# Marathon world record progression

World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
The late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a men's world record time of 2:00:35 on October 8, 2023, at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, a mixed-sex race.
Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepng'etich broke the women's world record with a time of 2:09:56 on October 13, 2024 at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, a mixed-sex race.
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.

## 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.
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. On April 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece, in a time of 2:58:50. However, the distance for the event was 40,000 meters. 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. 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.
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.
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 5+1⁄2 hours. 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. 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.
In the 1953 Boston Marathon, the top three male finishers were thought to have broken the standing world record, 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). The Boston Athletic Association also does not report Yamada's performance as a world best for this reason.
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. 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.
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, 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). 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 42.195 km (26.219 mi) long, measured in a defined manner using the calibrated bicycle method (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. 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."
* "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."
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.

### Women's world record changes

The IAAF Congress, at the 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. The result of the change was that Radcliffe's 2:17:42 performance at the 2005 London Marathon supplanted her own existing women's mark as the "world record"; the earlier performance is 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.

### 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.
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. This time was more than two minutes faster than the world record.
Kipchoge took part in a similar attempt to break the two-hour barrier in Vienna on October 12, 2019, as part of the Ineos 1:59 Challenge. He successfully ran the first sub two-hour marathon distance, with a time of 1:59:40.2. 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. 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.

### Men

Table key:  Listed by World Athletics as a world best prior to official acceptance  Ratified by World Athletics as a world best (since January 1, 2003) or world record (since January 1, 2004)  Recognized by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS)
The edition of the marathon is linked on some of the dates.
| Time | Name | Nationality | Date | Event/Place | Source | Notes |
| 2:55:18.4 | Johnny Hayes | United States | July 24, 1908 | London Olympics, England | IAAF | Time was officially recorded as 2:55:18 2/5. Italian Dorando Pietri finished in 2:54:46.4, but was disqualified for receiving assistance from race officials near the finish. Note. |
| 2:52:45.4 | Robert Fowler | United States | January 1, 1909 | Yonkers, United States | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:46:52.8 | James Clark | United States | February 12, 1909 | New York City, United States | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:46:04.6 | Albert Raines | United States | May 8, 1909 | New York City, United States | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:42:31.0 | Henry Barrett | United Kingdom | May 8, 1909 | Polytechnic Marathon, London, England | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:40:34.2 | Thure Johansson | Sweden | August 31, 1909 | Stockholm, Sweden | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:38:16.2 | Harry Green | United Kingdom | May 12, 1913 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:36:06.6 | Alexis Ahlgren | Sweden | May 31, 1913 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF | Report in The Times claiming world record. Note. |
| 2:38:00.8 | Umberto Blasi | Italy | November 29, 1914 | Legnano, Italy | ARRS | |
| 2:32:35.8 | Hannes Kolehmainen | Finland | August 22, 1920 | Antwerp Olympics, Belgium | IAAF, ARRS | The course distance was officially reported to be 42,750 meters/26.56 miles, however, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians estimated the course to be 40 km. |
| 2:29:01.8 | Albert Michelsen | United States | October 12, 1925 | Port Chester Marathon, United States | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:30:57.6 | Harry Payne | United Kingdom | July 5, 1929 | AAA Championships, London, England | ARRS | |
| 2:26:14 | Sohn Kee-chung | Japanese Korea | March 21, 1935 | Tokyo, Japan | ARRS | Also romanized as Kitei Son. |
| 2:27:49.0 | Fusashige Suzuki | Japan | 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. |
