Ruth Chepngetich made history at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon by achieving something no other female marathoner has accomplished before. She set an unofficial world record with a remarkable finish, completing the race in under 2 hours and 10 minutes. Her unofficial time was 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 2 hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds established by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.
Expressing her joy at the finish line, Chepngetich told NBC Chicago, “I feel so great. I’m proud of myself and I thank God for the victory and the world record. This is my dream that has come true. I fight a lot thinking about the world record, and I have fulfilled it, and I’m much grateful.”
Chepngetich, who had previously won the Chicago Marathon in 2021 and 2022 and placed second in 2023, returned in 2024 to defend her title—and she certainly exceeded expectations. Commentator Carrie Tollefson remarked during the live broadcast, “This woman is on pace to do something that I never really thought I would see in a lifetime,” likening the experience to witnessing a moon landing.
Experts compared Chepngetich’s performance to the men’s marathon world record set in 2023 when the late Kelvin Kiptum became the first man to finish in under 2 hours and 1 minute. Chepngetich dedicated her race to Kiptum.
This achievement is not Chepngetich’s first foray into Chicago Marathon history. In 2022, she not only won the event but also clocked the fourth-fastest women’s marathon time ever, finishing in 2:14:18. Since beginning her marathon career in 2017, she has secured wins at the Chicago Marathon (twice), Nagoya (twice), Istanbul (twice), Dubai, and the 2019 World Championships.
Most recently, she finished ninth at the 2024 London Marathon with a time of 2:24:36 and won the Buenos Aires Half Marathon, finishing in 1:05:58.