Ruth Chepng'etich (born 8 August 1994) is a Kenyan long-distance runner. She holds the world record in the marathon with a time of 2.09:56, set at the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Chepng'etich also won a gold medal in the event at the 2019 World Athletics Championships. Her fastest half marathon time is 1.04:02, which she ran in Istanbul in April 2021.
Chepng'etich was given a three-year suspension from competition by the Athletics Integrity Unit beginning in April 2025, following a positive test for the banned substance hydrochlorothiazide, which she later admitted to using.
Life
Early life Chepng'etich was born on 8 August 1994, in Kericho, Kenya. She received her education at Sigowet Primary School and Momoniat Secondary School.
2018 Chepng'etich won the women's only road race at the 40th Istanbul Marathon, a World Athletics Label Road Race. She ran 2:18:35, with split times of 31:59 at 10 km, 48:15 at 15 km, 1:08:22 at the half marathon mark, and 1:37:42 at 30 km. Chepng'etich's performance was a course record, the best performance ever on Turkish soil, and, at the time, was the seventh fastest time in history. In running this time Chepng'etich became the 10th athlete in history to break the 2:19 barrier, and the 30th in history to break the 2:20 barrier.
2019 At the 20th Dubai Marathon, Chepng'etich set a new course record of 2 hours, 17 minutes and 8 seconds.
On 28 September, she won the world title in the marathon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar, clocking 2:32:43 after a midnight start due to sweltering, humid conditions. The silver medal went to Rose Chelimo of Bahrain with a time of 2:33:46, and bronze went to Namibia's 39-year-old Helalia Johannes, who clocked 2:34:15. Chepng'etich's time was the slowest world championship-winning time in history for the women's marathon. Due to the unfavorable conditions, only 40 out of 68 starters finished the race in Doha.
2020–2021 On 4 October 2020, she finished third in the London Marathon.
On 4 April 2021, Chepng'etich set a half marathon world record of 1:04:02 at the Istanbul Half Marathon in Turkey, taking 29 seconds off the previous best set by Ababel Yeshaneh in 2020. Chepng'etich's record has since been broken, and she is currently the sixth fastest woman in history at the distance.
On 10 October 2021, she took her first victory at a World Marathon Major by winning the 2021 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:22:31. She went out fast in a 67:34 first half, and concluded significantly slower with a 74:57 second half, but still won by nearly two minutes.
2022 On 13 March, Chepng'etich clocked the second fastest ever women's only marathon time to win the Nagoya Women's Marathon in Japan, a World Athletics Elite Platinum Label race. In a new course record, she ran a negative split 2:17:18 with a 69:03 first half and a 68:15 second half. At the time, this was the joint seventh-fastest time in history, which gave her an 87 second margin of victory. She won $250,000, the biggest official prize in professional running up to that point.
On 9 October, Chepng'etich successfully defended her Chicago title at the 2022 Chicago Marathon with a time of 2:14:18, a personal best by almost three minutes, then the second-fastest time in history, and just 14 seconds outside of compatriot Brigid Kosgei's then-world record of 2:14:04. Chepng'etich ran most of the race well under world record pace as she went out very fast with her first 10 miles clocked at 49:49. She ran the first half in 65:44 before running the second half much slower in 68:34. The win made her the first woman in history to break the 2:18 barrier on three occasions.
2023–present: Marathon world record On 13 October 2024, at the Chicago Marathon, Chepng'etich set a new world record in the marathon, with a time of 2:09:56, breaking Tigst Assefa's previous world record of 2:11:53 by almost two minutes. In setting this record, she became the first woman to run faster than 2:11 and 2:10 in the marathon. Chepng'etich stated she dedicated her world record to compatriot and men's world record holder Kelvin Kiptum, who died in February 2024.
Chepng'etich's world record was partially met with criticism and accusations of doping. Robert Johnson of LetsRun.com directly asked Chepng'etich her thoughts on the criticisms. The Kenyan National Assembly considered Johnson's question "disrespectful". Her improvement was attributed to the use of a Maurten carbohydrate mix, a special combination of sodium, carbs, and sugar, and the Nike Alphafly 3 shoe.
Following a provisional suspension, in October 2025 Chepng'etich was issued with a three-year ban backdated to April 2025 by the Athletics Integrity Unit after testing positive for hydrochlorothiazide. The standard sanction of four years was reduced by one year as she admitted the violation.
Achievements Personal bests Distance Performance Location Date Notes 5000 metres 15:26.70 Nairobi, Kenya 9 April 2022 10,000 metres 31:47.9 Nairobi, Kenya 26 April 2022 10 km 30:29 Manchester, United Kingdom 22 May 2022 (also 30:57 not legal) Half marathon 1:04:02 Istanbul, Turkey 4 April 2021 , 6th of all time Marathon 2:09:56 Chicago, United States 13 October 2024 WR
International competitions 10 kilometres2018Memorial Samuel Wanjiru 10 kmNyahururu, Kenya2nd10 km33:09Marathons representing 2017Istanbul MarathonIstanbul, Turkey1stMarathon2:22:362018Paris MarathonParis, France2ndMarathon2:22:59Istanbul MarathonIstanbul, Turkey1stMarathon2:18:35 2019Dubai MarathonDubai, United Arab Emirates1stMarathon2:17:08World ChampionshipsDoha, Qatar1stMarathon2:32:432020London MarathonLondon, United Kingdom3rdMarathon2:22:052021Olympic GamesSapporo, Japan –MarathonDNFChicago MarathonChicago, United States1stMarathon2:22:312022Nagoya Women's MarathonNagoya, Japan1stMarathon2:17:18 CRWorld ChampionshipsEugene, United States–MarathonDNFChicago MarathonChicago, United States1stMarathon2:14:182023Nagoya Women's MarathonNagoya, Japan1stMarathon2:18:082024Chicago MarathonChicago, United States1stMarathon2:09:57 Half marathons representing Nike2016Rabat Half MarathonRabat, Morocco4thHalf Marathon1:11:33Nairobi Half MarathonNairobi, Kenya2ndHalf Marathon1:14:132017Adana Half MarathonAdana, Turkey1stHalf Marathon1:09:06Paris Half MarathonParis, France1stHalf Marathon1:08:08Milan Half MarathonMilan, Italy1stHalf Marathon1:07:42Istanbul Half MarathonIstanbul, Turkey1stHalf Marathon1:06:19Bogotá Half MarathonBogotá, Colombia3rdHalf Marathon1:13:57Rock 'n' Roll Half MarathonLisbon, Portugal4thHalf Marathon1:10:332018World Half Marathon ChampionshipsValencia, Spain13thHalf Marathon1:09:12Copenhagen Half MarathonCopenhagen, Denmark5thHalf Marathon1:07:022019Bahrain Night Half MarathonManama, Bahrain2ndHalf Marathon1:06:09Vodafone Istanbul Half MarathonIstanbul, Turkey1stHalf Marathon1:05:30 CRGifu Seiryu Half MarathonGifu, Japan1stHalf Marathon1:06:06Bogotá Half MarathonBogotá, Colombia1stHalf Marathon1:10:392020Airtel Delhi Half MarathonNew Delhi, India2ndHalf marathon1:05:062021Istanbul Half MarathonIstanbul, Turkey1stHalf marathon1:04:02
National championships Kenyan Athletics Championships 10,000 metres: 2022 Kenyan Cross Country Championships Senior women's race: 2023
References
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