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Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya obliterated the women’s world record by almost two minutes Sunday as she won the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56, taking inspiration from the late Kelvin Kiptum.
The 30-year-old Chepngetich, who became the first three-time women’s winner of the Chicago race, broke the previous world record of 2:11:53 set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa last year in Berlin.
“I feel so great, I’m proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true,” said Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion.
“I’ve fought a lot, thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it.”
Chepngetich, who also won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, dedicated her latest victory to Kiptum, who set the men’s world record at last year’s race just four months before he died in a car accident at the age of 24.
“The world record has come back to Kenya, and I dedicate this world record to Kelvin Kiptum,” said Chepngetich.
Runners observed a moment’s silence on the start line in honour of Kiptum. Organisers also handed out stickers displaying Kiptum’s record-breaking time of 2:00:35 for the 50,000 participants to put on their race bibs.
In the absence of Olympic champion Sifan Hassan, the 2023 Chicago winner, Chepngetich set a blazing early pace and reached the halfway point in 1:04:16, the fifth-quickest time in history for a half marathon by a woman.
“The weather was perfect and I was well prepared. The world record was in my mind,” said Chepngetich, runner-up to Hassan 12 months ago.
Ethiopian Sutume Kebede, a former training partner of Kiptum’s, battled valiantly to stay within sight of Chepngetich but gradually lost ground on the leader.
At one point, Chepngetich was on track to shave more than three minutes off the world record. She slowed slightly in the closing kilometres but still had plenty in the tank and beat her own personal best by four-plus minutes, which she had clocked when winning the race two years ago.
Kebede came second on Sunday in 2:17:32, with Kenyan Irine Cheptai third in 2:17:52.
Joyciline Jepkosgei, a former winner in London and New York, struggled to keep up early on and trailed home a distant fifth (2:20:51).
John Korir of Kenya won his first major marathon title after running a personal best of 2:02:43 in the men’s race.
The 27-year-old Korir finished ahead of Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa (2:04:39) and another Kenyan, Amos Kipruto (2:04:50).
Korir was part of a seven-man group at the head of the course 30 kilometres in before he hit the accelerator and shed his rivals following a relatively conservative start.
Four of the top five were Kenyans, with Vincent Ngetich and Daniel Ebenyo finishing off the podium.
“It was really nice to run my PB and win in Chicago,” said Korir, adding that he too used the memory of Kiptum as a source of motivation.
“Today I was thinking about Kiptum and I said ‘last year if he could run under 2:01, why not me?’ So I had to believe in myself and try to do my best.”
Korir’s time was the second-fastest ever run in Chicago.
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