Ruth Chepng’etich of Kenya has set a new world record holder in women’s marathon after winning the Chicago Marathon for the third time in her career, also making a little bit of history while at it.
Apart from the world record, the Kenyan athlete has become the first woman to break the 2-hour-10-minute barrier after crossing the line in a time of 2:09:57 at the Chicago Marathon.
The new number beats the former world record by Ethiopian distance runner, Tigst Assefa, who held the record with a time of 2:11:53 which was set at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.
Chepng’etich’s win in Chicago sees her reclaim the crown there, having won the event in 2021 and 2022 before finishing as runner-up in last year’s edition.