Marathon world record progression explained

World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics .

Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a men's world record time of 2:00:35 on October 8, 2023, at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.^{[1] [2]}

Ethiopian athlete Tigst Assefa broke the women's world record for a mixed-sex race with a time of 2:11:53 on September 24, 2023 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.^[3]

In addition to the standard women's marathon world record, World Athletics also recognizes a second world record for women in the "Women Only" category, meaning that the marathon was run on a course without any male athletes in the competition. The current "Women Only" record of 2:16:16 was set by Peres Jepchirchir on April 21, 2024 at the London Marathon in the elite women's race.^{[4] [5]}

History

Marathon races were first held in 1896, but the distance was not standardized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF, now World Athletics) until 1921.^{[6] [7]}

The actual distance for pre-1921 races frequently varied from the 1921 standard of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). In qualifying races for the 1896 Summer Olympics, Greek runners Charilaos Vasilakos (3:18:00) and Ioannis Lavrentis (3:11:27) won the first two modern marathons.^[8] On April 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece, in a time of 2:58:50.^[9] However, the distance for the event was 40,000 meters.^[10] Three months later, British runner Len Hurst won the inaugural Paris to Conflans Marathon (also around 40 km) in a time of 2:31:30.^[11] In 1900, Hurst would better his time on the same course with a 2:26:28 performance.

Later, Shizo Kanakuri of Japan was reported to have set a world record of 2:32:45 in a November 1911 domestic qualification race for the 1912 Summer Olympics, but this performance was also run over a distance of approximately 40 km.^[12]

The first marathon over the official distance was won by American Johnny Hayes at the 1908 Summer Olympics, with a time of 2:55:18.4.^[13]

It is possible that Stamata Revithi, who ran the 1896 Olympic course a day after Louis, is the first woman to run the modern marathon; she is said to have finished in hours.^[14] World Athletics credits Violet Piercy's 1926 performance as the first woman to race the standard marathon distance; however, other sources report that the 1918 performance of Marie-Louise Ledru in the Tour de Paris set the initial mark for women.^{[15] [16] [17]} Other "unofficial" performances have also been reported to be world bests or world records over time: although her performance is not recognized by World Athletics, Adrienne Beames from Australia is frequently credited as the first woman to break the three-hour barrier in the marathon.^[18]

In the 1953 Boston Marathon, the top three male finishers were thought to have broken the standing world record,^[19] but Keizo Yamada's mark of 2:18:51 is considered to have been set on a short course of 25.54 miles (41.1 km).^[20] The Boston Athletic Association also does not report Yamada's performance as a world best for this reason.^[21]

On October 25, 1981, American Alberto Salazar and New Zealander Allison Roe set apparent world bests at the New York City Marathon (2:08:13 and 2:25:29), however, these marks were invalidated when the course was later found to have been 151 meters short.^{[22] [23]} Although World Athletics' progression notes three performances set on the same course in 1978, 1979, and 1980 by Norwegian Grete Waitz, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians considers the New York City course suspect for those performances, too.^[24]

On April 18, 2011, the Boston Marathon produced what were at that time the two fastest marathon performances of all time. Winner Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya recorded a time of 2:03:02,^[25] followed by countryman Moses Mosop in 2:03:06. However, since the Boston course does not meet the criteria for record attempts, these times were not ratified by the IAAF.

Eight IAAF world records were set at the Polytechnic Marathon (1909, 1913, 1952–54, 1963–65).^[26] WA-recognized world records have been broken at all of the original five World Marathon Majors on numerous occasions (updated 09/2022); twelve times at the Berlin Marathon, three times at the Boston Marathon, five times at the Chicago Marathon, six times at the London Marathon, and five times at the New York City Marathon. However, the records established in the Boston event have been disputed on grounds of a downhill point-to-point course, while four of the five New York records have been disputed on grounds of a short course.

Criteria for record eligibility

For a performance to be ratified as a world record by World Athletics, the marathon course on which the performance occurred must be 42.195km (26.219miles) long, measured in a defined manner using the calibrated bicycle method^[27] (the distance in kilometers being the official distance; the distance in miles is an approximation) and meet other criteria that rule out artificially fast times produced on courses aided by downhill slope or tailwind.^[28] The criteria include:

• "The start and finish points of a course, measured along a theoretical straight line between them, shall not be further apart than 50% of the race distance."^[29]
• "The decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed an average of one in a thousand (i.e., 1m per km)."

