SportLine race6 November 2026

The marathon world record, women and men, 1908 to 2026

All 75 marathon world records since 1908, women and men, from World Athletics. Women have taken 1 h 27 off since 1963, men 55 min 48 s since 1908.

Remember this

In 1963, the women's record was 83 minutes behind the men's. By 1985, only 13 min 54 s. Since then it has stayed between 9 min 21 s and 15 min 1 s: 10 min 26 s today. The women-only race record is 2:15:41 (Tigst Assefa, 2026).

Every record since 1908

Time in h:mm:ss, newest first (world best performances before 2004)

Rank	Name	Value
1	Men: Sabastian Sawe, London 2026	1:59:30
2	Women: Ruth Chepngetich, Chicago 2024	2:09:56
3	Men: Kelvin Kiptum, Chicago 2023	2:00:35

See all 75, free

Source: World Athletics

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The marathon world record, women and men, 1908 to 2026

Remember this

Every record since 1908

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