On Sunday, the sport of marathoning witnessed something beyond belief—a woman breaking the 2:10 barrier. Just two years ago, this would have seemed like a wild fantasy, yet Ruth Chepngetich did exactly that at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, breaking the tape in a jaw-dropping 2:09:56.
To put her time in perspective, it would have qualified her for the men’s Olympic marathon at Tokyo 2020, and it’s a mark only four Canadian men have (ever) beaten. When Tigst Assefa ran 2:11:53 in Berlin last year, I thought we wouldn’t see that mark challenged for years, but Chepngetich firmly put Assefa’s record in the past.
While many in the running community have raised eyebrows at Chepngetich’s result, citing Kenya’s current doping problems and the fact that she set personal bests for nearly every split during the race, I’m inclined to give her the benefit of the doubt. She has been among the world’s top marathoners for the last five years, and she has dominated the Chicago Marathon recently, winning three of the last four editions, only missing out in 2023 when she was runner-up to maybe the most dominant distant runner in history–Olympic champion Sifan Hassan. With ideal weather on Sunday, an apparently flawless training build-up and years of experience, Chepngetich had the perfect conditions for this breakthrough.
But there’s one factor I think deserves scrutiny, and it’s one that casts a shadow over this historic achievement: pacing. Pacing in women’s marathons has reached a point where I believe it undermines the spirit of the sport. Let’s be clear—this isn’t to take anything away from Chepngetich’s incredible performance, and to be fair Assefa had the same thing when she set her mark in Berlin. Pacing makes up a small part of the race, but its impact can be profound. It creates an environment where some athletes are given a clear advantage over others.
In my view, it’s time for World Athletics to implement a rule that limits pacers in professional fields to a specific distance. This would prevent female athletes from being guided all the way to record-breaking results—something we’ve seen happen twice in the last twelve months. World Athletics currently has no rules regarding how far a pacer can run in a marathon. However, there is a recognized women’s-only marathon record of 2:16:16, where no male pacing assistance is allowed—now more than six minutes slower than Chepngetich’s new world record.
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Early in the Chicago Marathon, it looked like Ruth Chepngetich was running up on her pacers, but now it looks a bit more like she’s being dragged. But she’s still moving at an incredible pace through mile 18. If she keeps this up, she will destroy the world record. pic.twitter.com/9AoCBr0hZU
— Fast Women (@fast_women) October 13, 2024
In Sunday’s race, Chepngetich and Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede had three pacers who were supposed to bring them through the halfway mark (21.1 km) in 65 minutes. The pace from Chepngetich was so aggressive early on that they reached the halfway point in 64:18–the fastest half-marathon split ever recorded in a women’s marathon (only 12 seconds behind Chepngetich’s Kenyan record). As Kebede fell back after halfway, one pacer peeled away, but Chepngetich still had two male pacers blocking the wind and taking her to 42 km. Without Chepngetich’s pacers taking her to the end, there is no way she would have broken 2:10.Â
Yes, fans crave fast times. But this race felt predetermined from the start. Chepngetich was the clear favourite heading into Sunday’s event, and, to me, there was never any question whether she’d win. Yet every time the camera focused on her, I couldn’t help but wonder, when are these pacers going to drop off? What makes many track events so thrilling is their unpredictability. Every time an athlete lines up, there’s a genuine question of who will win, without anyone having a competitive advantage or (in this case) blocking the wind for them while they draft behind. If I knew the outcome of a sports game before it started, I wouldn’t bother tuning in, and that’s how Chepngetich’s world record felt. The excitement comes from watching the game unfold, knowing that even the best teams must earn a win without shortcuts.
World Athletics knows that records drive interest and boost viewership, which is why I think they are hesitant to change any rules around pacing. But it’s worth considering that more restrictive pacing rules might make each marathon feel more like a true race and less like a time trial. My argument isn’t to eliminate pacers entirely, but to implement a rule where they cannot run past the 30 or 35 km mark in a marathon. This rule might mean that not every event results in a new national or world record, but it would restore a sense of competition to races like the Chicago Marathon. It’s time to ensure fairness and bring back some of that unpredictability. After all, a marathon should be about the race, not just the clock.
