Ruth Chepngetich with Kenyan flag at end of race

By: BBC Africa

The 30-year-old clocked a time of two hours, nine minutes and 57 seconds to surpass Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s previous record by nearly two minutes.

Chepngetich is the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and 10 minutes.
Assefa set the previous record with victory at the 2023 Berlin Marathon in two hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds.

“I feel so great, I’m proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true,” said Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion.

“I’ve fought a lot thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it.” Victory for Chepngetich is her third in Chicago, where she missed out on breaking compatriot Brigid Kosgei’s then-world record by 14 seconds in 2022.

Four of the five fastest women’s marathon times have been run on the flat Chicago course over the last six years.