1. Ruth Chepng'etich is a Kenyan road runner who is the current women's world record holder in the marathon, with a time of 2:09:56 set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon.
18 Facts About Ruth Chepng'etich
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Ruth Chepng'etich is the 2019 world champion in the marathon, and is a three time winner of the Chicago Marathon, having won in 2021,2022 and 2024, where she set the world record.
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Ruth Chepng'etich won the women's only road race at the 40th Istanbul Marathon, a World Athletics Label Road Race.
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Ruth Chepng'etich ran 2:18:35, with split times of 31:59 at 10 km, 48:15 at 15 km, 1:08:22 at the half marathon mark, and 1:37:42 at 30 km.
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Ruth Chepng'etich's performance was a course record, the best performance ever on Turkish soil, and, at the time, was the seventh fastest time in history.
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In running this time Ruth Chepng'etich became the 10th athlete in history to break the 2:19 barrier, and the 30th in history to break the 2:20 barrier.
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At the 20th Dubai Marathon, Ruth Chepng'etich set a new course record of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 8 seconds.
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Ruth Chepng'etich's time was the slowest world championship-winning time in history for the women's marathon.
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On 4 April 2021, Ruth Chepng'etich set a half marathon world record of 1:04:02 at the Istanbul Half Marathon in Turkey, taking 29 seconds off the previous best set by Ababel Yeshaneh in 2020.
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Ruth Chepng'etich's record has since been broken, and she is currently the sixth fastest woman in history at the distance.
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Ruth Chepng'etich went out fast in a 67:34 first half, and concluded significantly slower with a 74:57 second half, but still won by nearly two minutes.
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Ruth Chepng'etich won $250,000, the biggest official prize in professional running up to that point.
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On 9 October, Ruth Chepng'etich successfully defended her Chicago title at the 2022 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:14:18, a personal best by almost three minutes, then the second-fastest time in history, and just 14 seconds outside of compatriot Brigid Kosgei's then-world record of 2:14:04.
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Ruth Chepng'etich ran most of the race well under world record pace as she went out very fast with her first 10 miles clocked at 49:49.
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Ruth Chepng'etich ran the first half in 65:44 before running the second half much slower in 68:34.
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On 13 October 2024, at the Chicago Marathon, Ruth Chepng'etich set a new world record in the marathon, with a time of 2:09:56, breaking Tigst Assefa's previous world record of 2:11:53 by almost two minutes.
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Ruth Chepng'etich stated she dedicated her world record to compatriot and men's world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in February 2024.
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Ruth Chepng'etich's improvement has been attributed to the use of a Maurten carbohydrate mix and the Nike Alphafly 3 shoe.