CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, October 13 — In both the 2022 and ’23 Chicago Marathons, Ruth Chepngetich blasted away from the starting line at World Record pace only to falter late in the race, just missing Brigid Kosgei’s WR with her 2022 win in 2:14:18, then running 2:15:37 last year finishing 2nd to Sifan Hassan’s 2:13:44 course record.
Turns out that the third time was not only the charm, but a huge barrier buster as the petite and powerful Kenyan delivered a stupefying 2:09:56 World Record performance that stunned most everyone — save herself. Chepngetich revealed “My plan was 2:09, 2:10. That was my dream, and it has come true.”
She said, “I feel so great. I’m very proud of myself. I thought a lot about the World Record and I dedicate this race to Kelvin Kiptum. Now the women’s World Record has come back to Kenya” — via Chicago.
Yes, also a dream come true for race director Carey Pinkowski, who jumped for joy to greet Chepngetich, raising two fingers signaling Chicago’s laying claim to both the men’s and women’s World Records in the span of 12 months.
With Chepngetich’s sub-2:10, and Kiptum’s stunning and tragic 2:00:35 WR in the last race of his life, Chicago’s slightly revamped and mostly concrete course has proven to be super-shoe fast. The city’s building boom has also provided shelter for the oft windy route with Chepngetich noting “the wind was not so strong, the weather was perfect.”
Great course and conditions, but Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 performance is simply staggering on so many fronts — be it the 64:16 opening half (the No. 5 all-time women’s HM performance), the 3:04.8 per K or 4:57.6 per mile average pace, the 7:36 margin of victory ahead of 2nd-placer Ethiopian Sutume Asefa (2:17:32), or the almost 2 minutes pared off Tigst Assefa ‘s equally stunning 2:11:53 WR run in September of ’23 in Berlin.
“To break a World Record is difficult,” Chepngetich said. “You need perseverance, focus and determination,” and the 30-year-old athlete’s career has reflected all three traits.
As a teenage mother, Chepngetich came to sport late, starting her professional career in 2016 running a 71:13 half-marathon. In 2017 she really got after it, racing six half-marathons and dropping her PR to 66:19. That November she won her marathon debut in Istanbul in 2:22:36.
Chepngetich began 2019 with a PR 2:17:08 win in Dubai, before winning World Champs marathon gold in the midnight race in Doha.
After rising to the top of her sport, Chepngetich persevered through the 2-year COVID hiatus then returned faster than ever. On April 4, 2022, Chepngetich bagged her first WR, clocking 64:02 in the Istanbul half. The time now ranks No. 3 on the all-time performance list, but remains the Kenyan national record.
After her Doha WC win, Chepngetich DNFed in the Tokyo Olympics and Oregon’22 marathons, but won her 2021 Chicago debut in 2:22:31, blitzing the opening 15K in 47:15 before slowing amid warm and windy conditions.
“In 2022, I started even faster,” Chepngetich recalls of the 46:19 opening 15K (2:10:17 pace) that kept her under WR tempo until the final kilometer.
Then in 2023, despite running a 65:42 opening half, she was never able to warm up in the morning chill, admitting, “I had no power in the second half.”
When Chepngetich’s Olympic hopes were dashed early in 2024 after a sub-par 7th place (2:24:36) finish in London, her focus shifted to a WR effort in Chicago. “I was not in good shape in London,” Ruth said. “I had an injury in February and I just trained for one month. Since London, it’s like 6 months and I prepared very well with the record in my mind.”
While this WR run was played out in the streets of Chicago, Chepngetich’s fitness was earned in the Ngong Hills southwest of Nairobi.
“Since I started in sport, I’ve never had a coach, I’m self-coached. I train in Ngong with my pacemakers and I was planning my program with them, and we beat it.”
Chepngetich turned 30 on August 8 and after winning a 65:58 HM tune-up in Buenos Aires on August 25, she was fully determined to make her own history in Chicago.
