Ruth Chepng'etich facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ruth Chepng'etich

Chepng'etich at the 2021 Chicago Marathon
Personal information
Born	(1994-08-08) 8 August 1994 (age 31) Kericho, Rift Valley Province, Kenya
Height	1.65 m
Weight	48 kg
Sport
Country	Kenya
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Half marathon, Marathon, 10 km
Turned pro	2016
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Half marathon: 1:04:02 (Istanbul 2021) Marathon: 2:09:56 Mx WR (Chicago 2024)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Kenya World Championships Gold 2019 Doha Marathon World Half Marathon Championships Silver 2018 Valencia Team World Marathon Majors Gold 2021 Chicago Marathon Gold 2022 Chicago Marathon Gold 2024 Chicago Marathon Silver 2023 Chicago Marathon Bronze 2020 London Marathon

Ruth Chepng'etich (born August 8, 1994) is a talented long-distance runner from Kenya. She is famous for being the current world record holder in the marathon for women. She achieved this amazing feat at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, finishing in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds.

Ruth is also a world champion in the marathon. She has won the Chicago Marathon three times: in 2021, 2022, and 2024. She was the first woman ever to run a marathon faster than 2 hours and 11 minutes, and then even faster than 2 hours and 10 minutes! She also holds one of the fastest times for the half marathon.

Ruth Chepng'etich's Running Career

Early Success in 2018

In 2018, Ruth Chepng'etich won the Istanbul Marathon. This was a big race, and she finished in 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 35 seconds. This time was a new record for the course. It was also one of the fastest marathon times ever recorded by a woman at that point. She became one of only a few athletes to run a marathon under 2 hours and 19 minutes.

Winning Big in 2019

Ruth continued her success in 2019. She set a new course record at the Dubai Marathon. Her time was 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 8 seconds.

Later that year, she became a world champion. She won the marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar. The race was tough because it was very hot and humid. It even started at midnight to avoid the worst heat. Only 40 out of 68 runners finished the race. Ruth showed great strength to win in such difficult conditions.

Highlights from 2020 and 2021

In October 2020, Ruth finished third in the 2020 London Marathon. This showed she could compete with the best runners in the world.

In April 2021, she set a new half marathon world record. She ran 1 hour, 4 minutes, and 2 seconds at the Istanbul Half Marathon. She broke the previous record by 29 seconds. While her record has since been broken, she remains one of the fastest women in history at this distance.

Later in 2021, Ruth won her first major marathon. She took first place at the 2021 Chicago Marathon. She started very fast and held on to win by almost two minutes.

Dominating in 2022

Ruth had an amazing year in 2022. In March, she won the Nagoya Women's Marathon in Japan. She set a new course record of 2 hours, 17 minutes, and 18 seconds. This was the second-fastest women's only marathon time ever at that point. She won a large prize for this victory.

In October, she won the 2022 Chicago Marathon again. She finished in 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 18 seconds. This was her personal best time and the second-fastest time in history at that moment. She ran most of the race at a very fast pace. This win made her the first woman to run under 2 hours and 18 minutes three times.

Ruth's Race Times in 2022 Chicago Marathon

Ruth's performance in the 2022 Chicago Marathon showed her incredible speed. Here are her times for different parts of the race:

World Record in 2024

On October 13, 2024, Ruth Chepng'etich made history at the Chicago Marathon. She set a new world record for the marathon, finishing in an incredible 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds. This broke the previous record by almost two minutes. She became the first woman to run a marathon faster than 2 hours and 11 minutes, and then even faster than 2 hours and 10 minutes. Ruth said she dedicated her world record to her fellow Kenyan runner, Kelvin Kiptum, who had passed away earlier that year.

Achievements

Personal Best Times

Ruth Chepng'etich has achieved impressive personal best times in various running distances:

International Competitions

Ruth has competed in many international races, earning several medals and top finishes:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
10 kilometres
2018	Memorial Samuel Wanjiru 10 km	Nyahururu, Kenya	2nd	10 km	33:09
Marathons representing  Kenya
2017	Istanbul Marathon	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Marathon	2:22:36
2018	Paris Marathon	Paris, France	2nd	Marathon	2:22:59
	Istanbul Marathon	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Marathon	2:18:35 CR
2019	Dubai Marathon	Dubai, United Arab Emirates	1st	Marathon	2:17:08
	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	1st	Marathon	2:32:43
2020	London Marathon	London, United Kingdom	3rd	Marathon	2:22:05
2021	Olympic Games	Sapporo, Japan	–	Marathon	DNF
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	1st	Marathon	2:22:31
2022	Nagoya Women's Marathon	Nagoya, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:17:18 CR
	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	–	Marathon	DNF
	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	1st	Marathon	2:14:18
2023	Nagoya Women's Marathon	Nagoya, Japan	1st	Marathon	2:18:08
2024	Chicago Marathon	Chicago, IL, United States	1st	Marathon	2:09:57 WR
Half marathons representing Nike
2016	Rabat Half Marathon	Rabat, Morocco	4th	Half Marathon	1:11:33
	Nairobi Half Marathon	Nairobi, Kenya	2nd	Half Marathon	1:14:13
2017	Adana Half Marathon	Adana, Turkey	1st	Half Marathon	1:09:06
	Paris Half Marathon	Paris, France	1st	Half Marathon	1:08:08
	Milano Half Marathon	Milano, Italy	1st	Half Marathon	1:07:42
	Istanbul Half Marathon	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Half Marathon	1:06:19
	Bogotá Half Marathon	Bogotá, Colombia	3rd	Half Marathon	1:13:57
	Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon	Lisbon, Portugal	4th	Half Marathon	1:10:33
2018	World Half Marathon Championships	Valencia, Spain	13th	Half Marathon	1:09:12
	Copenhagen Half Marathon	Copenhagen, Denmark	5th	Half Marathon	1:07:02
2019	Bahrain Night Half Marathon	Manama, Bahrain	2nd	Half Marathon	1:06:09
	Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Half Marathon	1:05:30 CR
	Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon	Gifu, Japan	1st	Half Marathon	1:06:06
	Bogotá Half Marathon	Bogotá, Colombia	1st	Half Marathon	1:10:39
2020	Airtel Delhi Half Marathon	New Delhi, India	2nd	Half marathon	1:05:06
2021	Istanbul Half Marathon	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Half marathon	1:04:02 WR

National Championships

Ruth has also won titles in her home country:

• Kenyan Athletics Championships
  • 10,000 metres: 2022
• Kenyan Cross Country Championships
  • Senior women's race: 2023

See also

In Spanish: Ruth Chepngetich para niños