In recognizing Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai's mark of 2:03:02 at the 2011 Boston Marathon as (at the time) "the fastest Marathon ever run", the IAAF said: "Due to the elevation drop and point-to-point measurements of the Boston course, performances [on that course] are not eligible for World record consideration."^[30]

The Association of Road Racing Statisticians, an independent organization that compiles data from road running events, also maintains an alternate marathon world best progression but with standards they consider to be more stringent.^[31]

Women's world record changes

The IAAF Congress at 2011 World Championships, passed a motion changing the record eligibility criteria effective October 6, 2007, so that women's world records must be set in all-women competitions.^[32] The result of the change was that Radcliffe's 2:17:42 performance at the 2005 London Marathon would supplant her own existing women's mark as the "world record"; the earlier performance was to be referred to as a "world best".

Per the 2021 IAAF Competition Rules, "a World Record for performance achieved in mixed sex ("Mixed") races and a World Record for performance achieved in single sex ("Women only") races" are tracked separately.^[33]

Unofficial record attempts

In December 2016, Nike, Inc., announced that three top distance runners — Eliud Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadese, and Lelisa Desisa — had agreed to forgo the spring marathon season to work with the company in an effort to run a sub-two-hour marathon.^{[34] [35] [36] [37]}

The Breaking2 event took place in the early morning of May 6, 2017; Kipchoge crossed the finish line with a time of 2:00:25.^[38] This time was more than two minutes faster than the world record. ^[39]

Kipchoge took part in a similar attempt to break the two-hour barrier in Vienna on October 12, 2019, as part of the . He successfully ran the first sub two-hour marathon distance, with a time of 1:59:40.2.^[40] The effort did not count as a new world record under IAAF rules due to the setup of the challenge. Specifically, it was not an open event, Kipchoge was handed fluids by his support team throughout, the run featured a pace car, and included rotating teams of other runners pacing Kipchoge in a formation designed to reduce wind resistance and maximize efficiency.^{[41] [42]} The achievement was recognized by Guinness World Records with the titles 'Fastest marathon distance (male)' and 'First marathon distance run under two hours' instead of an official world record.^{[43] [44]}

Men

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Table key:

The edition of the marathon is linked on some of the dates.

