will need to be ratified in the coming months.
In the men’s field, John Korir made a decisive move just before the mile 20 mark that proved to be the formula to push him to a 2:02:44 win.
For Korir, it was redemption after running Chicago in 2023 (2:05:09) and 2022 (2:05:01), but finishing third and fourth in his other attempts.
The win, the fastest time in the world this year, also marked a personal best for Korir, who had only previously won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2021 and 2022.
“You know, when we were coming here, we were going for the win,” Korir said in an interview after the race. “We were not going for the time. But you know, my brother and my coach said, ‘You are ready and just believe in yourself and you can make it.'”
Huseydin Mohamed Esa took second place in 2:04:39 and Amos Kipruto grabbed third in 2:04:50 as the two battled for position in the closing moments of the race.
Prior to the start of the race a moment of silence was held for Kiptum, who tragically died in a car accident in February in Kenya. His coach Gervais Hakizimana was also killed in the crash. Kiptum broke the world record in Chicago last year in 2:00:35, a marked that shocked the running world. It also signaled his place as one of the newer breakout stars in the sport.
Runners were given stickers to place on their bibs to honor Kiptum.
