At the Chicago Marathon, Kelvin Kiptum smashes the world record for the distance and is almost at the 2-hour mark

At the Chicago Marathon, Kelvin Kiptum smashes the world record for the distance and is almost at the 2-hour mark
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Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum won the Chicago Marathon in 2 hours, and 35 seconds, shattering the previous record by nearly two minutes.

Sifan Hassan, a Dutchwoman, won the women’s race in 2:13:44, which is the second-fastest women’s time in history.

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At the Berlin Marathon in 2022, Kiptum, then 23 years old, beat fellow countryman Eliud Kipchoge’s previous record of 2:01:09.

A world record was not on Kiptum’s mind when he made the statement on NBC Chicago. “But I knew one day, one time, I will be a world record holder.”

In the last 10 months, Kiptum has completed three marathons in his career, recording three of the six fastest times in history, including 2:01:53 in Valencia, Spain, last December and 2:01:25 in London, England, this past April.

He has replaced the 38-year-old Kipchoge as the top marathoner in the world. Kipchoge, who has held that distinction for the majority of the past ten years, will attempt to win three Olympic marathons in a row the next year to make history.

The only person to have run 26.2 miles in under two hours is Kipchoge, although he did not do it in a race that qualified for the record. He completed a 1:59:40.2 race in Vienna, Austria in 2019.

The men’s and women’s marathon world records have been broken numerous times during the past four years, which has corresponded with recent advancements in shoe technology.

Conner Mantz, who has been the fastest American since the year 2022 began, finished sixth in a personal best time of 2:07:47. Mantz is the undisputed favorite for the Olympic Trials on February 3, where the top three finishers are sure to make the Paris team.

The second-fastest American marathoner since the year 2022, Clayton Young, finished 13 seconds after Mantz and lowered his personal best by 3:51.

Olympic medalist Galen Rupp, who has won two medals, finished his first marathon after two years due to injury with a timing of 2:08:48. Regarding whether or if he is a legitimate candidate for the Olympic trials, Rupp, 37, provided an answer.

With her second victory in as many marathons and a time only surpassed in history by Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s world record of 2:11:53 from two weeks prior, Hassan enhanced her legacy.

Hassan was the first woman to win medals in the 1500-meter (bronze), 5000-meter (gold), and 10,000-meter (gold) events at the same Olympics in Tokyo.

She ran the 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m again in the global championships six weeks earlier, adding a silver and a bronze.

Hassan, who is currently the second-fastest woman in history for both the mile and the marathon, stated, “I don’t know if six weeks is enough [to heal for the marathon]. Simply put, “I just love the pain.”

After reducing the American record to 2:18:29 with a second-place performance in Chicago one year prior, Emily Sisson was the highest American woman in seventh place in 2:22:09. Sisson is the overwhelming favorite going into the Olympic Trials.

Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel finished second among Americans in her first full marathon in over two years, 58 seconds behind Sisson.

The wheelchair races for men and women were won by Swiss competitors Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner in respective course records.

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