Time	Name	Nationality	Date	Event/Place	Source	Notes
2:55:18.4			July 24, 1908	London Olympics, England	IAAF	Time was officially recorded as 2:55:18 2/5.^[45] Italian Dorando Pietri finished in 2:54:46.4, but was disqualified for receiving assistance from race officials near the finish.^[46] Note.^[47]
2:52:45.4			January 1, 1909	Yonkers, United States	IAAF	Note.
2:46:52.8			February 12, 1909	New York City, United States	IAAF	Note.
2:46:04.6			May 8, 1909	New York City, United States	IAAF	Note.
2:42:31.0			May 8, 1909	Polytechnic Marathon, London, England	IAAF	Note.
2:40:34.2			August 31, 1909	Stockholm, Sweden	IAAF	Note.
2:38:16.2			May 12, 1913		IAAF	Note.^[48]
2:36:06.6			May 31, 1913		IAAF	Report in The Times claiming world record.^[49] Note.
2:38:00.8			November 29, 1914	Legnano, Italy	ARRS
2:32:35.8			August 22, 1920	Antwerp Olympics, Belgium	IAAF, ARRS	The course distance was officially reported to be 42,750 meters/26.56 miles,^[50] however, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians estimated the course to be 40 km.
2:29:01.8			October 12, 1925	Port Chester Marathon, United States	IAAF	Note.^[51] ^[52]
2:30:57.6			July 5, 1929	AAA Championships, London, England	ARRS
2:26:14			March 21, 1935	Tokyo, Japan	ARRS	Also romanized as Kitei Son.
2:27:49.0			March 31, 1935	Tokyo, Japan	IAAF	According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, Suzuki's 2:27:49 performance occurred in Tokyo on March 21, 1935, during a race in which he finished second to Sohn Kee-chung (sometimes referred to as Kee-Jung Sohn or Son Kitei) who ran a 2:26:14.^[53]
2:26:44.0			April 3, 1935	Tokyo, Japan	IAAF	Note.
2:26:42			November 3, 1935	Meiji Shrine Games, Tokyo, Japan	IAAF	Also romanized as Kitei Son. Note.^[54]
2:25:39			April 19, 1947		IAAF	Disputed (short course).^[55] Disputed (point-to-point).^[56] Note.^[57]
2:20:42.2			June 14, 1952		IAAF, ARRS	MarathonGuide.com states the course was slightly long.^[58] Report in The Times claiming world record.^[59]
2:18:40.4			June 13, 1953		IAAF, ARRS	Report in The Times claiming world record.
2:18:34.8			October 4, 1953		IAAF, ARRS
2:17:39.4			June 26, 1954		IAAF	Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record.^[60]
2:18:04.8			August 12, 1956	Finnish Athletics Championships, Pieksämäki, Finland	ARRS
2:15:17.0			August 24, 1958	European Athletics Championships, Stockholm, Sweden	IAAF, ARRS	The ARRS notes Popov's extended time as 2:15:17.6
2:15:16.2			September 10, 1960	Rome Olympics, Italy	IAAF, ARRS	World record fastest marathon run in bare feet.^[61]
2:15:15.8			February 17, 1963		IAAF, ARRS
2:14:28			June 15, 1963		IAAF	Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record and stating that the course may have been long.^[62]
2:14:43			July 6, 1963	Port Talbot, Wales	ARRS
2:13:55			June 13, 1964		IAAF	Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record.^[63]
2:12:11.2			October 21, 1964	Tokyo Olympics, Japan	IAAF, ARRS
2:12:00			June 12, 1965		IAAF	Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record.^[64]
2:09:36.4			December 3, 1967		IAAF, ARRS
2:08:33.6			May 30, 1969	Antwerp, Belgium	IAAF	Disputed (short course).^[65]
2:09:28.8			July 23, 1970	Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Scotland	ARRS
2:09:12			January 31, 1974	Christchurch Commonwealth Games, New Zealand	ARRS
2:09:05.6			February 5, 1978		ARRS
2:09:01			April 26, 1980		ARRS
2:08:18			December 6, 1981		IAAF, ARRS
2:08:05					IAAF, ARRS
2:07:12			April 20, 1985		IAAF, ARRS
2:06:50			April 17, 1988		IAAF, ARRS
2:06:05					IAAF, ARRS	First time the 40K mark was passed under two hours (1:59:55).^[66]
2:05:42					IAAF, ARRS
2:05:38					IAAF, ARRS	First "World's Best" recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations.^[67] The ARRS notes Khannouchi's extended time as 2:05:37.8
2:04:55					IAAF, ARRS	First world record for the men's marathon ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.^[68]
2:04:26					IAAF, ARRS
2:03:59					IAAF, ARRS	The ARRS notes Gebrselassie's extended time as 2:03:58.2.
2:03:38					IAAF,^[69] ^[70] ARRS^[71]
2:03:23					IAAF^[72] ^[73] ARRS	The ARRS notes Kipsang's extended time as 2:03:22.2
2:02:57					IAAF^[74] ^[75] ARRS	The ARRS notes Kimetto's extended time as 2:02:56.4
2:01:39					IAAF^[76]
2:01:09					World Athletics^[77]
2:00:35	Kelvin Kiptum		October 8, 2023	Chicago Marathon	World Athletics^[78]	First man to break 2:01:00 in a record-eligible marathon.

Women

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Table key:

