Marathon world record progression

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates

File:Kelvin Kiptum 2023 Chicago Marathon.jpg

Kelvin Kiptum during his world record run at the 2023 Chicago marathon with 2:00:35

File:2017 London Marathon - Mary Keitany.jpg

Mary Keitany during her women-only world record run at the 2017 London Marathon with 2:17:01

World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics.Template:Citation needed

The late Kenyan athlete Kelvin Kiptum set a men's world record time of 2:00:35 on October 8, 2023, at the 2023 Chicago Marathon, a mixed-sex race.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepng'etich broke the women's world record with a time of 2:09:56 on October 13, 2024, at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, a mixed-sex race.<ref >Template:Cite news</ref>

In addition to the standard women's marathon world record, World Athletics also recognizes a second world record for women in the "Women Only" category, meaning that the marathon was run on a course without any male athletes in the competition. The current "Women Only" record of 2:15:50 was set by Tigst Assefa on April 27, 2025, at the London Marathon in the elite women's race.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

HistoryEdit

Marathon races were first held in 1896, but the distance was not standardized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF, now World Athletics) until 1921.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The actual distance for pre-1921 races frequently varied from the 1921 standard of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). In qualifying races for the 1896 Summer Olympics, Greek runners Charilaos Vasilakos (3:18:00) and Ioannis Lavrentis (3:11:27) won the first two modern marathons.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> On April 10, 1896, Spiridon Louis of Greece won the first Olympic marathon in Athens, Greece, in a time of 2:58:50.<ref name="IOC1896">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, the distance for the event was 40,000 meters.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn Three months later, British runner Len Hurst won the inaugural Paris to Conflans Marathon (also around 40 km) in a time of 2:31:30.<ref name="The origins of the marathon">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In 1900, Hurst would better his time on the same course with a 2:26:28 performance.Template:Refn

Later, Shizo Kanakuri of Japan was reported to have set a world record of 2:32:45 in a November 1911 domestic qualification race for the 1912 Summer Olympics, but this performance was also run over a distance of approximately 40 km.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn

The first marathon over the official distance was won by American Johnny Hayes at the 1908 Summer Olympics, with a time of 2:55:18.4.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

It is possible that Stamata Revithi, who ran the 1896 Olympic course a day after Louis, is the first woman to run the modern marathon; she is said to have finished in Template:Frac hours.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> World Athletics credits Violet Piercy's 1926 performance as the first woman to race the standard marathon distance; however, other sources report that the 1918 performance of Marie-Louise Ledru in the Tour de Paris set the initial mark for women.Template:Sfn<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Fast Tracks: The History of Distance Running Since 884 B.C. by Raymond Krise, Bill Squires. (1982).</ref><ref>Endurance by Albert C. Gross. (1986)</ref> Other "unofficial" performances have also been reported to be world bests or world records over time: although her performance is not recognized by World Athletics, Adrienne Beames from Australia is frequently credited as the first woman to break the three-hour barrier in the marathon.<ref name="timeline">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Refn

In the 1953 Boston Marathon, the top three male finishers were thought to have broken the standing world record,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> but Keizo Yamada's mark of 2:18:51 is considered to have been set on a short course of 25.54 miles (41.1 km).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Boston Athletic Association also does not report Yamada's performance as a world best for this reason.<ref name="BAA">114th B.A.A Boston Marathon Official Program. April 19, 2010.</ref>

On October 25, 1981, American Alberto Salazar and New Zealander Allison Roe set apparent world bests at the New York City Marathon (2:08:13 and 2:25:29), however, these marks were invalidated when the course was later found to have been 151 meters short.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="NYC1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Although World Athletics' progression notes three performances set on the same course in 1978, 1979, and 1980 by Norwegian Grete Waitz, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians considers the New York City course suspect for those performances, too.<ref name="NYC2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On April 18, 2011, the Boston Marathon produced what were at that time the two fastest marathon performances of all time. Winner Geoffrey Mutai of Kenya recorded a time of 2:03:02,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> followed by countryman Moses Mosop in 2:03:06. However, since the Boston course does not meet the criteria for record attempts, these times were not ratified by the IAAF.

