Parting Thoughts From The 2024 Chicago Marathon: Ruth Chepngetich Destroys Women’s World Record In 2:09:56 at Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO – One year after the late Kelvin Kiptum obliterated Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record by 34 seconds, running an almost unfathomable 2:00:35, Ruth Chepngetich topped that. Her astounding time of 2:09:56 is one of the greatest running performances in history, makes her the first woman to run under 2:10 in a marathon, and lopped one minute and 57 seconds off Tigist Assefa’s old world record. 

On the men’s side, Kenya’s John Korir notched his first-ever World Marathon Majors victory in 2:02:44. (What a time for the sport of marathoning we’re in right now, where a 2:02 showing is basically a footnote!)

WOMEN’S TOP 20 RESULTS

1. 🇰🇪 Ruth Chepngetich - 2:09:56  

2. 🇪🇹 Sutume Asefa Kebede - 2:17:32  

3. 🇰🇪 Irine Cheptai - 2:17:51  

4. 🇪🇹 Buze Diriba Kejela - 2:20:22  

5. 🇰🇪 Joyciline Jepkosgei - 2:20:51  

6. 🇪🇹 Degitu Azimeraw - 2:20:52  

7. 🇺🇸 Susanna Sullivan - 2:21:56  

8. 🇪🇹 Ashete Bekere Dido - 2:23:10  

9. 🇺🇸 Lindsay Flanagan - 2:23:31  

10. 🇰🇪 Stacy Ndiwa - 2:23:42  

11. 🇺🇸 Emma Bates - 2:24:00  

12. 🇺🇸 Gabi Rooker - 2:24:29  

13. 🇺🇸 Lauren Hagans - 2:25:47  

14. 🇺🇸 Annie Frisbie - 2:27:52  

15. 🇿🇦 Dominique Scott - 2:28:16  

16. 🇺🇸 Amy Davis-Green - 2:28:41  

17. 🇺🇸 Anne-Marie Blaney - 2:29:25  

18. 🇺🇸 Sara Hall - 2:30:12  

19. 🇺🇸 Betsy Saina - 2:31:51  

20. 🇺🇸 Aubrey Frentheway - 2:35:47

MEN’S TOP 20 RESULTS

1. 🇰🇪 John Korir - 2:02:44  

2. 🇪🇹 Huseydin Mohamed Esa - 2:04:39  

3. 🇰🇪 Amos Kipruto - 2:04:50  

4. 🇰🇪 Vincent Ngetich - 2:05:16  

5. 🇰🇪 Daniel Ebenyo - 2:06:04  

6. 🇯🇵 Kyohei Hosoya - 2:07:20  

7. 🇺🇸 CJ Albertson - 2:08:17  

8. 🇯🇵 Toshiki Sadakata - 2:08:22  

9. 🇰🇪 Alex Masai - 2:08:51  

10. 🇺🇸 Zach Panning - 2:09:16  

11. 🇯🇵 Yuichi Yasui - 2:10:11  

12. 🇺🇸 Reed Fischer - 2:10:14  

13. 🇺🇸 Brian Shrader - 2:10:25  

14. 🇪🇹 Dawit Wolde Arega - 2:10:53  

15. 🇺🇸 Shadrack Kipchirchir - 2:11:05  

16. 🇯🇵 Tatsuya Maruyama - 2:11:07  

17. 🇺🇸 Alex Maier - 2:11:24  

18. 🇺🇸 Turner Wiley - 2:11:55  

19. 🇺🇸 Charlie Sweeney - 2:12:23

20. 🇺🇸JP Flavin – 2:12:34

Here are some parting thoughts and analysis while reporting in Chicago:

What The Hell Just Happened?

Chepngetich went for it immediately. NBC Chicago television viewers (more on that later) were treated to the sight of the 2019 women’s World champion in the same pack as Americans CJ Albertson and Zach Panning for the opening miles of the Chicago Marathon. 

Those who have watched Chepngetich race in Chicago over the past three years may not have been totally shocked by her aggressive charge from the start. In 2022, she went after Brigid Kosgei’s then-world record of 2:14:04 and fell just 14 seconds short. Last year, she battled Sifan Hassan through about 30K before finishing second in 2:15:37. So knowing that the American men were targeting a finishing time somewhere in 2:06/2:07 range, Chepngetich’s presence in the pack signaled her intentions clearly: a massive world record attempt.

Chepngetich’s first half was mind-blowing. Accompanied by pacers Barnabus Kiptum and Evans Nyakamba Mayaka, she went through in 15:00 for the first 5K; 30:14 for 10K (a time bettered by only 11 women in the world on the track this year and faster than the 2025 World Championship 10,000m qualifying standard); 45:32 for 15K; 1:00:51 for 20K and 1:04:16 for the half marathon. She was within striking distance of her own 1:04:02 half marathon personal best from April 2021 for the first half of a marathon! If the race ended at 13.1 miles, Chepngetich would have run the fifth-fastest half marathon performance by a woman.