Time	Name	Nationality	Date	Event/Place	Source	Notes
5:40:xx			September 29, 1918		ARRS
3:40:22			October 3, 1926	London	IAAF	The ARRS indicates that Piercy's 3:40:22 was set on August 2, 1926, during a time trial on a course that was only 35.4 km.
3:37:07			December 16, 1963	Culver City, United States	IAAF	Disputed (short course).
3:27:45			May 23, 1964		IAAF, ARRS
3:19:33			July 21, 1964	Auckland, New Zealand	IAAF	Disputed by ARRS as a time trial.^[79]
3:14:23			May 6, 1967	Toronto, Canada	IAAF, ARRS	The ARRS notes Wilton's extended time as 3:14:22.8
3:07:27.2			September 16, 1967	Waldniel, West Germany	IAAF, ARRS	The ARRS notes Pede-Erdkamp's extended time as 3:07:26.2
3:02:53			February 28, 1970		IAAF, ARRS
3:01:42			May 9, 1971	Philadelphia, United States	IAAF, ARRS
2:55:22					IAAF, ARRS
2:49:40			December 5, 1971	Culver City, United States	IAAF, ARRS
2:46:36			December 2, 1973	Culver City, United States	IAAF, ARRS	The ARRS notes Gorman's extended time as 2:46:37
2:46:24			October 27, 1974	Neuf-Brisach, France	IAAF, ARRS
2:43:54.5			December 1, 1974	Culver City, United States	IAAF, ARRS	The ARRS notes Hansen's extended time as 2:43:54.6
2:42:24			April 21, 1975		IAAF	Disputed (point-to-point).
2:40:15.8			May 3, 1975		IAAF, ARRS
2:38:19			October 12, 1975	Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, United States	IAAF, ARRS
2:35:15.4			May 1, 1977	Oiartzun, Spain	IAAF
2:34:47.5					IAAF, ARRS
2:32:29.8					IAAF	Disputed (short course).^[80]
2:27:32.6					IAAF	Disputed (short course).^[81]
2:31:23			February 3, 1980	Auckland, New Zealand	ARRS
2:30:57.1			September 6, 1980	Montreal, Canada	ARRS
2:25:41.3					IAAF	Disputed (short course).^[82]
2:30:27			November 16, 1980	Tokyo, Japan	ARRS
2:29:57					ARRS
2:25:28					IAAF	Disputed (short course).^[83]
2:29:01.6			January 16, 1982	Miami, United States	ARRS
2:26:12			September 12, 1982	Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, United States	ARRS
2:25:28.7					IAAF, ARRS
2:22:43			April 18, 1983		IAAF	Disputed (point-to-point).
2:24:26					ARRS
2:21:06					IAAF, ARRS
2:20:47			April 19, 1998		IAAF, ARRS
2:20:43					IAAF, ARRS
2:19:46					IAAF, ARRS
2:18:47					IAAF, ARRS
2:17:18					IAAF, ARRS	First "World's Best" recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The ARRS notes Radcliffe's extended time as 2:17:17.7
2:15:25					IAAF, ARRS	First world record for the women's marathon ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.^[84] The ARRS notes Radcliffe's extended time as 2:15:24.6
2:17:42	Paula Radcliffe		April 17, 2005	London Marathon	IAAF^[85]
2:17:01	Mary Jepkosgei Keitany		April 23, 2017	London Marathon	IAAF^[86]
2:14:04					IAAF^[87]
2:11:53	Tigst Assefa		September 24, 2023	Berlin Marathon	World Athletics^[88]	First woman to break the 2:12:00 barrier in the marathon.^[89]
2:16:16	Peres Jepchirchir		April 21, 2024	London Marathon	World Athletics^[90]

See also

• Marathon year rankings
• National records in the marathon

Men's Masters Records

• Masters M35 marathon world record progression
• Masters M40 marathon world record progression
• Masters M45 marathon world record progression
• Masters M50 marathon world record progression
• Masters M55 marathon world record progression
• Masters M60 marathon world record progression
• Masters M65 marathon world record progression
• Masters M70 marathon world record progression
• Masters M75 marathon world record progression
• Masters M80 marathon world record progression
• Masters M85 marathon world record progression
• Masters M90 marathon world record progression

Women's Masters Records

• Masters W35 marathon world record progression
• Masters W40 marathon world record progression
• Masters W45 marathon world record progression
• Masters W50 marathon world record progression
• Masters W55 marathon world record progression
• Masters W60 marathon world record progression
• Masters W65 marathon world record progression
• Masters W70 marathon world record progression
• Masters W75 marathon world record progression
• Masters W80 marathon world record progression
• Masters W85 marathon world record progression
• Masters W90 marathon world record progression

