2023 Marathon Majors year in review: the shining stars in a year where the men’s and women’s world records fell 

What a year it’s been in the world of the marathon.

In 2023, both the men’s and women’s world records fell - and both times to relative newcomers.

The performances of athletes such as Kelvin Kiptum and Tigst Assefa have led to a seismic shift in what people consider to be possible over this mythical distance.

Suddenly the idea of a man running an official sub-two-hour-marathon or a woman breaking the two-hour and 10-minute mark looks more of a reality than ever before.

This year has also seen the transition of a number of track greats to the marathon scene, with athletes such as Sifan Hassan and Hellen Obiri proving their mettle over 42.195 km.

There’s still time for more heroics in 2023, with the notoriously fast Valencia marathon primed to take place on Sunday 3 December. But with all the 2023 Marathon Majors concluded, Olympics.com looks back on what has truly been an astounding year in marathon running history.

Tokyo Marathon, 5 March

The year got off to a bang with the Tokyo Marathon, where Kenya’s Rosemary Wanjiru soared to victory in only her second only marathon in the women’s race. Her time of 2:16:28 was one of the fastest in history and with Ethiopia’s Tsehay Gemechu coming home in 2:16:56, they became the seventh and eighth women ever to break the 2:17 mark.

In the men’s race, Deso Gelmisa won in 2:05:22 after a final sprint to the finish line. Mohamed Esa crossed the line in the same exact time to take second while Tsegaye Getachew finished a mere three seconds behind in third.

Despite the fireworks in Tokyo, this was just a taste of what was to come in a 2023 marathon season that never failed to disappoint. 

Boston Marathon, 17 April

The Boston Marathon always brings with it a high level of excitement, but this year reached fever pitch because of the participation of one man: Eliud Kipchoge.

At the time, Kipchoge held the men’s marathon world record (more on that later) and was an odds-on favourite to notch up another victory as he chased wins in all six of the Marathon Majors.

However, things did not go to plan for the great man who struggled to sixth in a leisurely - for him - time of 2:09:23.

In the end, it was Kenya’s Evans Chebet who became a repeat winner after passing the line first in 2:05:54.

In the women’s race, former track athlete and two-time Olympic silver medallist Hellen Obiri was the fastest athlete of the day, as she won in 2:21:38 in only her second marathon having decided at the last minute to race in Boston.

London Marathon, 23 April

If Obiri’s victory in Boston had been impressive, the manner of marathon debutant Sifan Hassan’s victory in London sent shockwaves around the world.

The Dutch athlete overcame numerous challenges on her way to victory, including pulling up on various occasions to stretch out an apparent injury and narrowly avoiding colliding with a motorbike after running across the road following a missed water station.

However, despite at one point being over two minutes back on the leading pack, Hassan rallied spectacularly to take an unforgettable victory in London.

The men’s race was equally exciting, as Kelvin Kiptum came within a whisper of Kipchoge’s world record in only his second marathon. His time of 2:01:25 on a rain-drenched course elevated him to the position of arguably the most exciting young marathoner on the planet. But the best was yet to come in 2023 for Kiptum who cemented his name in history a few short just months later.

Berlin Marathon, 24 September

Less than half a year after his sixth-place finish in Boston, Kipchoge returned to his favourite stomping ground for the 2023 Berlin Marathon. However, for perhaps the first time in years, real doubts hung over the upcoming performance of the two-time Olympic marathon champion.

At 39, Kipchoge is entering the twilight of his career. Had he lost the pace that has made him arguably the greatest marathon runner of all time?

The answer from Kipchoge was hugely impressive - if not emphatic. In a typically consistent race, the Kenyan came home first in 2:02:42 making him the only man in history to win five Berlin Marathons.

However, his time that day was over a minute and a half slower than the one he had set just the previous year on the same course.

If there were no world records in the men’s race, the women’s did not fail to deliver.

Tigst Assefa crushed the field to set a new world-best mark of 2:11:53 - over two minutes faster than the previous record.

Her rise is perhaps even more astonishing considering she has transitioned from being an 800m runner on the track to taking on the longest of all Olympic running events. 

It was a thrilling performance from an athlete who was racing in only her second marathon, and suddenly the idea of a woman breaking the 2:10 mark became a prospect that seems to be closer to reality than ever.

"I wanted to break the marathon world record, but I couldn't imagine that it would result in a time under 2:12," Assefa said after the race. "I am very happy."

Chicago Marathon, 8 October

In the very next Marathon Major of the season, Kiptum made history as he produced the finest male marathon performance of all time.

Having played down his chances of breaking the world record in Chicago, the 23-year-old smashed Kipchoge’s previous best by a full 34 seconds as he finished the race in two hours and 35 seconds.

Running a negative split for the second half-marathon that included a 13:51 5K between kilometres 30 and 35, Kiptum set a new standard for what is possible in marathon running. The idea of a legally-recognised sub-two-hour marathon suddenly seems like a near reality rather than a fanciful dream.

The women’s race was once again won by the irrepressible Hassan, who set the second-fastest women’s time in history when she crossed the line in 2:13:44. Once again, her race build-up - she competed in Chicago just weeks after racing over three distances on track in the World Athletics Championships - had been less than ideal. But by now, there is little reason to doubt the Dutch great, who has proved time and time again that what many people deem impossible is - for her - very possible indeed.

New York City Marathon, 5 November

There were no world records set in the New York City Marathon but, in keeping with the historic nature of marathon racing in 2023, there was a course record in the men’s race.

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia was the big winner, running home in 2:04:58 to shatter a mark that had been in place for a dozen years.

In the women’s race, Obiri secured her second Marathon Major victory of 2023 with the two-time world gold medallist becoming the first woman in history to win in Boston and New York in the same calendar year.

With Paris 2024 on the horizon, the marathon scene has rarely, if ever, been in better shape. And while we do not know who will reign victorious at the next Olympics, one thing’s for sure - you won’t want to miss a minute of either marathon race.