“The World Record was in my mind, and I had a good feeling. My manager knew I was going to try the World Record, but I was not sure. I was just trying.”
While Asefa opened bidding for a 65:30 target pace, Chepngetich accompanied by pacers Evans Mayaka and Barnabas Kiptum laid her cards bare from the gun. “My first 3 Ks were 2:56, 2:59 and 3:00 and I passed 5K at 15:00. The pace was quick but I was feeling good and I decided to go with that pace.”
Asefa and Joyciline Jepkosgei tried to go with the 3:00–3:04 K pace, with only the Ethiopian able to stay near Chepngetich, who crossed 15K in 45:32 — 2:08:05 tempo.
The first part scared me,” Chepngetich admitted. “We were on 64 [HM] pace and the pacers were worried so we reduced the pace.”
Chepngetich crossed halfway in 64:16 with Asefa at 64:30. This year there would be no second-half fade as the soon-to-be sub-2:10 star kept up a steady stream of 3:04–3:08 kilometers, reaching 30K in 1:31:49 (2:09:08 pace) and extending her lead to almost 2 minutes.
Winding down just a bit to 3:09 pace, Chepngetich, running a stride behind her pacers, showed some fatigue as she crossed 35K in 1:47:32 (2:09:38 pace). “At around 35, I feel like it’s a little bit tired. That’s when you set your mind and you are focused, that’s what I did and I didn’t have to push it.”
Closing in on the finish Chepngetich found some extra energy from the fans lining the route and sped through the final 2195m in 6:45 (3:04.5 K pace) to duck under 2:10, securing a formidable place in marathon history.
“Chicago is like home, this is my fourth year coming here,” she said, “and the fans are motivating with shouting and that makes me push so hard.”
Having significantly reset pre-conceived notions about women’s marathoning, Chepngetich suggests, “In the future maybe I can run 2:08, I don’t think it’s impossible.”
Susanna Sullivan, 7th in a PR 2:21:56, led U.S. finishers with Lindsay Flanagan 9th (2:23:31 PR) and 6 Americans sub-2:29:00.
CHICAGO WOMEN’S RESULTS
1. Ruth Chepngetich (Ken) 2:09:56 WR (old WR—2:11:53 Tigst Assefa [Eth] ’23) (WL)(15:00, 15:14 [30:14], 15:18 [45:32], 15:19 [1:00:51], 15:26 [1:16:17], 15:32 [1:31:49], 15:43 [1:47:32], 15:39 [2:03:11], 6:45) (1:04:16/1:05:40) ($150,000);
2. Sutume Asefa (Eth) 2:17:32; 3. Irene Cheptai (Ken) 2:17:51 PR; 4. Buze Diriba (Eth) 2:20:22 PR; 5. Joyciline Jepkosgei (Ken) 2:20:51; 6. Degitu Azimeraw (Eth) 2:20:52;
7. Susanna Sullivan (US) 2:21:56 (10, x A) (1:10:09/1:11:47) ($15,000); 8. Ashete Bekere (Eth) 2:23:10; 9. Lindsay Flanagan (US) 2:23:31 PR; 10. Stacy Ndiwa (Ken) 2:23:42 PR;
11. Emma Bates (US) 2:24:00; 12. Gabi Rooker (US) 2:24:29 PR; 13. Laura Hagans (US) 2:25:47 PR; 14. Annie Frisbie (US) 2:27:52; 15. Dominique Scott’ (SA) 2:28:16; 16. Amy Davis-Green (US) 2:28:41 PR; 17. Anne-Marie Blaney (US) 2:29:25 PR; 18. Sara Hall (US) 2:30:12; 19. Betsy Saina (US) 2:31:51; 20. Aubrey Frentheway (US) 2:35:47 (debut);… dnf—Keira D’Amato (US), Makena Morley (US), Sara Vaughn (US).
