October 14th 2024.
It was a momentous day for Ruth Chepngetich as she made history by smashing the women's marathon world record. The 30-year-old Kenyan athlete had been training relentlessly for this moment and it all paid off in the Chicago Marathon where she clocked an astonishing time of two hours, nine minutes and 57 seconds. This not only secured her victory in the race but also surpassed the previous world record by nearly two minutes, set by Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa.
Chepngetich, a prominent name in the world of athletics, became the first woman to ever complete a marathon in under two hours and 10 minutes. This was a remarkable accomplishment for her, and she couldn't be more proud of herself. "I feel so great, I'm proud of myself. This is my dream that has come true. I've fought a lot thinking about the world record and I have fulfilled it," she said after winning the Chicago Marathon for the third time.
But amidst the celebration and jubilation, some questions were raised about the legitimacy of Chepngetich's time. Kenya's reputation as an athletics powerhouse has been somewhat tainted in recent years due to numerous doping allegations. In fact, since 2017, close to 100 athletes from Kenya, mostly long-distance runners, have been penalized for testing positive. So when a journalist from LetsRun asked Chepngetich about this, she looked puzzled and replied, "I don't have any idea."
The reporter then went on to say, "Some people may think that the time is too fast and you must be doping. What would you say to them?" Chepngetich, still trying to process the question, answered, "You know people must talk but... people must talk so I don't know." It was a difficult situation for her to be in, but she remained composed and focused on her incredible achievement.
In a separate interview with NBC Chicago, Chepngetich dedicated her world record to Kelvin Kiptum, a fellow Kenyan runner who passed away earlier this year at the age of 24. Kiptum had set the men's world record in Chicago just 12 months ago, and Chepngetich believed he could have done it again. "I'm dedicating this world record to Kelvin. Maybe he could have defended his title here again and got another world record," she said.
The men's winner, John Korir, also paid tribute to Kiptum after winning the race and setting a personal-best time. "It was really nice to run my PB and win in Chicago. 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," he said.
The Chicago Marathon organizers also paid their respects to Kiptum by holding a moment of silence before the race and offering a memorial sticker to all 50,000 runners to add to their bibs. This was a touching gesture and a reminder of the impact Kiptum had on the running community.
As for Chepngetich, she ran her marathon at an average pace of 4:57.4 per mile and completed her first five kilometers in just 15 minutes. This was an incredible feat and it earned her a prize money of $100,000 for winning the 2024 Chicago Marathon, along with an additional $50,000 for breaking the course record. It was a well-deserved victory for an exceptional athlete who had worked hard and achieved her dream.
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