# Marathons at the World Athletics Championships

The marathon at the World Championships in Athletics has been contested by both men and women since the inaugural edition in 1983. It is the second most prestigious global title in the discipline after the marathon at the Olympics. From 1997 to 2011 it hosted the World Marathon Cup team event. It currently forms part of the World Marathon Majors circuit, which includes the six top annual races. The competition format has separate men's and women's races, which both serve as a straight final. Participation typically numbers between sixty and eighty runners per race. The event usually starts and ends in the main stadium, with the rest of the race taking place on the surrounding roads of the host city.
The championship records for the event are 2:06:54 hours for men, set by Abel Kirui in 2009, and 2:20:57 hours for women, set by Paula Radcliffe in 2005. The world record has never been broken or equalled at the competition by either men or women, reflecting the lack of pacemaking and athletes' more tactical approach to championship races.
Catherine Ndereba and Edna Kiplagat are the most successful athletes of the event, having each won two gold medals and one silver medal in the women's marathon. In addition, Kiplagat finished top five in five consecutive World Athletics Championship Marathons from 2011-2019. Three other athletes have won the World Championships marathon twice: Abel Antón, Jaouad Gharib, and Abel Kirui – all of whom along with Edna Kiplagat had back-to-back victories.
Kenya is the most successful nation in the discipline, having won ten gold medals overall (five in each division). Ethiopia is the next most successful, with six gold medallists. Spain has won three gold medals.

## Age records

* All information from World Athletics.
| Distinction | Male | Male | Male | Female | Female | Female |
| Distinction | Athlete | Age | Date | Athlete | Age | Date |
| Youngest champion | Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) | 19 years, 281 days | 22 Aug 2015 | Bai Xue (CHN) | 20 years, 251 days | 23 Aug 2009 |
| Youngest medalist | Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) | 19 years, 281 days | 22 Aug 2015 | Bai Xue (CHN) | 20 years, 251 days | 23 Aug 2009 |
| Youngest finalist | Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) | 19 years, 281 days | 22 Aug 2015 | Kim Hye-Gyong (PRK) | 20 years, 154 days | 10 Aug 2013 |
| Youngest participant | Ahmed Hassan (SOM) | 18 years, 187 days | 3 Aug 2001 | Su Su-Ning (TPE) | 14 years, 274 days | 15 Aug 1993 |
| Oldest champion | Abel Antón (ESP) | 36 years, 308 days | 28 Aug 1999 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 35 years, 43 days | 2 Sep 2007 |
| Oldest medalist | Abel Antón (ESP) | 36 years, 308 days | 28 Aug 1999 | Helalia Johannes (NAM) | 39 years, 46 days | 28 Sep 2019 |
| Oldest finalist | Ruggero Pertile (ITA) | 41 years, 14 days | 22 Aug 2015 | Roberta Groner (USA) | 41 years, 267 days | 28 Sep 2019 |
| Oldest participant | Patrick Dupouy (PYF) | 46 years, 85 days | 5 Aug 1995 | Colleen de Reuck (USA) | 47 years, 136 days | 27 Aug 2011 |
Patrick Dupouy of French Polynesia became the oldest male competitor of World Championships history in 2007, at the age of 46 years and 85 days. Under current regulations, the records for the youngest participants will remain indefinitely as any athlete in the junior category (under-20) that year, or younger, is ineligible to enter the marathon.

## Doping

The first doping ban to effect the World Championships marathon came in 2001, when Italy's Roberto Barbi (60th in the men's race) was disqualified. Original eighth-placer Nailiya Yulamanova was disqualified from the 2009 women's race and another Russian, Mikhail Lemayev, had his result annulled from the men's race that year. Biological passport irregularities saw Abderrahim Goumri's runs in 2009 and 2011 retrospectively annulled. The anti-doping programme at the 2013 championships saw Jeremías Saloj disqualified from the men's race for doping.

