Ruth Chepngetich breaks women's world record by almost 2 minutes at Chicago Marathon

By Emma Bowman

Published October 13, 2024 at 4:15 PM EDT

Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya celebrates after crossing the finish line to win the 2024 Chicago Marathon with a new world record time of 2:09:56 at Grant Park in Chicago on Sunday.

Kenyan runner Ruth Chepngetich shattered the women's marathon world record with plenty of time to spare.

She finished the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56 on Sunday, slashing almost 2 minutes off the previous world record.

The 30-year-old is the first woman to run the 26.2 mile-distance in under 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Chepngetich placed 10th overall, with only nine men running faster.

It was a happier ending than her finish in the 2022 Chicago race, when she finished just 14 seconds shy of the women’s world record.

“I feel so great,” Chepngetich said after the race. “I’m very proud of myself. This is my dream. I fought a lot, thinking about the world record. The world record has come back to Kenya.”

She dedicated her feat to Kelvin Kiptum, a self-coached Kenyan marathon runner who died in a car crash earlier this year at age 24. He pushed the limits of long-distance running, and his marathon world record of 2:00:35 set in Chicago last year still stands.

Fellow Kenyan John Korir, 27, won the men’s race on Sunday, coming in at 2:02:43, the second-fastest time ever run in Chicago, behind Kiptum’s record.