Chasing history: the evolution of men’s and women’s marathon world records

42.195km (26.2 miles) might seem like an arbitrary distance, especially in comparison to much rounder distances like 5km, 10km, 20km and 50km, but its importance in the history and development of global athletics cannot be understated. Why? Because it is the official distance of the marathon.

Yes, that ultimate test of endurance, speed and willpower that has captured the imagination of athletes around the world for over a century, creating national heroes out of little-known athletes and inspiring amateurs around the globe to challenge their biology and push their bodies to the very limit of what is humanly possible.

While victory and personal triumph remain the main objectives of every world-class marathoner, a thrilling battle to beat the clock, along with every other marathoner in history, has added an extra layer of intrigue to the event in recent years.

From Eliud Kipchoge’s mission to crack the two-hour mark in the men’s marathon to the astonishing marks redefining what’s possible in the women’s marathon, the race against time has become just as fascinating as the race itself.

Olympics.com explores the history of the marathon, highlighting the evolution of the men’s and women’s world records while providing a glimpse at what may be to come in athletics’ most storied distance.

The origins of the marathon

Born out of ancient history, and shrouded by myth, the marathon has embedded itself in the zeitgeist of popular culture, creating its own mythos in modern athletics and the Olympic Games.

The idea behind the event came from an ancient Greek legend recorded by the historian Herodotus, who recounted the arduous journey of a foot courier named Philippides before and after the famed battle of Marathon.

As the tale goes, Philippides was sent from Athens to Sparta to ask for assistance in the upcoming battle against the invading Persian army. In modern legends, Philippides was then tasked with running from the battlefield at Marathon, back to the city of Athens, in order to proclaim victory in the battle.

While the exact details of the legend are highly debated, its influence on the modern Olympic Games is unquestionable.

Recounting the legend of Philippides, particularly his fabled journey from Marathon to Athens, Frenchman Michael Bréal suggested a revival of the legendary run be held as part of the Olympic Games Athens 1896.

Baron Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, was receptive to the idea, and thus, the marathon was born.

The early days of the Olympic marathon

Originally held as a race from Marathon to Athens, the marathon would evolve over time, growing in distance and popularity.

Greece’s Spyridon Louis won the first-ever Olympic marathon at Athens 1896, completing the roughly 40km course in a recorded time of 2:58:50. The three-hour barrier had been broken, but the distance of the marathon would vary from race to race over the next two decades.

The men’s marathon at the Olympic Games St. Louis 1904 fell on the shorter end of the spectrum at 40km (24.85 miles), while the men’s marathon at the Olympic Games Antwerp 1920 was the longest marathon in Olympic history, measuring 42.750km (26.56 miles).

Finland’s Hannes Kolehmainen won the “super” marathon at Antwerp 1920, crossing the finish line in a recorded time of 2 hours 32 minutes and 35.8 seconds, closing in on the two-and-a-half hour barrier despite running the longest marathon in Olympic history.

Ultimately, the distance of the marathon would be standardized at 42.195km by the International Amateur Athletic Federation, now known as World Athletics, in 1921.

The age of racing against the clock was neigh.

The race to crack two hours: evolution of the men’s marathon world record

There was no official world record kept for the marathon until Kenya’s Paul Tergat ran 2:04:55 at the 2003 Berlin Marathon. Before then, a “world best” existed in the men’s marathon, but World Athletics did not keep an officially ratified world record.

Tergat’s world record would stand for five years, before Ethopia’s Haile Gebrselassie decreased his time by nearly 30 seconds at the 2007 Berlin Marathon, finishing in a time of 2:04:26.

Gebrselassie, in turn, became the first man to break the 2 hour and four-minute barrier, crossing the finish line of the 2008 Berlin Marathon in a time of 2:03:59. His record stood for nearly three years, before Kenya’s Patrick Makau Musyoki ran 2:03:38 to set a new world record at the 2011 Berlin Marathon.

Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich improved on his fellow countrymen’s record with a time of 2:03:23 at the 2013 Berlin Marathon, before Kenya’s Dennis Kimetto became the first man to break the two hour and three-minute barrier at the 2014 Berlin Marathon, clocking a time of 2:02:57.

Kimetto’s record held for nearly four years, before the great Eliud Kipchoge smashed the two-hour and two-minute barrier, finishing with a time of 2:01:39 at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

Kipchoge would improve his time once more at the 2022 Berlin Marathon, creeping towards the two-hour and one-minute barrier with a time of 2:01:09 - a barrier that was ultimately surpassed by the late Kelvin Kiptum.

Set at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, Kiptum’s world record of 2:00:35 has yet to be beaten. While the race to break the mythical two-hour barrier is in full swing at marathons across the globe, it will take a truly exceptional performance to achieve the once unimaginable feat.

The race to inch closer to two hours: evolution of the women’s marathon world record

The women’s marathon was included on the Olympic sports programme for the first-time at the Olympic Games Los Angeles 1984. Team USA’s Joan Benoit won the race in a time of 2:24:52, setting an Olympic record in the process.

Like the men’s marathon, an official world record for the women’s marathon wasn’t kept until the early 2000s, when Great Britain’s Paula Radcliffe ran an astonishing time of 2:15:25 to set the global benchmark for the women’s marathon.

Her blistering pace proved to be a real challenge for the world’s best female marathoners, standing as the world record for over 16 years until Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei took more than a minute off her time at the 2019 Chicago Marathon.

Kosgei’s own world record of 2:14:04 seemed like an equally daunting challenge for the world’s best marathoners, but Ethopia’s Tigst Assefa stunned the world by taking over two minutes off the Kenyan runner's time at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, clocking a time 2:11:53.

Assefa’s time dominated headlines heading into the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where the Ethiopian runner claimed a silver medal at the conclusion of a thrilling sprint finish against the Netherlands’s Sifan Hassan.

Nonetheless, Assefa’s time would be challenged before the season was over, with Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich stealing headlines with her blazing fast time at the 2024 Chicago Marathon.

With a time of 2:09:56, Chepngetich became the first woman to dip under the two-hour and ten-minute barrier. However, her time is still awaiting ratification from World Athletics, meaning nothing is completely official at the time of this article.

Still, her time represents an exciting time in the women’s marathon, where the race against the clock has become as compelling as the individual races themselves.

What does the future hold for men’s and women’s marathons?

It’s an undeniably exciting time for both the men’s and women’s marathon. With recording-breaking performances dominating the conversation surrounding both events, it's worth looking ahead towards the future.

Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola, who won the men’s marathon at Paris 2024, is eyeing his next great prize: breaking the world record.

“I hope to attack the world record,” he said in a recent interview with Olympics.com. “I hope to be able to run in Berlin next year. If I'm good shape and if my training goes well, I'd like to try the world record in Berlin.”

Of course, he’ll be eager to try to break the two-hour barrier - a feat achieved only by Eluid Kipchoge under ideal, manufactured conditions in 2019.

The world record battle will likely remain a fixture in the women’s marathon as well, with two-time Olympic medallist Catherine Ndereba predicting quicker times to come.

“Technology has played a big part in the world marathon,” Ndereba told The Star. “Athletes can run even faster because of some of the shoes they wear which points to even greater stories and records in the years to come.”

No matter the amount of marathon world records that fall in the years to come, expect a thrilling journey as athletic’s most storied event continues to evolve.