Eight IAAF world records were set at the Polytechnic Marathon (1909, 1913, 1952–1954, 1963–1965).<ref name="ianridpath1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> WA-recognized world records have been broken at all of the original five World Marathon Majors on numerous occasions (updated 09/2022); twelve times at the Berlin Marathon, three times at the Boston Marathon, five times at the Chicago Marathon, six times at the London Marathon, and five times at the New York City Marathon. However, the records established in the Boston event have been disputed on grounds of a downhill point-to-point course, while four of the five New York records have been disputed on grounds of a short course.

Criteria for record eligibilityEdit

Template:See also For a performance to be ratified as a world record by World Athletics, the marathon course on which the performance occurred must be Template:Convert long,<ref name="iaaf_rules" /> measured in a defined manner using the calibrated bicycle method<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> (the distance in kilometers being the official distance; the distance in miles is an approximation) and meet other criteria that rule out artificially fast times produced on courses aided by downhill slope or tailwind.<ref name="Boston Herald">Template:Cite news</ref> The criteria include:

"The start and finish points of a course, measured along a theoretical straight line between them, shall not be further apart than 50% of the race distance."<ref name="iaaf_rules">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

"The decrease in elevation between the start and finish shall not exceed an average of one in a thousand (i.e., 1m per km)."<ref name="iaaf_rules" />

In recognizing Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai's mark of 2:03:02 at the 2011 Boston Marathon as (at the time) "the fastest Marathon ever run", the IAAF said: "Due to the elevation drop and point-to-point measurements of the Boston course, performances [on that course] are not eligible for World record consideration."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="iaaf_rules" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Association of Road Racing Statisticians, an independent organization that compiles data from road running events, also maintains an alternate marathon world best progression but with standards they consider to be more stringent.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Women's world record changesEdit

File:Berlin-Marathon 2023 Tigist Assefa (cropped).jpg

Tigst Assefa during her women's world record run at the 2023 Berlin Marathon with 2:11:53

The IAAF Congress, at the 2011 World Championships, passed a motion changing the record eligibility criteria effective October 6, 2007, so that women's world records must be set in all-women competitions.<ref name="Baldwin">Template:Cite news</ref> The result of the change was that Radcliffe's 2:17:42 performance at the 2005 London Marathon supplanted her own existing women's mark as the "world record"; the earlier performance is to be referred to as a "world best".<ref name="Baldwin" />

Per the 2021 IAAF Competition Rules, "a World Record for performance achieved in mixed sex ("Mixed") races and a World Record for performance achieved in single sex ("Women only") races" are tracked separately.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Unofficial record attemptsEdit

In December 2016, Nike, Inc., announced that three top distance runners — Eliud Kipchoge, Zersenay Tadese, and Lelisa Desisa — had agreed to forgo the spring marathon season to work with the company in an effort to run a sub-two-hour marathon.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The Breaking2 event took place in the early morning of May 6, 2017; Kipchoge crossed the finish line with a time of 2:00:25.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> This time was more than two minutes faster than the world record.<ref>Eliud Kipchoge falls 26 seconds short of first sub two-hour marathon Template:Webarchive, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, 7-May-2017</ref>

Kipchoge took part in a similar attempt to break the two-hour barrier in Vienna on October 12, 2019, as part of the Ineos 1:59 Challenge. He successfully ran the first sub two-hour marathon distance, with a time of 1:59:40.2.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The effort did not count as a new world record under IAAF rules due to the setup of the challenge. Specifically, it was not an open event, Kipchoge was handed fluids by his support team throughout, the run featured a pace car, and included rotating teams of other runners pacing Kipchoge in a formation designed to reduce wind resistance and maximize efficiency.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The achievement was recognized by Guinness World Records with the titles 'Fastest marathon distance (male)' and 'First marathon distance run under two hours' instead of an official world record.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

MenEdit

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</timeline>

Table key:
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
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The edition of the marathon is linked on some of the dates.

