Ruth Chepngetich's 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon finish set a world record, but that wasn't the only reason it was particularly special.
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.
The Kenyan runner did something no other woman has done before -- and she did it all in honor of someone very special.
"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.
Chepngetich said she dedicated her race to Kiptum, a 24-year-old Kenyan star who died in a tragic car this year crash months after his record-breaking Chicago race and at the start of what was expected to be a legendary career.
Kiptum's death sent shockwaves through the running world.
A moment of silence was held for him at the start of this year's Chicago race and special stickers could be seen on the bibs of many runners.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Chepngetich's victory, which marked a world record and the first time a woman has run a marathon in under 2 hours and 10 minutes, was likened by some experts to Kiptum's stunning 2023 feat, where he became the first many to run a marathon under 2 hours and 1 minutes.
"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."
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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.
"It's almost like seeing someone land on the moon," fellow marathoner and NBC commentator Carrie Tollefson said during the live broadcast as Chepngetich neared the finish line
Watch her full post-race interview below:
