Kelvin Kiptum in the time of Eliud Kipchoge — how the marathon just got more interesting Premium

Kelvin Kiptum, 23, has taken the long-distance world by storm, shattering Eliud Kipchoge's world record by 34 seconds in the Chicago Marathon. Kiptum has won three marathons in as many starts, owns three of the six fastest times in history & is aiming for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

When Eliud Kipchoge celebrated his fifth win in the Berlin Marathon last year, there was an air of invincibility about him. A two-time Olympic champion, he had just set a new world record of 2:01:09. He had broken the mythical two-hour barrier in 2019 when he clocked 1:59:40, but that was achieved with the aid of pacemakers in a project backed by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos in Vienna and consequently not recognised by World Athletics. 

After his Berlin effort, however, Kipchoge seemed ever closer to running a sub-two marathon in competition. Marathon fans waited with bated breath, certain in their conviction that Kipchoge would eventually do it — they were also reasonably sure that until the great Kenyan decided to hang up his boots, anyone pursuing him would be chasing a ghost. 

But a year later, a much younger rival from Kenya has taken the long-distance world by storm and threatened Kipchoge’s supremacy. Kelvin Kiptum shattered Kipchoge’s old mark by 34 seconds in winning the Chicago Marathon earlier this month, finishing in a world record 2:00:35.

It was Kiptum’s third victory in as many starts over the 26.2-mile distance. He won on his debut last December at Valencia and then in the London Marathon in April. Both were record-breaking runs. The win in Valencia (2:01:53) was the fastest-ever debut marathon while the victory in London (2:01:25) was a course record.

Despite only having made his marathon debut 10 months ago, the 23-year-old Kiptum now owns three of the six fastest times in history. Only Kipchoge (with 2:01:09 and 2:01:39) and Kenenisa Bekele (with 2:01:41) have ever gone faster than the slowest of Kiptum’s times.

“I knew I was coming for a course record, but a world record — I am so happy,” Kiptum said after conquering the streets of the Windy City. “A world record was not on my mind, but I knew one day I would be a world record-holder. It was my dream one day to have the world marathon world record. I had planned for it in Chicago next year or even 2025… Chicago is a flat course, I thought I’d go and try Chicago. Fortunately, it just came and it’s a dream come true.”

It marked the third time a men’s world record had been set on the streets of Chicago but the first time since Morocco’s Khalid Khannouchi in 1999. Kiptum was waving and blowing kisses at spectators before raising his arms in triumph at the finish line. Incredibly, Kiptum had almost pulled out of Chicago because of ill health — his coach Gervais Hakizimana said Kiptum was weakened by a bout of tonsilitis two weeks before the event but recovered in time.