Time	Name	Nationality	Date	Event/Place	Source	Notes
2:55:18.4	Johnny Hayes	Template:Flagu	July 24, 1908	London Olympics, England	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Italian Dorando Pietri finished in 2:54:46.4, but was disqualified for receiving assistance from race officials near the finish.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Note.<ref name="marathonguide1">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:52:45.4	Robert Fowler	Template:Flagu	January 1, 1909	Yonkers,Template:Refn United States	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Note.<ref name="marathonguide1"/>
2:46:52.8	James Clark	Template:Flagu	February 12, 1909	New York City, United States	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Note.<ref name="marathonguide1"/>
2:46:04.6	Albert Raines	Template:Flagu	May 8, 1909	New York City, United States	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Note.<ref name="marathonguide1"/>
2:42:31.0	Henry Barrett	Template:Flagu	May 8, 1909Template:Refn	Polytechnic Marathon, London, England	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Note.<ref name="marathonguide1"/>
2:40:34.2	Thure Johansson	Template:Flagu	August 31, 1909	Stockholm, Sweden	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Note.<ref name="marathonguide1"/>
2:38:16.2	Harry Green	Template:Flagu	May 12, 1913	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:36:06.6	Alexis Ahlgren	Template:Flagu	May 31, 1913	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Report in The Times claiming world record.<ref name="ianridpath3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Note.<ref name="marathonguide2"/>
2:38:00.8	Umberto Blasi	Template:Flagu	November 29, 1914	Legnano, Italy	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:32:35.8	Hannes Kolehmainen	Template:Flagu	August 22, 1920	Antwerp Olympics, Belgium	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> however, the Association of Road Racing Statisticians estimated the course to be 40 km.<ref name="arrs.run"/>
2:29:01.8	Albert Michelsen	Template:Flagu	October 12, 1925	Port Chester Marathon, United States	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:30:57.6	Harry Payne	Template:Flagu	July 5, 1929	AAA Championships, London, England	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:26:14	Sohn Kee-chung	Japanese Korea	March 21, 1935	Tokyo, Japan	ARRSTemplate:Sfn	Also romanized as Kitei Son.
2:27:49.0	Fusashige Suzuki	Template:Flagu	March 31, 1935	Tokyo, Japan	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	According to the Association of Road Racing Statisticians, Suzuki's 2:27:49 performance occurred in Tokyo on March 21, 1935, during a race in which he finished second to Sohn Kee-chung (sometimes referred to as Kee-Jung Sohn or Son Kitei) who ran a 2:26:14.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:26:44.0	Yasuo Ikenaka	Template:Flagu	April 3, 1935	Tokyo, Japan	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Note.<ref name="marathonguide3"/>
2:26:42	Sohn Kee-chung	Japanese Korea	November 3, 1935	Meiji Shrine Games, Tokyo, Japan	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:25:39	Suh Yun-bok	Template:Flagdeco Korea	April 19, 1947	Boston Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Disputed (point-to-point).<ref name="Boston">The Association of Road Racing Statisticians does not consider performances on the Boston Marathon course to qualify for world record status due to the possibility that they could be aided by slope and/or tailwinds. (See [1] Template:Webarchive.) This mirrors the IAAF's current criteria regarding record eligible courses.</ref> Note.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:20:42.2	Jim Peters	Template:Flagu	June 14, 1952	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> Report in The Times claiming world record.<ref name="ianridpath2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:18:40.4	Jim Peters	Template:Flagu	June 13, 1953	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	Report in The Times claiming world record.<ref name="ianridpath2"/>
2:18:34.8	Jim Peters	Template:Flagu	October 4, 1953	Turku Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:17:39.4	Jim Peters	Template:GBR	June 26, 1954	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Point-to-point course.Template:Citation needed Report in The Times claiming world record.<ref name="ianridpath4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:18:04.8	Paavo Kotila	Template:Flagu	August 12, 1956	Finnish Athletics Championships, Pieksämäki, Finland	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:15:17.0	Sergei Popov	Template:Flagu	August 24, 1958	European Athletics Championships, Stockholm, Sweden	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS notes Popov's extended time as 2:15:17.6Template:Sfn
