The Kenyan is the first woman in history to break 2:10 minutes in a marathon and erase the previous mark of 2:11:53.
It’s been five years since Brigid Kosgey broke the women’s marathon record of 2:14:04 in Chicago. Not only was it a performance that redefined what was possible over 26.2 miles, it also bettered Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25, described as a “quantum leap” back in 2003, by one minute and 21 seconds.
Kosgei’s mark stood until 2023, when Tigist Assefa destroyed it at last year’s Berlin Marathon, becoming the first woman in history to run a sub-2:12 marathon with a time of 2:11:53.
Cutting two minutes and 11 seconds off the world record, Assefa took the marathon to a new level, and for the first time you questioned whether it was possible for a female athlete to go under two hours and 10 minutes.
Although the marathon has evolved significantly over the past few decades; The 2:20 barrier was only broken in 2001, the idea of running 2:10 was still considered largely fictional and something you had to see. believe it.
If it broke, how long would it take? Years or even decades? Well, it happened much sooner than anyone thought.
Ruth Cepngetich (Getty)
At this year’s Chicago Marathon, five years after Kosgei’s 2:14:04, fellow Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich rewrote the record books with a time of 2:09:56.
Crossing the line, Czepngetic, the 2019 world marathon champion, raised his arms in the air, barely able to believe the magnitude of his achievement.
Like Roger Bannister’s 3:59.4 in 1954, Usain Bolt’s 9.58 in 2009 or more recently, Faith Kipyegon’s 3:49.11 in 2023, Chepngetic’s time will be remembered forever.
No doubt there will be others in the future who will also break the 2:10 mark, but Czepngetic will always be the first to do so.
“I feel so great, I’m proud of myself,” she said after winning her third Chicago Marathon crown. “This is my dream that has come true. I fought a lot thinking about the world record and I achieved it.
With 5km to go, Chepngetic had made his intentions known and crossed in a stunning 15:00, with Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede just two seconds behind.
Ruth Cepngetich (Getty)
Kebede, who hinted at a world record pace in a press conference, was the only athlete behind Chepngetic in the early stages and the pair covered 10km in around 30:14.
At this point, their estimated time was about 2:07. The ridiculous pace was set and now the question was how long they could keep it up.
By the halfway mark, Chepngetic had a 14-second lead over Kebede and looked in strong condition, covering 13.1 miles in 64:16. To put that into perspective, that would put him fifth on the all-time half marathon list.
As Kebede continued to fade, Czepngetic maintained his momentum and clocked 1:31:49 and 1:47:32 at the 30km and 35km mark respectively. Although Cepngetic was slowing down, his start was good enough that he had time to play with.
The prospect of a sub 2:10 marathon now started to come true. There was no doubt that Cepngetic would break Asefa’s mark of 2:11:53, which was remarkable enough in itself, but could he hide under that barrier?
Ruth Cepngetich (Getty)
With the help of male pacers, Chepngetic pushed forward and covered 40 km in 2:03:11.
“It’s almost like seeing someone land on the moon,” remarked Kerry Tollefson, an Athens 2004 Olympian who was commenting on the marathon.
As Czepngetic approached the final straight down Columbus Drive, he knew what was at stake. The seconds passed agonizingly as he ran to the tape, his face grimacing but his mind set on making history.
After crossing the line, Chepngetic’s face lit up as he looked back at the moment. 2:09:56.
In the end, the winning margin was seven minutes and 36 seconds, with Kebede coming home in 2:17:32. By 2019, that would have put him third on the all-time list.
The top American in the field was Susannah Sullivan, a full-time teacher, who dropped 2 minutes off her personal best of 2:21:56 to finish seventh.
John Korir (Getty)
In the men’s field, John Korir put in a great performance, running 2:02:44 to win by one minute and 55 seconds.
The Kenyan’s time was so fast that it now ranks him sixth on the all-time list, with only Kelvin Kiptum, Eliud Kipchoge, Kenenisa Bekele, Sisai Lemma and Benson Kipruto going faster.
In a tightly packed race early on, Korir was one of about a dozen boys to clear 5km and 10km in 14:43 and 29:27 respectively.
Even at the halfway stage, it was difficult to decide the winner, the front of the field maintained a metronomic pace, going 62:19.
Between 30km and 35km, Korir hit his stride and set a 29-second gap in 10 minutes.
There was no turning back, and as the rest of the field grew by the kilometre, victory was never in doubt.
Korir, a Chicago regular who finished third two years ago, finally got to taste victory in the Windy City.
Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner (Getty)
One man who is used to success in Chicago is Marcel Haag, and he is aiming for a record fifth wheelchair title, following his previous wins in 2016, 2017, 2022 and 2023.
The Swiss superstar, a seven-time Paralympian and 12-time world champion, clocked 1:25:54 to win.
Kathryn Debrunner, who has six Paralympic and five world golds, made it a double Swiss podium, beating her own record of 1:38:44 and 1:36:12 in Chicago.
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