| 2:26:44.0 | Yasuo Ikenaka | Japan | April 3, 1935 | Tokyo, Japan | IAAF | Note. |
| 2:26:42 | Sohn Kee-chung | Japanese Korea | November 3, 1935 | Meiji Shrine Games, Tokyo, Japan | IAAF | Also romanized as Kitei Son. Note. |
| 2:25:39 | Suh Yun-bok | Korea | April 19, 1947 | Boston Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (short course). Disputed (point-to-point). Note. |
| 2:20:42.2 | Jim Peters | United Kingdom | June 14, 1952 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | MarathonGuide.com states the course was slightly long. Report in The Times claiming world record. |
| 2:18:40.4 | Jim Peters | United Kingdom | June 13, 1953 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | Report in The Times claiming world record. |
| 2:18:34.8 | Jim Peters | United Kingdom | October 4, 1953 | Turku Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:17:39.4 | Jim Peters | United Kingdom | June 26, 1954 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF | Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record. |
| 2:18:04.8 | Paavo Kotila | Finland | August 12, 1956 | Finnish Athletics Championships, Pieksämäki, Finland | ARRS | |
| 2:15:17.0 | Sergei Popov | Soviet Union | 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 | Abebe Bikila | Ethiopia | September 10, 1960 | Rome Olympics, Italy | IAAF, ARRS | World record fastest marathon run in bare feet. |
| 2:15:15.8 | Toru Terasawa | Japan | February 17, 1963 | Beppu-Ōita Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:14:28 | Leonard Edelen | United States | June 15, 1963 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF | Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record and stating that the course may have been long. |
| 2:14:43 | Brian Kilby | United Kingdom | July 6, 1963 | Port Talbot, Wales | ARRS | |
| 2:13:55 | Basil Heatley | United Kingdom | June 13, 1964 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF | Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record. |
| 2:12:11.2 | Abebe Bikila | Ethiopia | October 21, 1964 | Tokyo Olympics, Japan | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:12:00 | Morio Shigematsu | Japan | June 12, 1965 | Polytechnic Marathon | IAAF | Point-to-point course. Report in The Times claiming world record. |
| 2:09:36.4 | Derek Clayton | Australia | December 3, 1967 | Fukuoka Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:08:33.6 | Derek Clayton | Australia | May 30, 1969 | Antwerp, Belgium | IAAF | Disputed (short course). |
| 2:09:28.8 | Ron Hill | United Kingdom | July 23, 1970 | Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Scotland | ARRS | |
| 2:09:12 | Ian Thompson | United Kingdom | January 31, 1974 | Christchurch Commonwealth Games, New Zealand | ARRS | |
| 2:09:05.6 | Shigeru So | Japan | February 5, 1978 | Beppu-Ōita Marathon | ARRS | |
| 2:09:01 | Gerard Nijboer | Netherlands | April 26, 1980 | Amsterdam Marathon | ARRS | |
| 2:08:18 | Robert De Castella | Australia | December 6, 1981 | Fukuoka Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:08:05 | Steve Jones | United Kingdom | October 21, 1984 | Chicago Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:07:12 | Carlos Lopes | Portugal | April 20, 1985 | Rotterdam Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:06:50 | Belayneh Dinsamo | Ethiopia | April 17, 1988 | Rotterdam Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:06:05 | Ronaldo da Costa | Brazil | September 20, 1998 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | First time the 40K mark was passed under two hours (1:59:55). |
| 2:05:42 | Khalid Khannouchi | Morocco | October 24, 1999 | Chicago Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:05:38 | Khalid Khannouchi | United States | April 14, 2002 | London Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | First "World's Best" recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The ARRS notes Khannouchi's extended time as 2:05:37.8 |
| 2:04:55 | Paul Tergat | Kenya | September 28, 2003 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | First world record for the men's marathon ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. |
| 2:04:26 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | September 30, 2007 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:03:59 | Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | September 28, 2008 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | The ARRS notes Gebrselassie's extended time as 2:03:58.2. Video on YouTube |
| 2:03:38 | Patrick Makau | Kenya | September 25, 2011 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:03:23 | Wilson Kipsang | Kenya | September 29, 2013 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF ARRS | The ARRS notes Kipsang's extended time as 2:03:22.2 |
| 2:02:57 | Dennis Kimetto | Kenya | September 28, 2014 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF ARRS | The ARRS notes Kimetto's extended time as 2:02:56.4 |
| 2:01:39 | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya | September 16, 2018 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF | |
| 2:01:09 | Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya | September 25, 2022 | Berlin Marathon | World Athletics | |
| 2:00:35 | Kelvin Kiptum | Kenya | October 8, 2023 | Chicago Marathon | World Athletics | First man to break 2:01:00 in a record-eligible marathon. |

