Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum set the new men’s marathon world record after clocking 2:00:35 to win the 2023 Chicago Marathon held Sunday, in Illinois, USA.
Kiptum broke countryman Eliud Kipchoge’s world record of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
Kiptum became the first man in history to run under 2 HRS AND 01 SECONDS as he crossed the finish line in 2 hrs and 35 seconds ahead of compatriot and defending champion Benson Kipruto who finished second in 2:04.02 while Belgium’s Bashir Abdi completed the podium dash in 2hrs 04 minutes and 32seconds.
Within the first couple of kilometres, seven runners and a number of pacemakers had formed a lead group.
And just over 5km into proceedings, only London Marathon winner Kiptum and Daniel Kibet Mateiko remained in touch with a sole pacemaker.
The pair were well outside world record pace when they reached halfway in 1:00:48, but it was not until Kiptum kicked away with 10km to go that Kipchoge’s mark from Berlin last year came back into view.
A blistering 5km of 13:51 from 30-35km suddenly put Kiptum on track to go under 2:01 and he continued to stride on at the front.
Kibet dropped out in the latter stages, but Kiptum showed no sign of weakening and ran the second half-marathon in 59:47 for a rare negative split.
“I feel so happy. I was prepared. I knew I was coming for a course record, but fortunately [it was] a world record,” Kiptum said in a post-race interview.
“A world record was not in my mind today, but I knew one time, one day I’d be a world record holder.”
Kiptum has run three career marathons all in the last 10 months and posted three of the six fastest times in history.
He has supplanted the 38-year-old Kipchoge as the world’s best marathoner.
Kipchoge, who held that distinction for most of the last decade, bids next year to become the first person to win three Olympic marathons.
Kipchoge is the only person known to have run the 42km race in under two hours, but it was not done in a record-eligible race.
Dutch’s Siffan Hassan registred second fastest women’s marathon time in history as she won the women’s race in 2hrs 13 minutes and 44 seconds missing the world record by 2 minutes .
Hassan and two-time reigning champion Ruth Chepngetich completed the first 10km in 31:05, 40 seconds quicker than Tigst Assefa when she set her world record in Berlin a fortnight ago.
With three male pacemakers for company, the pair continued to set scorching splits and go further clear of the rest of the field.
By 20km, Hassan – who won two medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest six weeks ago – had dropped back from Chepngetich who reached halfway in 1:05:42, at least 45 seconds inside world record pace.
But just as she did in her winning debut in London, the Dutchwoman recovered from having looked in trouble and – just after the 25km mark – started to move away from her Kenyan rival.
While she ended up almost two minutes outside Assefa’s world record time, Hassan still managed to break the course record and make it two wins from two marathons.
Afterwards, the 30-year-old said she felt the early pace was “too hard”.
When asked how she had trained differently from ahead of her debut in London, Hassan replied, “I’m very happy about my training. I don’t know if six weeks was enough. I felt a little bit cold today and I still ran an amazing time. It’s incredible.”
Defending champion Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich finished second in 2.15.37 as Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu was third in 2.17.09
