Marathons | Guinness World Records
Find out all about setting a Guinness World Records title at a marathon.
www.guinnessworldrecords.comHere’s the latest on the marathon world record as of now.
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The current official men’s marathon world record is 2:01:09, set by Eliud Kipchoge in Berlin in 2018 (men’s record holder status, latest verified break remained around that mark through 2024–2025, with several near-misses and sub-2 attempts in major races). This is the benchmark most outlets cite when discussing “world record” status.
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In 2023–2024, several remarkable performances got close to sub-2:00, notably Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 at Chicago in 2023, which is the fastest ever by a Kenyan and among the closest to the sub-2 barrier, but not an official world record since Kipchoge’s Berlin mark remains the listed world record under the standard IAAF/World Athletics definitions.
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The 2026 London Marathon produced high-profile performances, with Sebastian Sawe reported to have a sub-2:00 race and headlines about potential world-record attempts; however, as of the latest widely recognized records, no official men’s world record has been ratified to beat Kipchoge’s 2:01:09 in Berlin 2018. These London events are part of the continuing narrative toward possible new records.
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Women’s marathon world record status saw Ruth Chepngetich clock a time under 2:10 in 2024 Chicago, with reported sub-2:10 performances pushing the boundary, but the official women’s world record remains Tigist Assefa’s 2:11:53 from 2023 until any official ratification revises it.
Illustration: A typical current state map
- Men’s record: Kipchoge, 2:01:09 (Berlin 2018) remains the official record standard.
- Notable near-records: Kelvin Kiptum 2:00:35 (Chicago 2023) but not beating Kipchoge’s mark under standard conditions.
- Women’s record: Tigist Assefa 2:11:53 (Berlin 2023) followed by Chepngetich’s near-runs in 2024–25.
If you’d like, I can narrow to:
- Specific race results from 2025–2026 major marathons that approached or challenged the record
- A timeline of the latest near-misses and official ratifications
- A pair of clean, sourced summaries for men’s and women’s records with exact dates and venues
Would you prefer a concise bullet timeline or a side-by-side table of the top near-records with venues and dates?