Chicago Marathon 2023: How fast was Kelvin Kiptum’s men’s marathon world record?

Chicago Marathon 2023: The current clamour surrounding the men’s marathon depends entirely on the performance of one man: Kelvin Kiptum.

In his brief career, the 23-year-old has only completed three marathons, but he is now the quickest marathoner in the world.

On Sunday, October 8, 2023, Kiptum broke the world record previously held by marathon legend Eliud Kipchoge. In a race that was broadcast live on Olympic Channel, Olympics.com, and the official Olympics app, the manner in which he accomplished this feat has permanently altered the 42.195 km distance.

Kiptum’s time of 2 hours and 35 seconds at the Berlin Marathon in 2022 is 34 seconds faster than Kipchoge’s best performance.

Suddenly, the idea of a sub-two-hour marathon under legal conditions seems not only conceivable, but almost inevitable, if the young Kenyan continues his ascent in the sport with the help of new shoe technology.

Chicago Marathon 2023

At the 2022 Valencia Marathon, Kiptum recorded the fastest debut time (2:01:53) in his first competition at the distance.

In inclement conditions, he ran the second-fastest marathon in history (2:01:25) at the London Marathon 2023.

However, his performance at the 2023 Chicago Marathon elevated the competition to an entirely new level. A level that, only a few years ago, seemed inconceivable.

Obviously, Kipchoge has run a marathon quicker than Kiptum, as evidenced by his time of 1:59:40 at the 2019 Ineos 1:59 Challenge. Due to the conditions of the race, which included alternating pacemakers and other elements, this performance does not qualify as a legal world record.

With the emergence of Kiptum and his new shoes, however, the notion of what is possible in a marathon has shifted. A sub-two-hour Marathon Major performance is no longer viewed as something in the distant future; it may be imminent.

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How did Kelvin Kiptum’s world record compare to Eliud Kipchoge’s Berlin Marathon time?

Kiptum’s average pace at the 2023 Chicago Marathon was approximately 2:51 min/km, whereas Kipchoge’s average pace at the 2022 Berlin Marathon was 2:52 min/km.

He began the race with a time of 14:26 for the first five kilometres, which was 12 seconds slower than Kipchoge’s time at the same position in Berlin (14:14).

Kipchoge crossed the 10-kilometer mark in 28:23, which was superior to Kiptum’s time of 28:42. At 20 kilometres, Kipchoge’s time was 56:45 and Kiptum’s was 57:39.

Kiptum has become well-known for his ability to run the second half of a marathon quicker than the first, despite the fact that he has only had a brief career to date.

By the 30th kilometre, Kiptum’s times began to separate from those of Kipchoge, as he completed the previous split in 14:27 while Kipchoge completed it in 14:32.

What transpired next, however, set the tone for this new world record.

Despite running on distinct courses, a five-kilometer split of 13:51 between kilometres 30 and 35 was 39 seconds faster than Kipchoge’s at the same point in the race. Kiptum reached the 40th kilometre with a 5km split of 14:01, which was a subsequent rapid split. Kipchoge’s split was 14:43 at the same time.

With a final burst of pace, Kiptum completed the final 2.195 kilometres of the race in 6:12, four seconds faster than Kipchoge.

Kipchoge’s 2022 world record hinged on consistency, whereas Kiptum’s incredible world record hinged on his ability to run faster than ever in the closing phases of the Chicago Marathon.