The crash and burn that many would have expected – or experienced, if they attempted her race plan – never materialized. After halfway, she slowed down slightly with each subsequent 5K, splitting 1:16:17 (15:26) for 25K; 1:31:49 (15:32) for 30K; 1:47:32 (15:43) for 35K; and 2:03:11 (15:39) for 40K. But, she found a final gear in the home stretch down Michigan Avenue to cross the finish line in 2:09:56.

“My plan was 2:09 or 2:10,” she said in the post-race press conference. “The world record is not easy. You need focus and determination.”

By the numbers:

• 2 – No. of American men who ran faster than Chepngetich on Sunday

• 3 – Total Chicago Marathon victories for Chepngetich

• 7 – Men’s or women’s world marathon records broken in Chicago

• 7 minutes and 36 seconds – Chepngetich’s margin of victory over second place

• 11th – Chepngetich’s overall finishing position among among all competitors

• 4:00.97 – What Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 marathon equates to for the mile, according to the World Athletic scoring tables

(A quick note on the rest of the podium: Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede was the athlete who reportedly requested a 1:05:30 split for the first half. She ended up going faster and crossed the marker in 1:04.16, which would be the ninth-fastest half marathon performance by a woman. Despite the painful second half that ensued – she split 1:13:02 for the return downtown – Kedebe still managed to hold on for a runner-up finish in 2:17:32. Kenya’s Irine Cheptai took third in 2:17:51.)

What To Make Of The Performance

Any time a big chunk of time is taken off the world record, a cloud of suspicion inevitably arises among some fans. This one is no different, judging from the responses in our comments section and some of our Twitter replies.

We’re in an era where advances in shoe technology, fueling, and training continue to be made, but the specter of widespread doping still looms over distance running.  Chepngetich has never tested positive for any performance-enhancing drugs or been found guilty of any doping violation.

However, Kenya is in the midst of a massive doping crisis with waves of positive tests and suspensions announced by the Athletics Integrity Unit almost weekly. Chepngetich is represented by Federico Rosa, who also worked with 2016 Olympic champion Jemima Sumgong and Boston/Chicago Marathon champion Rita Jeptoo before they were both stripped of their titles for positive tests for EPO. Rosa was also under investigation in Kenya for “conspiracy to cause injuries to professional athletes through doping” but those charges were later dropped. Aside from her management team, Chepngetich seems to keep a small and close circle. She told reporters that she has been self-coached since she has been running professionally and trains in Ngong, Kenya, with a small cast of pacemakers.

LetsRun.com’s Robert Johnson asked Chepngeitch about Kenya’s doping issues and what she would say to any skeptics. Here’s how that interaction went:

Johnson: “Ruth, unfortunately in recent years there’s been a number of doping positives in Kenya. What would you say to someone who says when they see 2:09:56, ‘This is too good to be true. I have questions about it.”

Chepngetich: “I don’t have any idea.”

Johnson: “Some people may think that the time is too fast and you must be doping. What would you say to them?”

Chepngetich: “You know people must talk but… people must talk so I don’t know.”

To those saying the question was inappropriate, disrespectful or unwarranted, I strongly disagree. It’s a fair question in light of approximately 300 Kenyans serving anti-doping suspensions since 2015. Any athlete taking more than two minutes off a world record would be faced with a similar question regardless of race or gender.

Quick aside: Could the race have provided an interpreter to allow her to answer more thoroughly in her native language? Yes, but it appears the Chicago Marathon did not have one. An interpreter was at the pre-race press conference for Ethiopian athletes.)

The women’s world record from 2003 – 2:15:25 by Paula Radcliffe – was widely considered one of the most impressive and difficult to top in all of athletics. So when it was lowered to 2:14:04 by Brigid Kosgei in 2019, and then to 2:11:53 by Tigist Assefa in 2023, those athletes made it clear that we’ve entered an entirely new era for women’s marathoning. 

What happened today on the streets of Chicago took that statement and bolded, highlighted, underlined, and increased to size 72 font. A two-minute improvement on a mark that in self was a huge leap forward is bound to raise suspicions, fairly or not. Chepngetich is undoubtedly a very talented runner, as supported by her PBs and resume of impressive wins over the years. And ultimately, World Athletics’s ratification process, which includes doping tests, in the coming months will be what makes this official.

A Tough Day For The American Favorites

Now we pivot to a bit of crow eating: we messed up and didn’t include Susanna Sullivan in our pre-race prediction contest graphic for the top American. The full-time sixth grade teacher is a year removed from a knee injury that forced her to miss the U.S. Olympic Trials. She ran 2:24:27 at the London Marathon in April but has managed to recover well enough to take more than two minutes off that on Sunday, finishing seventh overall in 2:21:57. She is now the 10th-fastest American woman in history and the second-fastest of 2024.

Lindsay Flanagan was the only other American woman to finish in the top 10, notching a personal best of 2:23:31 for ninth.

Here is how some of the other notable Americans fared:

– Keira D’Amato, the second-fastest American woman in history, dropped out after 15K due to a plantar injury. This was her first race under the guidance of coach Ed Eyestone and since moving her family to Utah. 