2:15:16.2	Abebe Bikila	Template:Flagu	September 10, 1960	Rome Olympics, Italy	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:15:15.8	Toru Terasawa	Template:Flagu	February 17, 1963	Beppu-Ōita Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:14:28	Leonard Edelen	Template:Flagu	June 15, 1963	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Point-to-point course.Template:Citation needed Report in The Times claiming world record and stating that the course may have been long.<ref name="ianridpath5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:14:43	Brian Kilby	Template:Flagu	July 6, 1963	Port Talbot, Wales	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:13:55	Basil Heatley	Template:Flagu	June 13, 1964	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Point-to-point course.Template:Citation needed Report in The Times claiming world record.<ref name="ianridpath6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:12:11.2	Abebe Bikila	Template:Flagu	October 21, 1964	Tokyo Olympics, Japan	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:12:00	Morio Shigematsu	Template:JPN	June 12, 1965	Polytechnic Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Point-to-point course.Template:Citation needed Report in The Times claiming world record.<ref name="ianridpath7">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:09:36.4	Derek Clayton	Template:Flagu	December 3, 1967	Fukuoka Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:08:33.6	Derek Clayton	Template:AUS	May 30, 1969	Antwerp, Belgium	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:09:28.8	Ron Hill	Template:Flagu	July 23, 1970	Edinburgh Commonwealth Games, Scotland	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:09:12	Ian Thompson	Template:Flagu	January 31, 1974	Christchurch Commonwealth Games, New Zealand	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:09:05.6	Shigeru So	Template:Flagu	February 5, 1978	Beppu-Ōita Marathon	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:09:01	Gerard Nijboer	Template:Flagu	April 26, 1980	Amsterdam Marathon	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:08:18	Robert De Castella	Template:Flagu	December 6, 1981	Fukuoka Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:08:05	Steve Jones	Template:Flagu	October 21, 1984	Chicago Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:07:12	Carlos Lopes	Template:Flagu	April 20, 1985	Rotterdam Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:06:50	Belayneh Dinsamo	Template:Flagu	April 17, 1988	Rotterdam Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:06:05	Ronaldo da Costa	Template:Flagu	September 20, 1998	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:05:42	Khalid Khannouchi	Template:Flagu	October 24, 1999	Chicago Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:05:38	Khalid Khannouchi	Template:Flagu	April 14, 2002	London Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	First "World's Best" recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations.<ref name="Stat Corner 2003, Page 50">"Stat Corner: First World Road Records," Track and Field News, Volume 56, No. 2, February 2003, Page 50</ref> The ARRS notes Khannouchi's extended time as 2:05:37.8Template:Sfn
2:04:55	Paul Tergat	Template:Flagu	September 28, 2003	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	First world record for the men's marathon ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:04:26	Haile Gebrselassie	Template:Flagu	September 30, 2007	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:03:59	Haile Gebrselassie	Template:Flagu	September 28, 2008	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS notes Gebrselassie's extended time as 2:03:58.2.Template:Sfn Template:YouTube
2:03:38	Patrick Makau	Template:Flagu	September 25, 2011	Berlin Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> ARRS<ref name="ARRS road progression 2016">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> \|\|
2:03:23	Wilson Kipsang	Template:Flagu	September 29, 2013	Berlin Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> ARRS<ref name="ARRS road progression 2016"/> \|\| The ARRS notes Kipsang's extended time as 2:03:22.2<ref name="ARRS road progression 2016"/>
2:02:57	Dennis Kimetto	Template:Flagu	September 28, 2014	Berlin Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> ARRS<ref name="ARRS road progression 2016"/> \|\| The ARRS notes Kimetto's extended time as 2:02:56.4<ref name="ARRS road progression 2016"/>
2:01:39	Eliud Kipchoge	Template:Flagu	September 16, 2018	Berlin Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> \|\|
2:01:09	Eliud Kipchoge	Template:Flagu	September 25, 2022	Berlin Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>\|\|
2:00:35	Kelvin Kiptum	Template:Flagu	October 8, 2023	Chicago Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	First man to break 2:01:00 in a record-eligible marathon.

