The World Athletics Federation has ratified the remarkable winning time of 2:00:35 by Kenyan marathoner Kelvin Kiptum from the Chicago Marathon held on October 8 as the new world record.
Kiptum’s extraordinary achievement, being the first to break the 2:01 barrier under record-eligible course and conditions, surpassed Eliud Kipchoge’s previous world record of 2:01:09 by an impressive 34 seconds. This remarkable performance also marked a significant 50-second personal best for the 24-year-old athlete.
With this record-breaking feat accomplished, Kiptum now has his sights set on another historic milestone: becoming the first man to break the two-hour barrier in the marathon under legal conditions. He is scheduled to make this attempt on April 14 at the Rotterdam Marathon.
Kiptum is familiar with the Rotterdam course, having served as a pacemaker in 2019. While his professional debut was initially planned for the 2022 Rotterdam Marathon, it was unfortunately disrupted by injury. However, he eventually made his debut in Vienna later that year, clocking 2:01:53. Kiptum further improved his personal best to 2:01:25 when he clinched victory at the 2023 London Marathon.
Reflecting on his aspirations, Kiptum expressed his determination to surpass his own world record. He stated, “I’ll try at least to beat my world record here.”
Kiptum told World Athletics in November. “I know I’m capable of doing that if my preparation works out well and the conditions are OK. And in that case, I will get close to the two-hour barrier, so why not aim to break it? That might look ambitious, but I’m not afraid of setting this kind of goals. There’s no limit to human energy.”
In 2019, Kipchoge made history by becoming the first man to run a sub-2-hour marathon when he clocked 1:59:40.2 as part of the INEOS 1:59 Challenge. While his performance was incredibly inspiring, it did not meet the criteria for world record consideration due to various external factors, including the absence of open competitors, assistance from a pace car, hydration support by bicycle, and the presence of rotating pacers throughout the race.