The World’s Fastest Marathoners & Marathon Courses
Here’s a complete list of the world record-holders and all-time top 42.2km runners. – By K Ken Nakamura, Scott Douglas
Below you’ll find tables detailing several marathon superlatives:
- the 10 fastest marathoners in history on record-eligible courses;
- the 10 fastest performances on record-eligible courses;
- the fastest courses for men and women;
- the progression of the world records since 1988.
Note that we said “on record-eligible courses.” That’s why Eliud Kipchoge is listed as the third-fastest man in history, despite his 2:00:25 run at Nike’s Breaking2 marathon in May 2017. That time doesn’t count for record purposes because standard competition rules for pacing and fluids weren’t followed. Similarly, Boston Marathon course record holder Geoffrey Mutai is listed as the tenth-fastest man in history, even though his 2:03:03 at Boston in 2011 is equal to the third-fastest time in history. Because of its point-to-point layout and too-great net elevation drop, Boston’s course doesn’t count for record purposes. (Times from it are included in the fastest-courses tables.)
Each marathoner appears on the first list, for the fastest performers in history, only once. The third set of tables, for fastest performances in history, allows for a runner to appear more than once. For example, world record-holder Paula Radcliffe appears four times in the fastest-performances list.
The tables are current as of September 24, 2017, after the Berlin Marathon altered the men’s all-time and fastest-courses list.
10 Fastest Marathoners on Record-Eligible Course: Men
Runner | Time | Pace Per 1.6km | Marathon |
Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) | 2:02:57 | 4:41.4 | Berlin, 2014 |
Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) | 2:03:03 | 4:41.6 | Berlin, 2016 |
Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) | 2:03:05 | 4:41.7 | London, 2016 |
Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya) | 2:03:13 | 4:42.0 | Berlin, 2014 |
Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) | 2:03:13 | 4:42.0 | Berlin, 2016 |
Patrick Makau (Kenya) | 2:03:38 | 4:43.0 | Berlin, 2011 |
Guye Adola (Ethiopia) | 2:03:46 | 4:43.3 | Berlin, 2017 |
Stanley Biwott (Kenya) | 2:03:51 | 4:43.4 | London, 2016 |
Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) | 2:03:59 | 4:43.7 | Berlin, 2008 |
Tamirat Tola (Ethiopia) | 2:04:11 | 4:41.1 | Dubai, 2017 |
10 Fastest Marathoners on Record-Eligible Course: Women
Runner | Time | Pace Per 1.6km | Marathon |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:15:25 | 5:09.9 | London, 2003 |
Mary Keitany (Kenya) | 2:17:01 | 5:13.6 | London, 2017 |
Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) | 2:17:56 | 5:15.7 | London, 2017 |
Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) | 2:18:47 | 5:17.6 | Chicago, 2001 |
Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) | 2:18:58 | 5:18.0 | Rotterdam, 2012 |
Mizuki Noguchi (Japan) | 2:19:12 | 5:18.6 | Berlin, 2005 |
Irina Mikitenko (Germany) | 2:19:19 | 5:18.8 | Berlin, 2008 |
Gladys Cherono (Kenya) | 2:19:25 | 5:19.0 | Berlin, 2015 |
Aselefech Mergia (Ethiopia) | 2:19:31 | 5:19.3 | Dubai, 2012 |
Lucy Kabuu (Kenya) | 2:19:34 | 5:19.4 | Dubai, 2012 |
10 Fastest Marathons on Record-Eligible Course: Men
Runner | Time | Pace Per 1.6km | Marathon |
Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) | 2:02:57 | 4:41.4 | Berlin, 2014 |
Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia) | 2:03:03 | 4:41.6 | Berlin, 2016 |
Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) | 2:03:05 | 4:41.7 | London, 2016 |
Emmanuel Mutai (Kenya) | 2:03:13 | 4:42.0 | Berlin, 2014 |
Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) | 2:03:13 | 4:42.0 | Berlin, 2016 |
Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) | 2:03:23 | 4:42.4 | Berlin, 2013 |
Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya) | 2:03:32 | 4:42.7 | Berlin, 2017 |
Patrick Makau (Kenya) | 2:03:38 | 4:43.0 | Berlin, 2011 |
Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) | 2:03:42 | 4:43.0 | Frankfurt, 2011 |
Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) | 2:03:45 | 4:43.2 | Chicago, 2013 |
10 Fastest Marathons on Record-Eligible Course: Women
Runner | Time | Pace Per 1.6km | Marathon |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:15:25 | 5:09.9 | London, 2003 |
Mary Keitany (Kenya) | 2:17:01 | 5:13.6 | London, 2017 |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:17:18 | 5:14.2 | Chicago, 2002 |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:17:42 | 5:15.1 | London, 2005 |
Tirunesh Dibaba (Ethiopia) | 2:17:56 | 5:15.7 | London, 2017 |
Mary Keitany (Kenya) | 2:18:37 | 5:17.2 | London, 2012 |
Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) | 2:18:47 | 5:17.6 | Chicago, 2001 |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:18:56 | 5:17.9 | London, 2002 |
Tiki Gelana (Ethiopia) | 2:18:58 | 5:18.0 | Rotterdam, 2012 |
Mizuki Noguchi (Japan) | 2:19:12 | 5:18.6 | Berlin, 2005 |
Progression of World Record Since 1988: Men
Runner | Time | Pace Per 1.6km | Marathon |
Belayneh Densamo (Ethiopia) | 2:06:50 | 4:50.3 | Rotterdam, 1988 |
Ronaldo da Costa (Brazil) | 2:06:06 | 4:48.6 | Berlin, 1998 |
Khalid Khannouchi (Morocco) | 2:05:42 | 4:47.7 | Chicago, 1999 |
Khalid Khannouchi (United States) | 2:05:38 | 4:47.5 | London, 2002 |
Paul Tergat (Kenya) | 2:04:55 | 4:45.9 | Berlin, 2003 |
Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) | 2:04:26 | 4:44.8 | Berlin, 2007 |
Haile Gebrselassie (Ethiopia) | 2:03:59 | 4:43.7 | Berlin, 2008 |
Patrick Makau (Kenya) | 2:03:38 | 4:43.0 | Berlin, 2011 |
Wilson Kipsang (Kenya) | 2:03:23 | 4:42.4 | Berlin, 2013 |
Dennis Kimetto (Kenya) | 2:02:57 | 4:41.4 | Berlin, 2014 |
Progression of World Record Since 1988: Women
Runner | Time | Pace Per 1.6km | Marathon |
Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) | 2:20:47 | 5:22.2 | Rotterdam, 1998 |
Tegla Loroupe (Kenya) | 2:20:43 | 5:22.0 | Berlin, 1999 |
Naoko Takahashi (Japan) | 2:19:46 | 5:19.8 | Berlin, 2001 |
Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) | 2:18:47 | 5:17.6 | Chicago, 2001 |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:17:18 | 5:14.2 | Chicago, 2002 |
Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain) | 2:15:25 | 5:09.9 | London, 2003 |
Average of Top 10 Performances in Race History: Men
Average of Top 10 Performances | Marathon | |
1 | 2:03:28 | Berlin |
2 | 2:04:34 | London |
3 | 2:04:36 | Dubai |
4 | 2:04:40 | Chicago |
5 | 2:04:52 | Rotterdam |
6 | 2:05:39 | Boston |
7 | 2:05:40 | Frankfurt |
8 | 2:05:47 | Amsterdam |
9 | 2:05:57 | Paris |
10 | 2:06:05 | Seoul |
Average of Top 10 Performances in Race History: Women
Average of Top 10 Performances | Marathon | |
1 | 2:18:26 | London |
2 | 2:19:52 | Berlin |
3 | 2:20:05 | Dubai |
4 | 2:20:11 | Chicago |
5 | 2:20:53 | Boston |
6 | 2:22:32 | Frankfurt |
7 | 2:22:36 | Osaka |
8 | 2:22:36 | Beijing |
9 | 2:22:50 | Rotterdam |
10 | 2:22:50 | Paris |
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