Marathon world record progression facts for kids

Kelvin Kiptum during his world record run at the 2023 Chicago Marathon with 2:00:35

Mary Keitany during her women-only world record run at the 2017 London Marathon with 2:17:01

Marathon running is a long-distance race that covers 42.195 kilometers (about 26 miles and 385 yards). Athletes from all over the world compete to set the fastest times. These amazing achievements are called world records. The official group that keeps track of these records is called World Athletics.

As of April 29, 2026, the fastest time ever run by a man in a marathon is 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 30 seconds. This incredible record was set by Sabastian Sawe from Kenya at the 2026 London Marathon on April 26, 2026. He was the first person in history to run a marathon in under two hours during an official race!

For women, there are two types of world records. The first is for races where both men and women run together (called "mixed-sex" races). The current record for women in a mixed-sex race is 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds. This was achieved by Ruth Chepng'etich from Kenya at the 2024 Chicago Marathon on October 13, 2024. Although she later faced an issue regarding competition rules, her record from this race is still recognized.

The second type of women's record is for "Women Only" races, where only female athletes compete. The fastest time in a "Women Only" marathon is 2 hours, 15 minutes, and 41 seconds. This record was set by Tigst Assefa from Ethiopia at the London Marathon on April 26, 2026.

The History of Marathon Records
Rules for Setting a World Record
Gallery of World Record Holders
See also

The History of Marathon Records

Marathon races began in 1896, but the exact distance wasn't always the same. It wasn't until 1921 that the official distance of 42.195 kilometers was decided by the International Association of Athletics Federations (which is now World Athletics).

Before 1921, races often varied in length. The very first modern marathons were won by Greek runners Charilaos Vasilakos and Ioannis Lavrentis. Then, on April 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first Olympic marathon in Athens. His time was 2 hours, 58 minutes, and 50 seconds, but that race was a bit shorter than today's official distance.

The first marathon run over the official distance was at the 1908 Summer Olympics. American runner Johnny Hayes won it with a time of 2 hours, 55 minutes, and 18.4 seconds.

For women, it's believed that Stamata Revithi might have been the first woman to run the Olympic marathon course in 1896. Later, in 1926, Violet Piercy's performance was recognized as the first woman to officially race the standard marathon distance. However, other early women runners also achieved great times, like Marie-Louise Ledru in 1918.

Sometimes, records were set but later found to have problems. For example, in the 1953 Boston Marathon, a winning time was thought to be a world record, but the course was later found to be a little too short. Also, in the 1981 New York City Marathon, some fast times were set, but the course was later found to be 151 meters short, so those records were not officially counted.

The Boston Marathon has seen some of the fastest times ever, but because its course goes mostly downhill from start to finish, these times don't count as official world records. This is because World Athletics has special rules to make sure records are set on fair courses.

Rules for Setting a World Record

To make sure all world records are fair, World Athletics has specific rules for marathon courses. These rules help prevent runners from getting an unfair advantage from things like a downhill course or strong tailwinds.

Here are some of the main rules:

The marathon course must be exactly 42.195 kilometers (about 26.2 miles) long. This distance is measured very carefully using a special method.
The starting line and the finish line cannot be too far apart. If you draw a straight line between them, it can't be more than half the total race distance.
The course can't go downhill too much. The total drop in elevation from start to finish can't be more than an average of 1 meter for every 1,000 meters run.

Because of these rules, even very fast times, like those run at the Boston Marathon, are not considered official world records if the course doesn't meet these specific requirements.

Women's Records: Mixed vs. Women Only Races

World Athletics also has a special rule for women's marathon records. Since 2007, they track two different types of world records for women:

Mixed-sex races: These are races where men and women run together.
Women Only races: These are races where only women compete.

This means that a woman might hold a record for a mixed-sex race and another woman might hold a record for a women-only race, even if their times are different.

Unofficial Attempts to Run Under Two Hours

Some amazing athletes have tried to run a marathon in under two hours, even if the conditions weren't official.

In 2017, a special event called Breaking2 was organized. Eliud Kipchoge ran the marathon distance in 2 hours, 0 minutes, and 25 seconds. This was incredibly fast!

Then, in 2019, Kipchoge tried again in Vienna in an event called the Ineos 1:59 Challenge. He successfully ran the marathon distance in an astonishing 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40.2 seconds! This was the first time anyone had ever run a marathon in under two hours.

However, these attempts were not counted as official world records by World Athletics. This is because they had special conditions that aren't allowed in regular races. For example, Kipchoge had a team of runners helping him with pacing and reducing wind, and he was handed drinks by his support team. While these were incredible achievements, they didn't follow all the rules for an official world record.