## Medalists
### Men

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1983 Helsinki details | Robert de Castella (AUS) | Kebede Balcha (ETH) | Waldemar Cierpinski (GDR) |
| 1987 Rome details | Douglas Wakiihuri (KEN) | Hussein Ahmed Salah (DJI) | Gelindo Bordin (ITA) |
| 1991 Tokyo details | Hiromi Taniguchi (JPN) | Hussein Ahmed Salah (DJI) | Steve Spence (USA) |
| 1993 Stuttgart details | Mark Plaatjes (USA) | Luketz Swartbooi (NAM) | Bert van Vlaanderen (NED) |
| 1995 Gothenburg details | Martín Fiz (ESP) | Dionicio Cerón (MEX) | Luíz Antônio dos Santos (BRA) |
| 1997 Athens details | Abel Antón (ESP) | Martín Fiz (ESP) | Steve Moneghetti (AUS) |
| 1999 Seville details | Abel Antón (ESP) | Vincenzo Modica (ITA) | Nobuyuki Sato (JPN) |
| 2001 Edmonton details | Gezahegne Abera (ETH) | Simon Biwott (KEN) | Stefano Baldini (ITA) |
| 2003 Saint-Denis details | Jaouad Gharib (MAR) | Julio Rey (ESP) | Stefano Baldini (ITA) |
| 2005 Helsinki details | Jaouad Gharib (MAR) | Christopher Isengwe (TAN) | Tsuyoshi Ogata (JPN) |
| 2007 Osaka details | Luke Kibet Bowen (KEN) | Mubarak Hassan Shami (QAT) | Viktor Röthlin (SUI) |
| 2009 Berlin details | Abel Kirui (KEN) | Emmanuel Kipchirchir Mutai (KEN) | Tsegaye Kebede (ETH) |
| 2011 Daegu details | Abel Kirui (KEN) | Vincent Kipruto (KEN) | Feyisa Lilesa (ETH) |
| 2013 Moscow details | Stephen Kiprotich (UGA) | Lelisa Desisa (ETH) | Tadese Tola (ETH) |
| 2015 Beijing details | Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (ERI) | Yemane Tsegay (ETH) | Solomon Mutai (UGA) |
| 2017 London details | Geoffrey Kirui (KEN) | Tamirat Tola (ETH) | Alphonce Simbu (TAN) |
| 2019 Doha details | Lelisa Desisa (ETH) | Mosinet Geremew (ETH) | Amos Kipruto (KEN) |
| 2022 Eugene details | Tamirat Tola (ETH) | Mosinet Geremew (ETH) | Bashir Abdi (BEL) |
| 2023 Budapest details | Victor Kiplangat (UGA) | Maru Teferi (ISR) | Leul Gebresilase (ETH) |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Abel Antón | Spain (ESP) | 1997–1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | Jaouad Gharib | Morocco (MAR) | 2003–2005 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | Abel Kirui | Kenya (KEN) | 2009–2011 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Martín Fiz | Spain (ESP) | 1995–1997 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Lelisa Desisa | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2013-2019 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Tamirat Tola | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2017-2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Hussein Ahmed Salah | Djibouti (DJI) | 1987–1991 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 7 | Mosinet Geremew | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2019–2022 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 9 | Stefano Baldini | Italy (ITA) | 2001–2003 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |

#### Medalists by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Kenya (KEN) | 5 | 3 | 1 | 9 |
| 2 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 3 | 6 | 4 | 13 |
| 3 | Spain (ESP) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| 4 | Morocco (MAR) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Uganda (UGA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 6 | Japan (JPN) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 7 | Australia (AUS) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 8 | United States (USA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 9 | Eritrea (ERI) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 10 | Djibouti (DJI) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 11 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 12 | Tanzania (TAN) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 13 | Mexico (MEX) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Israel (ISR) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 13 | Qatar (QAT) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | Belgium (BEL) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Brazil (BRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | East Germany (GDR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Netherlands (NED) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 16 | Switzerland (SUI) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

### Women

| Championships | Gold | Silver | Bronze |
| 1983 Helsinki details | Grete Waitz (NOR) | Marianne Dickerson (USA) | Raisa Smekhnova (URS) |
| 1987 Rome details | Rosa Mota (POR) | Zoya Ivanova (URS) | Jocelyne Villeton (FRA) |
| 1991 Tokyo details | Wanda Panfil (POL) | Sachiko Yamashita (JPN) | Katrin Dörre (GER) |
| 1993 Stuttgart details | Junko Asari (JPN) | Manuela Machado (POR) | Tomoe Abe (JPN) |
| 1995 Gothenburg details | Manuela Machado (POR) | Anuța Cătună (ROU) | Ornella Ferrara (ITA) |
| 1997 Athens details | Hiromi Suzuki (JPN) | Manuela Machado (POR) | Lidia Slăvuțeanu (ROU) |
| 1999 Seville details | Jong Song-ok (PRK) | Ari Ichihashi (JPN) | Lidia Șimon (ROU) |
| 2001 Edmonton details | Lidia Șimon (ROU) | Reiko Tosa (JPN) | Svetlana Zakharova (RUS) |
| 2003 Saint-Denis details | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | Mizuki Noguchi (JPN) | Masako Chiba (JPN) |
| 2005 Helsinki details | Paula Radcliffe (GBR) | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | Constantina Diţă-Tomescu (ROU) |
| 2007 Osaka details | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | Zhou Chunxiu (CHN) | Reiko Tosa (JPN) |
| 2009 Berlin details | Bai Xue (CHN) | Yoshimi Ozaki (JPN) | Aselefech Mergia (ETH) |
| 2011 Daegu details | Edna Kiplagat (KEN) | Priscah Jeptoo (KEN) | Sharon Cherop (KEN) |
| 2013 Moscow details | Edna Kiplagat (KEN) | Valeria Straneo (ITA) | Kayoko Fukushi (JPN) |
| 2015 Beijing details | Mare Dibaba (ETH) | Helah Kiprop (KEN) | Eunice Kirwa (BHR) |
| 2017 London details | Rose Chelimo (BHR) | Edna Kiplagat (KEN) | Amy Cragg (USA) |
| 2019 Doha details | Ruth Chepng'etich (KEN) | Rose Chelimo (BHR) | Helalia Johannes (NAM) |
| 2022 Eugene details | Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) | Judith Korir (KEN) | Lonah Chemtai Salpeter (ISR) |
| 2023 Budapest details | Amane Beriso Shankule (ETH) | Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) | Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi (MAR) |

