Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum takes 34 seconds off men’s marathon record in Chicago

There it goes again! Less than a year after making his marathon debut Kelvin Kiptum has run faster than any man in history at the distance, taking over half a minute off the world record with his astonishing winning time of 2:00:35 in Sunday’s Chicago Marathon.

In running the first sub 2:01, Kiptum bettered by 34 seconds the 2:01:09 set by fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge in the Berlin Marathon in September of last year, running ever closer to breaking the two-hour barrier in a legitimate race.

Still only 23, Chicago was only his third marathon start, Kiptum winning Valencia last December in 2:01:52, the fastest debut in history, before also winning London last April in 2:01:25 – the then second fastest ever after Kipchoge’s 2:01:09.

“Get ready for the show!” Kitptum declared beforehand, and he was right about that. Making the most of ideal running conditions, his splits throughout the 26.2-mile race were shocking and awesome in equal measure, the opening 10km clocked in 28:42, already four seconds inside world record pace.

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He passed the halfway mark in 60:48, the race pacemakers already dropped, with only fellow Kenyan Daniel Mateiko for company. Kiptum soon started properly motoring, his increasingly aggressive front-running seeing him run through 30-35km in 13:51, having also run a startling 4:18 for mile 22.

By then he was over three minutes clear, essentially sprinting for the finish line – covering the last 400 metres in 63 seconds – to secure his world record mark. Greeted by long-time race director Carey Pinkowski, Kiptum appeared remarkably fresh after his effort too.

For long stages the women’s race was also on world record pace. The 30-year-old Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan eventually took the win in 2:13:44, the second fastest in history after Tigst Assefa’s world record of 2:11:53 in Berlin just last month.

Like Kiptum, Hassan is still a relative novice at the distance, winning her debut in London last April. Her performance in Chicago was even more impressive given it’s just six weeks since she ran the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m at the World Championships in Budapest, including heats and finals.

At halfway, Hassan was six seconds down on Ruth Chepngetich from Kenya, who passed that mark in 65:42, on 2:11;23 pace. Soon after Hassan went in front, pulling clear between 25-30km, though unlike Kiptum she appeared a little more spent from her effort at the finish.

It’s the sixth time the men’s marathon world record has fallen in Chicago, and the times were superfast across the leading finishers. The American Conor Mantz ran 2:07:47 in sixth, inside the Paris Olympic qualifier of 2:08:10, with fellow American Clayton Young back on that mark in seventh.

Kiptum’s win also creates an interesting dilemma for Kenya as Kipchoge has already declared his intention to chase a record third consecutive Olympic marathon in Paris next summer. Should Kiptum seek selection, that race might well prove a marathon for the ages.