Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya created history on Sunday by shattering the women’s marathon world record in Chicago. She finished in an unofficial time of two hours, nine minutes, and 56 seconds, shaving over two minutes off the previous best.
By the halfway point, Chepngetich had given up on the race, and over the closing stretch, she sprinted through a chorus of applause as she won her third championship in Chicago and broke Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s previous record of 2:11:53, which she had established in Berlin the year before.
Seven minutes and 36 seconds later, Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede crossed the finish line, and Kenya’s Irine Cheptai (2:17:51) came in third.
“This is my dream that has come true,” Chepngetich, whose time was changed from 2:09:57 to 2:09:57, told reporters.
Her compatriot John Korir won on the men’s side in 2:02:44.
Chepngetich set a blistering pace from the start, running the first five kilometres in 15 minutes flat, and by the halfway mark she had built a 14-second cushion between herself and Kebede.
TV pundits were stunned by her ascent through the course, likening her attempt at a sub-2:10 marathon to the moon landing. Her last two miles of running seemed to give her more impetus.
The 2019 world champion, Chepngetich, bowed down in complete fatigue after shattering the tape and honored her countryman Kelvin Kiptum, who set the men’s world record in Chicago a year prior and perished in a car accident four months later.
“World record was on my mind,” she stated during her live remarks. “Chicago, as I said in the press, is like home.”
Kiptum, who finished in 2:00:35 last year, was honored with a moment of silence at the starting line before the runners started off in perfect conditions in the Windy City.
Korir stuck with a crowded men’s lead pack through the first 30 kilometres before making his move and was nearly 30 seconds clear of the rest of the field by the 35-kilometre mark.
With his arms extended, he finished his flawless performance in a time that was a personal best to win his first major championship. He floated through the last kilometers.
Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia came in second in 2:04:39, followed by Amos Kipruto of Kenya in third place (2:04:50).
Korir said, “I was thinking about Kiptum today.” “I had to believe in myself and try to do my best.”
(Reuters)