#### Multiple medalists

| Rank | Athlete | Nation | Period | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya (KEN) | 2003–2007 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 1 | Edna Kiplagat | Kenya (KEN) | 2011–2017 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| 3 | Manuela Machado | Portugal (POR) | 1993–1997 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Lidia Șimon | Romania (ROU) | 1997–2001 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 5 | Reiko Tosa | Japan (JPN) | 2001–2007 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |

#### Medalists by country

| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
| 1 | Kenya (KEN) | 15 | 5 | 1 | 21 |
| 2 | Ethiopia (ETH) | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | China (CHN) | 2 | 15 | 14 | 31 |
| 4 | Portugal (POR) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 5 | Romania (ROU) | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 6 | Bahrain (BHR) | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | Hong Kong (HKG) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 8 | Great Britain (GBR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | North Korea (PRK) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Norway (NOR) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | Poland (POL) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Italy (ITA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | Soviet Union (URS) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 12 | United States (USA) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 15 | France (FRA) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 15 | Israel (ISR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Morocco (MAR) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Namibia (NAM) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 15 | Russia (RUS) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |

## Championship record progression
### Men

Men's marathon World Championships record progression :
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 2:10:03 | Robert De Castella | Australia (AUS) | 1983 | Final | 14 August |
| 2:08:31 | Jaouad Gharib | Morocco (MAR) | 2003 | Final | 30 August |
| 2:06:54 | Abel Kirui | Kenya (KEN) | 2009 | Final | 22 August |
| 2:05:36 | Tamirat Tola | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2022 | Final | 17 July |

### Women

Women's marathon World Championships record progression :
| Time | Athlete | Nation | Year | Round | Date |
| 2:28:08 | Grete Waitz | Norway (NOR) | 1983 | Final | 7 August |
| 2:25:17 | Rosa Mota | Portugal (POR) | 1987 | Final | 29 August |
| 2:23:55 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya (KEN) | 2003 | Final | 31 August |
| 2:20:57 | Paula Radcliffe | Great Britain (GBR) | 2005 | Final | 14 August |
| 2:18.11 | Gotytom Gebreslase | Ethiopia (ETH) | 2022 | Final | 18 July |

## Finishing times
### Top ten fastest World Championship times

Fastest men's times at the World Championships :
| Rank | Time (sec) | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 2:05.36 | Tamirat Tola | Ethiopia | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 2 | 2:06.44 | Mosinet Geremew | Ethiopia | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 3 | 2:06.48 | Bashir Abdi | Belgium | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 4 | 2:06.54 | Abel Kirui | Kenya | 2009 | 2009-08-22 |
| 5 | 2:07.09 | Cameron Levins | Canada | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 6 | 2:07.14 | Geoffrey Kamworor | Kenya | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 7 | 2:07.17 | Seifu Tura | Ethiopia | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 8 | 2:07.31 | Gabriel Geay | Tanzania | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 9 | 2:07.35 | Daniel Ferreira do Nascimento | Brazil | 2022 | 2022-07-17 |
| 10 | 2:07.38 | Abel Kirui | Kenya | 2011 | 2011-09-04 |
Fastest women's times at the World Championships :
| Rank | Time (sec) | Athlete | Nation | Year | Date |
| 1 | 2:18.11 | Gotytom Gebreslase | Ethiopia | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 2 | 2:18.20 | Judith Korir | Kenya | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 3 | 2:20.18 | Lonah Chemtai Salpeter | Israel | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 4 | 2:20.29 | Nazret Weldu | Eritrea | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 5 | 2:20.57 | Paula Radcliffe | Great Britain | 2005 | 2005-08-14 |
| 6 | 2:22.01 | Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | 2005 | 2005-08-14 |
| 7 | 2:22.10 | Sara Hall | United States | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 8 | 2:22.15 | Angela Tanui | Kenya | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 9 | 2:23.18 | Emma Bates | United States | 2022 | 2022-07-18 |
| 10 | 2:23.19 | Constantina Diță | Romania | 2005 | 2005-08-14 |