WomenEdit

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 at: 10/09/1977 tillpos: 94.3
 at: 22/10/1978 tillpos: 87.4
 at: 21/10/1979 tillpos: 72.6
 at: 26/10/1980 tillpos: 67.0
 at: 17/04/1983 tillpos: 66.4
 at: 18/04/1983 tillpos: 58.1
 at: 21/04/1985 tillpos: 53.2
 at: 19/04/1998 tillpos: 52.1
 at: 26/09/1999 tillpos: 49.3
 at: 30/09/2001 tillpos: 46.3

LineData=

 width: 0.2
 color: blue
 at: 13/10/2002 tillpos: 41.9
 at: 13/04/2003 tillpos: 36.3
 at: 13/10/2019 tillpos: 32.2

</timeline>

Table key:
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2
Template:Legend2

Time	Name	Nationality	Date	Event/Place	Source	Notes
5:40:xx	Marie-Louise Ledru	Template:Flagdeco France	September 29, 1918	Tour de Paris Marathon	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
3:40:22	Violet Piercy	Template:Flagu	October 3, 1926	LondonTemplate:Refn	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS indicates that Piercy's 3:40:22 was set on August 2, 1926, during a time trial on a course that was only 35.4 km.Template:Sfn
3:37:07	Merry Lepper	Template:Flagu	December 16, 1963Template:Refn	Culver City, United States	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Disputed (short course).<ref name="ARRS_WH"/>
3:27:45	Dale Greig	Template:Flagu	May 23, 1964	Ryde	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
3:19:33	Mildred Sampson	Template:Flagu	July 21, 1964Template:Refn	Auckland, New Zealand	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Disputed by ARRS as a time trial.Template:Refn<ref name="ARRS_1964">{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
3:14:23	Maureen Wilton	Template:Flagu	May 6, 1967	Toronto, Canada	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS notes Wilton's extended time as 3:14:22.8Template:Sfn
3:07:27.2	Anni Pede-Erdkamp	Template:Flagu	September 16, 1967	Waldniel, West Germany	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS notes Pede-Erdkamp's extended time as 3:07:26.2Template:Sfn
3:02:53	Caroline Walker	Template:Flagu	February 28, 1970	Seaside, OR	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
3:01:42	Elizabeth Bonner	Template:Flagu	May 9, 1971	Philadelphia, United States	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:55:22	Elizabeth Bonner	Template:Flagu	September 19, 1971	New York City Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:49:40	Cheryl Bridges	Template:Flagu	December 5, 1971	Culver City, United States	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:46:36	Michiko Gorman	Template:Flagu	December 2, 1973	Culver City, United States	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS notes Gorman's extended time as 2:46:37Template:Sfn
2:46:24	Chantal Langlacé	Template:Flagu	October 27, 1974	Neuf-Brisach, France	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:43:54.5	Jacqueline Hansen	Template:Flagu	December 1, 1974	Culver City, United States	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	The ARRS notes Hansen's extended time as 2:43:54.6Template:Sfn
2:42:24	Liane Winter	Template:Flagu	April 21, 1975	Boston Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Disputed (point-to-point).<ref name="Boston"/>
2:40:15.8	Christa Vahlensieck	Template:Flagu	May 3, 1975	Dülmen	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:38:19	Jacqueline Hansen	Template:Flagu	October 12, 1975	Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, United States	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:35:15.4	Chantal Langlacé	Template:Flagu	May 1, 1977	Oiartzun, Spain	IAAFTemplate:Sfn