Men's Marathon World Records

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.
2:52:45.4	Robert Fowler		January 1, 1909	Yonkers, United States
2:46:52.8	James Clark		February 12, 1909	New York City, United States
2:46:04.6	Albert Raines		May 8, 1909	New York City, United States
2:42:31.0	Henry Barrett	United Kingdom	May 8, 1909	Polytechnic Marathon, London, England
2:40:34.2	Thure Johansson	Sweden	August 31, 1909	Stockholm, Sweden
2:38:16.2	Harry Green	United Kingdom	May 12, 1913	Polytechnic Marathon
2:36:06.6	Alexis Ahlgren	Sweden	May 31, 1913	Polytechnic Marathon		Report in The Times claiming world record.
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
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
2:26:42	Sohn Kee-chung	Japanese Korea	November 3, 1935	Meiji Shrine Games, Tokyo, Japan		Also romanized as Kitei Son.
2:25:39	Suh Yun-bok	Korea	April 19, 1947	Boston Marathon		Disputed (short course). Disputed (point-to-point).
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			June 13, 1953	Polytechnic Marathon		Report in The Times claiming world record.
2:18:34.8			October 4, 1953	Turku Marathon
2:17:39.4			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		World record fastest marathon run in bare feet.
2:15:15.8	Toru Terasawa	Japan	February 17, 1963	Beppu-Ōita Marathon
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
2:09:05.6	Shigeru So	Japan	February 5, 1978	Beppu-Ōita Marathon
2:09:01	Gerard Nijboer	Netherlands	April 26, 1980	Amsterdam Marathon
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
2:07:12	Carlos Lopes	Portugal	April 20, 1985	Rotterdam Marathon
2:06:50	Belayneh Dinsamo	Ethiopia	April 17, 1988	Rotterdam Marathon
2:06:05	Ronaldo da Costa	Brazil	September 20, 1998	Berlin Marathon		First time the 40K mark was passed under two hours (1:59:55).
2:05:42	Khalid Khannouchi	Morocco	October 24, 1999	Chicago Marathon
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		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
2:03:59	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia	September 28, 2008			The ARRS notes Gebrselassie's extended time as 2:03:58.2.
2:03:38	Patrick Makau	Kenya	September 25, 2011		IAAF, ARRS
2:03:23	Wilson Kipsang		September 29, 2013		IAAF ARRS	The ARRS notes Kipsang's extended time as 2:03:22.2
2:02:57	Dennis Kimetto		September 28, 2014		IAAF ARRS	The ARRS notes Kimetto's extended time as 2:02:56.4
2:01:39	Eliud Kipchoge		September 16, 2018		IAAF
2:01:09	Eliud Kipchoge		September 25, 2022		World Athletics
2:00:35	Kelvin Kiptum		October 8, 2023	Chicago Marathon	World Athletics
1:59:30	Sabastian Sawe		April 26, 2026	London Marathon	World Athletics	Pending ratification. First man to break 2:00:00 in a record-eligible marathon

Women's Marathon World Records Timeline

Time	Name	Nationality	Date	Event/Place	Source	Notes
5:40	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		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
3:01:42	Elizabeth Bonner		May 9, 1971	Philadelphia, United States
2:55:22	Elizabeth Bonner		September 19, 1971	New York City Marathon
2:49:40	Cheryl Bridges		December 5, 1971	Culver City, United States
2:46:36	Michiko Gorman		December 2, 1973	Culver City, United States		The ARRS notes Gorman's extended time as 2:46:37
2:46:24	Chantal Langlacé	France	October 27, 1974	Neuf-Brisach, France
2:43:54.5	Jacqueline Hansen	United States	December 1, 1974	Culver City, United States		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
2:20:43	Tegla Loroupe	Kenya	September 26, 1999	Berlin Marathon
2:19:46	Naoko Takahashi	Japan	September 30, 2001	Berlin Marathon
2:18:47	Catherine Ndereba	Kenya	October 7, 2001	Chicago Marathon
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		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		Great Britain	April 17, 2005		IAAF
2:17:01 Wo	Mary Jepkosgei Keitany	Kenya	April 23, 2017		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. Although she later faced an issue regarding competition rules, her record from this race is still recognized.
2:15:50 Wo	Tigst Assefa	Ethiopia	April 27, 2025	London Marathon	World Athletics
2:15:41 Wo	Tigst Assefa	Ethiopia	April 26, 2026	London Marathon	World Athletics