On Instagram, she wrote: “Overall training went awesome, I felt fit and ready to go… but sometimes it doesn’t go that way. My left foot has been sore the last couple days and I really hoped it was just a little tight from the taper… but unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. Around 5k, each half mile started getting worse and worse… and around 10k it was clear it was something more than a little tightness. I was hoping the pain would go away or perhaps my foot/ankle would go numb, but just before 9 miles it collapsed and I was done. Oof.”

– Emma Bates, the top American at the Boston Marathon in the last two years, entered the race believing that she was in 2:18/2:19 fitness but told us that the conditions made her quickly reassess her race plan and not go after the American record. She finished 11th overall (third American) in 2:24:00.

– Gabi Rooker finished as the fourth American woman at the Chicago Marathon for a second year in a row. She took 12th overall in 2:24:29.

– Betsy Saina, the third-fastest American woman in history with her 2:19:17 from the Tokyo Marathon in March, faded early and finished 19th overall in 2:31:51.

– Sara Hall finished 18th in 2:30:12. She wrote on X: “A little baffled as though this buildup started out rough, was really proud of where we ended up. Poured a lot into this one so it stings, but I know from an infinity of times before, the work is never wasted- it will build into what’s next.”

John Korir Goes From 2:05 To 2:02

Kenya’s John Korir was third at the 2022 Chicago Marathon in 2:05:01 and finished fourth in 2:05:09 in 2023. This year, he took a major step forward in his training under coaches Ronn Mann and Haron Lagat. He opened the year by running 58:50 for second place at the pancake-flat RAK Half in February. He took fourth at April’s Boston Marathon in 2:07:40 and then collected victories in 41:11 at the Boilermaker 15K in July and 31:15 for the seven mile course at the Falmouth Road Race. Now, he’s a Chicago Marathon champion and the sixth-fastest marathoner in history.

Korir spends a portion of his time training in Kenya under 2017 NCAA steeplechase champion Edwin Kibichiy and then trains for a block in Colorado with Mann and Lagat. In addition to improvements in his threshold work, Lagat and Mann said learning to win was something they worked on over the course of the year.

CJ Albertson Notches Another Personal Best

Zach Panning and CJ Albertson gave it a crack at the 2:06 World Championship qualifying standard for 2025 but that time proved a tough task They hit the halfway point in 1:03:20, which was slightly faster than the desired 63:40-64:00 they talked about two days before the race. They slowed down in the second half and Albertson managed to reel in Panning by the 40K water station. Albertson finished the day as the top American and seventh overall in 2:08:17 for 7th. He is now the ninth-fastest American man in history.

Albertson is also planning to run the New York City Marathon next month.

Marathoner Matthew Centrowitz

The 2016 1500m Olympic champion started the race as a pacer for D’Amato but then shifted his attention to helping Bates. He crossed the finish line in 2:24:36.

The Chicago Marathon Broadcast Deserves Better

Before we levy some thoughtful criticism toward the television experience, let’s start with the positives:

- The race was free for all to view thanks to NBC Chicago.

- The broadcasters made a good faith effort to procure qualified and well-informed color commentators, including former American record holder Deena Kastor, coach Ed Eyestone, and former Chicago champ Galen Rupp.

- There was clearly a dedicated effort to increase live coverage of the pro wheelchair races as they played out during the first hour of running. This is a well-intentioned and welcome initiative that also helps fill air during the less eventful parts of a 2+ hour race — the only (small) criticism is that long post-race interviews without a split screen can (and do) lead to viewers missing critical moments of the ongoing races.

Now… we have to talk about the not-so-good stuff. Chicago uses a mass, mixed-gender start, which means that, unlike Boston and NYC, there is no women’s-only elite race that’s easily followed from start to finish. But, with the aid of widely employed broadcasting tools like drone cameras and motorcycles, it’s entirely possible to cover multiple parts of a large race without a camera truck.

Ruth Chepngetich’s hot early pace was not the broadcaster’s doing, but the result was that for the vast majority of the race, the only woman in the field that was ever shown on camera was Chepngetich. It wasn’t until one hour and fifty-four minutes into the race that viewers got their first look at Susanna Sullivan, who ran a huge personal best and took top American honors in one of the best runs of her career, almost entirely out of sight.

Providing parity of coverage takes a lot of work, but it’s a) possible and b) worth it. It was almost more frustrating to see the cameras following Sullivan and CJ Albertson during the last few miles of the race — if this was possible all along, why not show it?! And being able to cut between multiple athletes, races, and storylines makes for a more compelling and interesting broadcast overall, particularly when you have three hours to fill.

Complaining about the TV broadcast is a storied marathon fan tradition like sign-making and road sodas, but at the end of the day, it’s only because we love the sport so much that we actually want to see the whole race.

That’s all from us tonight! Stay tuned for upcoming coverage of the final Abbott World Marathon Major of the 2024 season, the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 3. We’ll also be STREAMING our first-ever marathon for FREE, LIVE next weekend at the TCS Toronto Waterfront Marathon. Stay tuned for more broadcast info and storylines to watch.