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Kelvin Kiptum set the world record marathon time at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. His ridiculous performance bested the previous mark by more than a half-minute.
Digging deeper into the final numbers makes the record-setting time all the more impressive.
WORLD RECORD: We have a new man in town. Kelvin Kiptum just broke Eliud Kipchoge’s World Record with an unofficial time of 2:00:35! UNBELIEVABLE! pic.twitter.com/XfeMEzPveZ
— Chicago Marathon (@ChiMarathon) October 8, 2023
The old record was held by Eliud Kipchoge, who posted a time of just over 2:01:00. Kiptum beat the world record by 34 seconds with a finish time of 2:00:35.
That means he averaged about a four-and-a-half-minute mile over a 26.2-mile race.
Most would dream of the ability to post that time in a single lap, let alone keep that pace over the course of an entire marathon. Unbelievable.
Fans were quick to comment on Kiptum’s record-setting day.
“My mind can’t even comprehend those numbers.”
“Crazy that his marathon pace is faster than most guys can sprint!”
“Getting closer to a sub 2-hour marathon run!”
“That is a 13.05 avg mph! Most treadmills stop at 12mph! Unbelievable.”
“That’s insane. If I can average 4min miles on my bike I’m happy!”
Kiptum coasted to a win as no other participants were view as he crossed the finish line. At only 23-year-old, this might not be the last world record we see from the marathon runner.
Interestingly enough, he wasn’t the only one making history at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday. On the women’s side of things, Sifan Hassan set a course record at 2:13:38.
What a day in the Windy City.