When Ruth Chepngetich crossed the finish line at the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon it marked an incredible feat and a first in women's racing history.
Chepngetich, the 2021 and 2022 Bank of American Chicago Marathon winner and runner-up in 2023, returned to the course in 2024 to try and reclaim her title. And she did more than that.
Not only did she set an unofficial world record, she did it in under 2 hours and 10 minutes, a remarkable feat experts called a once-in-a-lifetime finish.
"I feel so great. I'm proud of myself and I thank God for the victory and the world record," Chepngetich told NBC Chicago at the finish line moments after her stunning finish. "This is my dream that has come true. I fight a lot thinking about world record and I have fulfilled it and I'm much grateful."
The previous world record was 2 hours, 11 minutes and 53 seconds, set by Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa at the 2023 Berlin Marathon. Chepngetich finished with an unofficial time of 2 hours, 9 minutes and 56 seconds.
"This woman is on pace to do something that I never really thought I would see in a lifetime," fellow marathoner and NBC commentator Carrie Tollefson said during the live broadcast as Chepngetich neared the finish line.
"It's almost like seeing someone land on the moon," Tollefson added.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Experts likened the finish to the world record set in the men's race in 2023, which saw the late Kelvin Kiptum become the first man to run a marathon in under 2 hours and 1 minute.
Chepngetich said she dedicated her race to Kiptum, who died in a tragic car crash months after his record-breaking race and at the start of what was expected to be a legendary career.
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"This world record I'm dedicating to Kelvin Kiptum because maybe he could have defended a his title again," she said in her post-victory interview.
Watch her full post-race interview below:
