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Marathon World Record Progression, 1908 to 2026

Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 in London on April 26, 2026, the first sub-2-hour marathon in a record-eligible race. Women's record: 2:09:56.

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What the data shows

  • Men: 175.31 min in 1908, 119.50 min in 2026.
  • Women: 220.37 min in 1926, 129.93 min in 2026 (41% lower). Its low point was 129.93 min in 2024.

About this chart

The two-hour barrier fell in 2026. Sabastian Sawe ran 1:59:30 at the London Marathon on April 26, the first sub-2-hour marathon in a record-eligible race. Kelvin Kiptum had run 2:00:35 in Chicago on October 8, 2023, and before him Eliud Kipchoge set records of 2:01:39 in 2018 and 2:01:09 in 2022. The first listed men's record was Johnny Hayes's 2:55:18 at the 1908 London Olympics.

The chart shows the standing record at each year-end, in minutes, carried forward until broken. Ruth Chepngetich holds the women's record at 2:09:56, set in Chicago on October 13, 2024, after Tigst Assefa ran 2:11:53 in Berlin in 2023. Paula Radcliffe's 2:15:25 from 2003 stood until Brigid Kosgei ran 2:14:04 in 2019. The women's line is the mixed-race record, so women-only records such as Assefa's 2:15:41 in 2026 are excluded.

The data

Source: Wikipedia, Marathon world record progression (World Athletics/IAAF, ARRS); times converted to minutes. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each year shows the standing record at year-end (carried forward until broken). Men from 1908; women from 1926 (Violet Piercy, listed prior to official acceptance). Pre-2003/04 entries are 'world bests' listed by IAAF/ARRS. Women's series is the mixed-race record; women-only records (e.g. Assefa 2:15:41 in 2026) are tracked separately and excluded. Times: minutes = h*60 + m + s/60.

Marathon World Record Progression, Record time in minutes at year-end, men and women, 1908–2026
DateMenWomen
1908175.31 min
1909160.57 min
1910160.57 min
1911160.57 min
1912160.57 min
1913156.11 min
1914156.11 min
1915156.11 min
1916156.11 min
1917156.11 min
1918156.11 min
1919156.11 min
1920152.60 min
1921152.60 min
1922152.60 min
1923152.60 min
1924152.60 min
1925149.03 min
1926149.03 min220.37 min
1927149.03 min220.37 min
1928149.03 min220.37 min
1929149.03 min220.37 min
1930149.03 min220.37 min
1931149.03 min220.37 min
1932149.03 min220.37 min
1933149.03 min220.37 min
1934149.03 min220.37 min
1935146.70 min220.37 min
1936146.70 min220.37 min
1937146.70 min220.37 min
1938146.70 min220.37 min
1939146.70 min220.37 min
1940146.70 min220.37 min
1941146.70 min220.37 min
1942146.70 min220.37 min
1943146.70 min220.37 min
1944146.70 min220.37 min
1945146.70 min220.37 min
1946146.70 min220.37 min
1947145.65 min220.37 min
1948145.65 min220.37 min
1949145.65 min220.37 min
1950145.65 min220.37 min
1951145.65 min220.37 min
1952140.70 min220.37 min
1953138.58 min220.37 min
1954137.66 min220.37 min
1955137.66 min220.37 min
1956137.66 min220.37 min
1957137.66 min220.37 min
1958135.28 min220.37 min
1959135.28 min220.37 min
1960135.27 min220.37 min
1961135.27 min220.37 min
1962135.27 min220.37 min
1963134.47 min217.12 min
1964132.19 min199.55 min
1965132.00 min199.55 min
1966132.00 min199.55 min
1967129.61 min187.45 min
1968129.61 min187.45 min
1969128.56 min187.45 min
1970128.56 min182.88 min
1971128.56 min169.67 min
1972128.56 min169.67 min
1973128.56 min166.60 min
1974128.56 min163.91 min
1975128.56 min158.32 min
1976128.56 min158.32 min
1977128.56 min154.79 min
1978128.56 min152.50 min
1979128.56 min147.54 min
1980128.56 min145.69 min
1981128.30 min145.47 min
1982128.30 min145.47 min
1983128.30 min142.72 min
1984128.08 min142.72 min
1985127.20 min141.10 min
1986127.20 min141.10 min
1987127.20 min141.10 min
1988126.83 min141.10 min
1989126.83 min141.10 min
1990126.83 min141.10 min
1991126.83 min141.10 min
1992126.83 min141.10 min
1993126.83 min141.10 min
1994126.83 min141.10 min
1995126.83 min141.10 min
1996126.83 min141.10 min
1997126.83 min141.10 min
1998126.08 min140.78 min
1999125.70 min140.72 min
2000125.70 min140.72 min
2001125.70 min138.78 min
2002125.63 min137.30 min
2003124.92 min135.42 min
2004124.92 min135.42 min
2005124.92 min135.42 min
2006124.92 min135.42 min
2007124.43 min135.42 min
2008123.98 min135.42 min
2009123.98 min135.42 min
2010123.98 min135.42 min
2011123.63 min135.42 min
2012123.63 min135.42 min
2013123.38 min135.42 min
2014122.95 min135.42 min
2015122.95 min135.42 min
2016122.95 min135.42 min
2017122.95 min135.42 min
2018121.65 min135.42 min
2019121.65 min134.07 min
2020121.65 min134.07 min
2021121.65 min134.07 min
2022121.15 min134.07 min
2023120.58 min131.88 min
2024120.58 min129.93 min
2025120.58 min129.93 min
2026119.50 min129.93 min

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Frequently asked questions

What is the marathon world record?

The men's marathon world record is 1:59:30, run by Sabastian Sawe at the London Marathon on April 26, 2026. It is the first sub-2-hour marathon in a record-eligible race.

What is the women's marathon world record?

Ruth Chepngetich holds the women's marathon record at 2:09:56, set in Chicago on October 13, 2024. This is the mixed-race record, where women run alongside men.

What was the marathon record before Sawe?

Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in Chicago on October 8, 2023. Eliud Kipchoge had set 2:01:39 in 2018 and 2:01:09 in 2022.

Where does this data come from?

Wikipedia, Marathon world record progression (World Athletics/IAAF, ARRS); times converted to minutes. Retrieved November 4, 2026. Each year shows the standing record at year-end (carried forward until broken). Men from 1908; women from 1926 (Violet Piercy, listed prior to official acceptance). Pre-2003/04 entries are 'world bests' listed by IAAF/ARRS. Women's series is the mixed-race record; women-only records (e.g. Assefa 2:15:41 in 2026) are tracked separately and excluded. Times: minutes = h*60 + m + s/60. You can download the full table as a CSV from this page.

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