After the fabulous world record

Why marathons are increasingly becoming a science

The Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich triumphed in Chicago.(Bild: AFP / SID)

The next sound barrier in running has been broken. In Chicago, Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich became the first woman to run a marathon in under 2:10 hours. Austria's aces are also amazed by this mark and explain why there has been such a development in recent years.

For years, everyone has been chipping away at it. The 2:15:25 hours that Paula Radcliffe ran in London in 2003 were set in stone as the women's marathon world record. In the following ten years, only one woman ever ran under 2:19. It was not until 2019 that Brigid Kosgei beat this time in Chicago. The previous year, Tigist Assefa beat the mark in Berlin to an incredible 2:11:53, and now Chepngetich was almost two minutes under that mark again.