Notes

1. News: Kelvin Kiptum nearly breaks two-hour barrier with world marathon record. Washington Post. October 8, 2023. October 8, 2023.
2. Web site: Chicago Marathon 2023: Kelvin Kiptum smashes Eliud Kipchoge's world record. International Olympic Committee. October 8, 2023. October 8, 2023. October 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231009040134/https://olympics.com/en/news/chicago-marathon-2023-kiptum-smashes-kipchoge-world-record-sifan-hassan. live.
3. Web site: Tigist Assefa shatters women's marathon record in new £400 shoes. The Guardian. September 25, 2023. September 24, 2023. September 26, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230926064944/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/sep/24/tigist-assefa-smashes-marathon-world-record-in-berlin-in-new-400-shoes. live.
4. Web site: Women's outdoor Marathon - Records - iaaf.org. iaaf.org. September 29, 2014. August 9, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170809171149/https://www.iaaf.org/records/by-discipline/road-running/marathon/outdoor/women. live.
5. Web site: Interactive: A look at how three marathoners could break the sub-2hr barrier on May 6. The Straits Times. May 5, 2017. 12 May 2017. en. September 18, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180918123540/https://graphics.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/Interactives/2017/05/sub-2hr-marathon-attempt/index.html. live.
6. Web site: April 25, 2008 . The Marathon journey to reach 42.195km . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20140306080943/http://www.germanroadraces.de/274-1-16409-the-marathon-journey-to-reach-42195km-.html . March 6, 2014 . February 26, 2014 . european-athletics.org.
7. Book: Martin, David E. . The Olympic Marathon . Roger W. H. Gynn . May 2000 . Human Kinetics Publishers . 978-0-88011-969-6 . 113 . registration.
8. Book: Martin, Dr. David . Marathon Medicine . . 2000 . 9781853154607 . Pedoe . Dan Tunstall . London . 31 . Marathon running as a social and athletic phenomenon: historical and current trends . https://books.google.com/books?id=f15zoDdCa3oC&pg=PA28.
9. Web site: De Coubertin . Pierre . Timoleon J. Philemon . N. G. Politis . Charalambos Anninos . 1897 . The Olympic Games, B.C. 776 – A.D. 1896, Second Part, The Olympic Games in 1896 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20120815223911/http://www.la84foundation.org/6oic/OfficialReports/1896/1896part2.pdf . August 15, 2012 . October 16, 2008 . Charles Beck (Athens), H. Grevel and Co. (London).
10. Web site: July 19, 1996 . Athletes | Olympic Medalist | Olympians | Gold Medalists | Medal Count . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20090414094458/http://www.olympic.org/uk/athletes/profiles/bio_uk.asp?PAR_I_ID=58143 . April 14, 2009 . September 26, 2011 . International Olympic Committee.
11. Web site: Milroy . Andy . The origins of the marathon . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210825101156/https://www.arrs.run/article_marathonorigins.php . August 25, 2021 . July 29, 2010 . Association of Road Racing Statisticians.
12. Web site: July 15, 1912 . Running Training Blog Entry | Lydiard Foundation Members . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120302100521/http://www.lydiardfoundation.org/Blog/EntryDisplay.aspx?EntryID=111 . March 2, 2012 . September 26, 2011 . Lydiardfoundation.org.
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39. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-07/kipchoge-falls-26-seconds-short-of-first-sub-2-hour-marathon/8504084 Eliud Kipchoge falls 26 seconds short of first sub two-hour marathon
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54. Web site: Men's World Record Times – 1932 to 1938 . Marathonguide.com . March 17, 2010 . October 4, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213525/http://www.marathonguide.com/history/records/popupSummary.cfm?RID=MMAR19350331 . live .
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56. The Association of Road Racing Statisticians does not consider performances on the Boston Marathon course to qualify for world record status due to the possibility that they could be aided by slope and/or tailwinds. (See https://www.arrs.run/ .) This mirrors the IAAF's current criteria regarding record eligible courses.
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60. Web site: Image: 1954Timesreport.jpg, (339 × 1244 px). ianridpath.com. September 15, 2015. September 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032323/http://www.ianridpath.com/polymarathon/1954Timesreport.jpg. live.
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63. Web site: Image: 1964Timesreport.jpg, (1362 × 1353 px). ianridpath.com. September 15, 2015. September 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032332/http://www.ianridpath.com/polymarathon/1964Timesreport.jpg. live.
64. Web site: Image: 1965Timesreport.jpg, (704 × 1260 px). ianridpath.com. September 15, 2015. September 24, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924032335/http://www.ianridpath.com/polymarathon/1965Timesreport.jpg. live.
65. Web site: World Marathon Rankings for 1969. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. July 29, 2009. Short Course (ca 500 m short). September 17, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180917181815/https://arrs.run/MaraRank/ATM_Mara1969.htm. live.
66. Web site: 2021 New York Marathon Statistical Information . germanroadraces.de . 26 August 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220823195234/https://germanroadraces.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/New-York-Marathon-2021-Statistical-Referemce-File-Nakamura.pdf . 23 August 2022.
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• Book: Mark . Butler . 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – IAAF Statistics Handbook – Daegu 2011 . 2015-11-11 . 2011 . IAAF Media & Public Relations Department . Part 5 (of 5) . 595, 612, 614–615, 705, 707 . . October 3, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201003214014/http://media.aws.iaaf.org/competitioninfo/c36ff61e-f89f-4205-a873-8f3dff0fff67.pdf . live.

External links

• 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics – IAAF Statistics Handbook – Daegu 2011 (all 5 parts)
• Runner's World What Will It Take to Run A 2-Hour Marathon?
• BBC – "Could a marathon ever be run in under two hours?"
• Interactive graph of men's and women's marathon times with race descriptions (outdated)