Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum broke the marathon world record at the Chicago Marathon, winning in 2 hours and 35 seconds, almost breaking the two-hour barrier.
Dutchman Sifan Hassan won the women’s race with a time of 2 hours 13 minutes 44 seconds, the second fastest time ever for a woman.
Kiptum, who is 23 years old on the list, broke the world record of 2 hours 1 minute 09 seconds set by compatriot Eliud Kipchoge at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
“The world record wasn’t on my mind today,” Kiptum told NBC Chicago. “I thought I would someday be a world record holder.”
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Kiptam has run three career marathons, all in the past 10 months, and has recorded three of his six fastest times ever. He ran 2:01:53 in Valencia, Spain last December, followed by 2:01:25 in London in April.
He replaced the 38-year-old Kipchoge as the world’s best marathon runner. Kipchoge, who has held that honor for most of the past decade, is aiming to become the first person to win the Olympic marathon three times next year.
Kipchoge is the only person known to have run 42.2 miles in less than two hours, but it was not in a recorded race. In 2019, he ran a 1:59:40.2 at a special event in Vienna, Austria.
Recent advances in shoe technology have coincided with multiple world marathon records for men and women being broken in the past four years.
Connor Mantz finished 6th with a personal best time of 2 hours, 07 minutes, 47 seconds, breaking the fastest American time since the start of 2022 and becoming the top American. Mantz is the clear favorite for the Olympic trials on February 3, with the top three qualifying. He will probably be selected for the Paris team.
Mantz was followed 13 seconds by training partner Clayton Young, who improved his personal best by 3 minutes and 51 seconds to become the second fastest U.S. marathon runner in 2022.
Two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp completed his first marathon in two years after returning from injury, clocking a time of 2:08:48. Rupp, 37, answered all questions about whether he is a legitimate Olympic selection candidate.
Hassan became a legend by winning the marathon for the second time ever, beating the world record of 2 hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa two weeks ago.
At the Tokyo Olympics, Hassan became the first woman to win medals in the 1,500 meters (bronze), 5,000 meters (gold) and 10,000 meters (gold) in the same event.
Six weeks ago at the World Championships, he again competed in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 10,000m, winning silver and bronze medals.
“I don’t know if six weeks is enough. [to recover for the marathon],” she said. “I just love pain.”
A year after finishing runner-up in Chicago and lowering the American record to 2:18:29, Emily Sisson became the top American woman with a time of 2:22:09, finishing seventh. Sison will be heading into the Olympic trials as the clear favorite to win.
Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel was 58 seconds behind Sisson, becoming the second American to bounce back from completing a marathon for the first time in nearly two years.
Switzerland’s Catherine DeBrunner and Marcel Hug won the women’s and men’s wheelchair races in course record times.