CHICAGO — In an electrifying performance that will be etched in the annals of marathon racing history, Kelvin Kiptum has taken down Eliud Kipchoge’s marathon world record time. What a performance by Kiptum, and witnessed by hundreds of thousands of screaming and cheering fans along the streets of the Windy City. With near perfect weather conditions, and on a flat and fast course, Kiptum showed up and showed out to chase down an almost unthinkable finishing time from a decade ago.
Kiptum crossed the finish line in a staggering 2:00:35, besting Kipchoge's previous record of 2:01:09 set in the Berlin Marathon in 2022. This monumental
achievement in the Windy City saw the running community gasp in amazement as Kiptum maintained an average pace of just under 4:36 per mile. That’s an astonishing pace for the 26.2 mile distance. (photo credit: Patrick Gorski/USA Today Sports)
And today, which marathoning mythical figure was Kiptum chasing in the streets of Chicago?
Eliud Kipchoge! The Kenyan long-distance *Goat*, primarily celebrated for his prowess in the marathon racing discipline. But don’t forget his silver and bronze 5000 m performances on the track in the Olympics, now almost two decades ago. Born on November 5, 1984, in Nandi County, Kenya, Kipchoge transitioned to road races in 2012, where he quickly marked his dominance at the marathon distance. Perhaps most notably in the past decade, Kipchoge garnered international attention and fame for breaking the two-hour barrier in the INEOS 1:59 Challenge in Vienna Austria, in 2019. Though this feat is not recognized as an official world record due to its controlled conditions, it will remain in long-distance running lore for years to come. As recently as September 2023, Kipchoge won an unprecedented fifth Berlin Marathon, widely considered the fastest and most competitive marathon on European soil. Throughout his career, Kipchoge has consistently showcased exceptional endurance and mental grit, establishing himself as one of the greatest marathon runners of all time. But now….
Kelvin Kiptum arrives on the scene, first at the Valencia Marathon in 2022, clocking
an unthinkable first marathon victory and finishing time. The Valencia crowd was able to witness Kiptum cruise through the closing stages to smash the course record with a 2:01:53, having covered the second half in 1:00:11. Kiptum’s winning time is by far the fastest marathon debut in history and with that time he entered the world all-time list in third place, behind the legendary Eliud Kipchoge and Kenenisa Bekele. Kiptum is a very young (23), elite marathon runner known for his big win last spring at the 2023 London Marathon. Hailing from Kenya, a nation with perhaps the most noteworthy storied history in long-distance running, Kiptum has cemented his reputation through consistent finishes in major 10k, half, and full marathon races worldwide. His self-coached (very rare), dedication to rigorous training and unmatched natural physical endurance has seen him garner numerous accolades at a very young age.
Most elite runners Kiptum's age are chasing track records, maybe half marathon course records and wins, but not the marathon distance. Why did he go straight to marathons so quickly? With no running tracks in his childhood village, he didn't have the money to travel to Eldoret 40km away to do track sessions. Dreaming of one day becoming a marathoner, at the age of 13 he joined a village running group, and just five years later, he won his first road race – the 2018 Eldoret Half Marathon, at the age of 18. He was little known to most running fans until he took the win at Valencia and London, all in the past year. And in the London Marathon, he was already knocking on the world record's door, clocking 2:01:25 – just 16 seconds behind Kipchoge's world record set in Berlin of 2:01:09. It was only the Kenyan's second-ever marathon.
It is noteworthy that Kipchoge's Berlin performance had itself smashed the earlier world record by an impressive 78 seconds, making Kiptum's triumph even more significant, dropping the old world record by 34 seconds. Such tight margins of victory in marathon world record chasing underscores the sheer prowess and resilience needed to claim the title of fastest marathoner of all time.
For running fans and professionals alike, the 2023 Chicago Marathon has set a new gold standard in long-distance running lore, promising an exciting era of competition in the years to come. The only question now is, how much faster can Kelvin Kiptum run? At least we long distance running fans have years to find out!
photo credit: Michael Reaves/Getty Images
5 comments
Seth, excellent writing! The history major and all those term papers are paying off! Lol! I watched London and Valencia. I didn’t see Chicago, but Kiptum’s tempo and bounce is amazing… he’s not a pretty looking as Kipchoge but he basically equaled Kipchige’s first “Breaking 2” documentary attempt at Monza which is about a flat and ideal a run as you could ever get… although I think too many turns which is why Vienna was better… to do this in a real race and not really drafting (as one commenter made) is simply incredible. With wave lights (in track) and laser pace cars, etc.these records are kind to keep falling… I mean non-runners don’t realize what an advantage a pacer or timing feedback can do to help break records..back in what are now the old days (10 years ago haha)… it was all feel. I was reading about body temp and I think the Japanese winner in Boston essentially leveraged the cold rain to get time on everyone before his core temp got to that redline… backed off and then came roaring back once the competitors started overheating… it was a physiological triumph and he caught lightening in a bottle… the fact that conditions are the “12th man” on the field so to speak make this record a hard on to beat for years to come… Kichoge’s click is ticking but he’s no less great than Paavo Nurmi and these other mid-20th century legends who trained and — oh by the way fought wars in between Olympic glory…
Now just imagine if Kipchoge and Kiptum were in the same race! This could finally elevate marathon coverage to a major TV sporting event to see who might break 2:00 first. Add some pacers who can take them to 35k and I think there is a chance we could see this in London 2024.
Seth, I love these articles- you’re a great writer! So excited to see this young buck break 2, which will certainly happen in the next couple years. We runners are so spoiled – it’s truly the golden age of running with all this incredible shoe tech and athletic ability intersecting.
I do Leighton, I predict sub 2 in the next 2 years from Kiptum, he is so young and has so much potential still. He could be racing at this level for 10-15 years! Amazing and thanks for jumping into the conversation Leighton.
Unbelievable time!
Do you think sub 2hrs is in his future?
Exciting times for Marathon runners!