Woman shatters world record at Chicago Marathon
Kenyan runner Ruth Chepngetich stormed to victory at this year’s Chicago Marathon.
She clocked in 02:09:57, which was nearly two minutes faster than Ethiopian athlete Tigst Assefa’s previous world record. It was also four minutes 22 seconds off her own previous personal best at the same competition in 2022. Her achievements this time were such that only 10 men managed to beat her overall.
She ran a very fast first half of the race in 1:04:16, which in itself would have been the fifth fastest time in women’s half marathon history. The 1:05:41 she clocked in the second half would’ve put her in a 36th all-time position.
Chepngetich has a formidable reputation as an elite marathon runner, and won the 2019 world title in Qatar, coming within 14 seconds of smashing the world record then.
Her success reflects advances in “super shoe” technology, which has boosted running performance with carbon plates, high-tech foam and pressurised airbags. In response, World Athletics have moved to regulate shoe types, although there is no suggestion that Chepngetich benefited from any unfair advantage.
Her Nike Alphafly 3 shoes were checked and validated on the World Athletics website. While manufacturers can sponsor athletes with prototypes for testing, race day shoes must be available to the general public. Despite recent doping scandals involving other top Kenyan athletes, there is no evidence to suggest Chepngetich cheated.
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