### Women

Table key:  Listed by World Athletics as a world best prior to official acceptance  Ratified by World Athletics as a world best (since January 1, 2003) or world record (since January 1, 2004)  Recognized by the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS)
| Time | Name | Nationality | Date | Event/Place | Source | Notes |
| 5:40:xx | Marie-Louise Ledru | France | September 29, 1918 | Tour de Paris Marathon | ARRS | |
| 3:40:22 | Violet Piercy | United Kingdom | 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 | Merry Lepper | United States | December 16, 1963 | Culver City, United States | IAAF | Disputed (short course). |
| 3:27:45 | Dale Greig | United Kingdom | May 23, 1964 | Ryde | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 3:19:33 | Mildred Sampson | New Zealand | July 21, 1964 | Auckland, New Zealand | IAAF | Disputed by ARRS as a time trial. |
| 3:14:23 | Maureen Wilton | Canada | May 6, 1967 | Toronto, Canada | IAAF, ARRS | The ARRS notes Wilton's extended time as 3:14:22.8 |
| 3:07:27.2 | Anni Pede-Erdkamp | West Germany | September 16, 1967 | Waldniel, West Germany | IAAF, ARRS | The ARRS notes Pede-Erdkamp's extended time as 3:07:26.2 |
| 3:02:53 | Caroline Walker | United States | February 28, 1970 | Seaside, OR | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 3:01:42 | Elizabeth Bonner | United States | May 9, 1971 | Philadelphia, United States | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:55:22 | Elizabeth Bonner | United States | September 19, 1971 | New York City Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:49:40 | Cheryl Bridges | United States | December 5, 1971 | Culver City, United States | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:46:36 | Michiko Gorman | United States | December 2, 1973 | Culver City, United States | IAAF, ARRS | The ARRS notes Gorman's extended time as 2:46:37 |
| 2:46:24 | Chantal Langlacé | France | October 27, 1974 | Neuf-Brisach, France | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:43:54.5 | Jacqueline Hansen | United States | December 1, 1974 | Culver City, United States | IAAF, ARRS | The ARRS notes Hansen's extended time as 2:43:54.6 |
| 2:42:24 | Liane Winter | West Germany | April 21, 1975 | Boston Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (point-to-point). |
| 2:40:15.8 | Christa Vahlensieck | West Germany | May 3, 1975 | Dülmen | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:38:19 | Jacqueline Hansen | United States | October 12, 1975 | Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, United States | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:35:15.4 | Chantal Langlacé | France | May 1, 1977 | Oiartzun, Spain | IAAF | |
| 2:34:47.5 | Christa Vahlensieck | West Germany | September 10, 1977 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:32:29.8 | Grete Waitz | Norway | October 22, 1978 | New York City Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (short course). |
| 2:27:32.6 | Grete Waitz | Norway | October 21, 1979 | New York City Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (short course). |
| 2:31:23 | Joan Benoit | United States | February 3, 1980 | Auckland, New Zealand | ARRS | |
| 2:30:57.1 | Patti Catalano | United States | September 6, 1980 | Montreal, Canada | ARRS | |
| 2:25:41.3 | Grete Waitz | Norway | October 26, 1980 | New York City Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (short course). |
| 2:30:27 | Joyce Smith | United Kingdom | November 16, 1980 | Tokyo, Japan | ARRS | |
| 2:29:57 | Joyce Smith | United Kingdom | March 29, 1981 | London Marathon | ARRS | |
| 2:25:28 | Allison Roe | New Zealand | October 25, 1981 | New York City Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (short course). |
| 2:29:01.6 | Charlotte Teske | West Germany | January 16, 1982 | Miami, United States | ARRS | |
| 2:26:12 | Joan Benoit | United States | September 12, 1982 | Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, United States | ARRS | |
| 2:25:28.7 | Grete Waitz | Norway | April 17, 1983 | London Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:22:43 | Joan Benoit | United States | April 18, 1983 | Boston Marathon | IAAF | Disputed (point-to-point). |
| 2:24:26 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | May 13, 1984 | London Marathon | ARRS | |
| 2:21:06 | Ingrid Kristiansen | Norway | April 21, 1985 | London Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:20:47 | Tegla Loroupe | Kenya | April 19, 1998 | Rotterdam Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:20:43 | Tegla Loroupe | Kenya | September 26, 1999 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:19:46 | Naoko Takahashi | Japan | September 30, 2001 | Berlin Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:18:47 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | October 7, 2001 | Chicago Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | |
| 2:17:18 | Paula Radcliffe | United Kingdom | October 13, 2002 | Chicago Marathon | 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 Mx | Paula Radcliffe | United Kingdom | April 13, 2003 | London Marathon | IAAF, ARRS | First world record for the women's marathon ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The ARRS notes Radcliffe's extended time as 2:15:24.6 |
| 2:17:42 Wo | Paula Radcliffe | Great Britain | April 17, 2005 | London Marathon | IAAF | |
| 2:17:01 Wo | Mary Jepkosgei Keitany | Kenya | April 23, 2017 | London Marathon | IAAF | |
| 2:14:04 Mx | Brigid Kosgei | Kenya | October 13, 2019 | Chicago Marathon | IAAF | |
| 2:11:53 Mx | Tigst Assefa | Ethiopia | September 24, 2023 | Berlin Marathon | World Athletics | First woman to break the 2:12:00 barrier in the marathon. |
| 2:16:16 Wo | Peres Jepchirchir | Kenya | April 21, 2024 | London Marathon | World Athletics | |
| 2:09:56 Mx | Ruth Chepng'etich | Kenya | October 13, 2024 | Chicago Marathon | World Athletics | First woman to break the 2:11:00 and 2:10:00 barriers in the marathon. |

## Gallery of world record holders

* Johnny Hayes
* Sohn Kee-chung
* Robert de Castella
* Khalid Khannouchi
* Kelvin Kiptum
* Haile Gebrselassie
* Patrick Makau
* Joan Benoit
* Naoko Takahashi
* Catherine Ndereba
* Paula Radcliffe
* Brigid Kosgei
* Eliud Kipchoge