2:34:47.5	Christa Vahlensieck	Template:Flagu	September 10, 1977	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:32:29.8	Grete Waitz	Template:Flagu	October 22, 1978	New York City Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:27:32.6	Grete Waitz	Template:Flagu	October 21, 1979	New York City Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:31:23	Joan Benoit	Template:Flagu	February 3, 1980	Auckland, New Zealand	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:30:57.1	Patti Catalano	Template:Flagu	September 6, 1980	Montreal, Canada	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:25:41.3	Grete Waitz	Template:Flagu	October 26, 1980	New York City Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:30:27	Joyce Smith	Template:Flagu	November 16, 1980	Tokyo, Japan	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:29:57	Joyce Smith	Template:Flagu	March 29, 1981	London Marathon	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:25:28	Allison Roe	Template:Flagu	October 25, 1981	New York City Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:29:01.6	Charlotte Teske	Template:Flagu	January 16, 1982	Miami, United States	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:26:12	Joan Benoit	Template:Flagu	September 12, 1982	Nike OTC Marathon, Eugene, United States	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:25:28.7	Grete Waitz	Template:Flagu	April 17, 1983	London Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:22:43	Joan Benoit	Template:Flagu	April 18, 1983	Boston Marathon	IAAFTemplate:Sfn	Disputed (point-to-point).<ref name="Boston"/>
2:24:26	Ingrid Kristiansen	Template:Flagu	May 13, 1984	London Marathon	ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:21:06	Ingrid Kristiansen	Template:Flagu	April 21, 1985	London Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:20:47	Tegla Loroupe	Template:Flagu	April 19, 1998	Rotterdam Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:20:43	Tegla Loroupe	Template:Flagu	September 26, 1999	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:19:46	Naoko Takahashi	Template:JPN	September 30, 2001	Berlin Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:18:47	Catherine Ndereba	Template:Flagu	October 7, 2001	Chicago Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn
2:17:18	Paula Radcliffe	Template:Flagu	October 13, 2002	Chicago Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	First "World's Best" recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations.<ref name="Stat Corner 2003, Page 50"/> The ARRS notes Radcliffe's extended time as 2:17:17.7Template:Sfn
2:15:25 Template:AthAbbr	Paula Radcliffe	Template:Flagu	April 13, 2003	London Marathon	IAAF,Template:Sfn ARRSTemplate:Sfn	First world record for the women's marathon ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1\|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> The ARRS notes Radcliffe's extended time as 2:15:24.6Template:Sfn
2:17:42 Template:AthAbbr	Paula Radcliffe	Template:Flagu	April 17, 2005	London Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:17:01 Template:AthAbbr	Mary Jepkosgei Keitany	Template:Flagu	April 23, 2017	London Marathon	IAAF<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2:14:04 Template:AthAbbr	Brigid Kosgei	Template:Flagu	October 13, 2019	Chicago Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref> \|\|
2:11:53 Template:AthAbbr	Tigst Assefa	Template:Flagu	September 24, 2023	Berlin Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>
2:16:16 Template:AthAbbr	Peres Jepchirchir	Template:Flagu	April 21, 2024	London Marathon	World Athletics<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
2:09:56 Template:AthAbbr	Ruth Chepng'etich	Template:Flagu	October 13, 2024	Chicago Marathon	World Athletics	First woman to break the 2:11:00 and 2:10:00 barriers in the marathon.
2:15:50 Template:AthAbbr	Tigst Assefa	Template:Flagu	April 27, 2025	London Marathon	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Not yet ratified.