Amidst Backlash, Ruth Chepngetich’s Insane World Record at Chicago Marathon Gains Support From Track & Field Community: “Putting Limits on Women”

26.2 miles and a breezy Sunday morning—that’s all it took for Ruth Chepngetich to rewrite track and field history at the 46th Chicago Marathon! The Kenyan powerhouse reclaimed her title for the third time after 2021 and 2022. She not only exerted her dominance as the queen of the throne after a year’s gap (2023) but dedicated her win to the late Kelvin Kiptum, honoring him with a special mention. However, that’s not all.

Chepngetich became the first woman in the history of marathon running to record a sub-2:10 timing. Topping Tigst Assefa’s previous WR mark from the 2023 Berlin Marathon, Chepngetich thought her feat would win her laurels from across the globe. Well, they did, until the shadows of a doping allegation lurked and put a damper on her achievement. Nonetheless, track and field loyalists have now stepped up to defend her and the legacy of the sport.

Well, there were a few who pointed to a massive drop in Ruth Chepngetich’s timings, raising possible speculations of doping. She completed the same course in 2021 at 2:22.31, whereas in 2022 she slashed it further to 2:14.18, and finished as a runner-up in 2023 at 2:15.37. But now the Kenyan has dipped it to below 2 hours 10 minutes, stripping off 4 minutes 22 seconds off her personal best, which is why fans are sensing a possible foul play or use of a prohibited substance.

Amidst this, supporters have now come out to spill the facts. Posting on X, one of them clapped back, saying that Chepngetich is someone who is very aggressive in her races and she specializes on roads, especially Chicago, where she has excelled quite a few times. While this gave her an edge, she is not the only one. Brigid Kosgei once lowered her personal best by nearly 4 minutes too, when she clocked a WR in 2019. For Tigst Assefa to slash the WR last year, she had to refine her speed by 3 minutes, 44 seconds. And all these happened on the same courses—Chicago and Berlin—write the fans, pointing out a disparity in solely questioning Chepngetich.

The fan also points to the improved technology available, especially shoes. Plus, the fact that Chepngetich had two male pacers runner alongside shows she was well prepared for an extraordinary show this Sunday. In the end, the fan sums up with a powerful statement, “You can have your suspicions or doubts but that doesn’t make them a fact….”

Owen M also writes how “Ruth Chepngetich ran 2:09.56 to break the world record at the Chicago Marathon, and rather than celebrating this, people are putting limits on women and are stating what they feel like is attainable or not attainable.” This led to more people chiming in with Ruth Chepngetich’s support.

Naysayers get fitting comebacks from Ruth Chepngetich’s fans

One of the fans pointed out how this could be a sheer spiteful step by those who could not match Ruth Chepngetich’s pace. They write, “Ruth Chepngetich broke the women’s marathon world record & got the westerns alleging doping.” It is no secret that East African runners have dominated distance running for a long while now. The fan points out how this could perhaps be the reason why Ruth’s record is being tainted.

If we split Chepngetich’s Chicago Marathon performance into halves, she ran the two in 1:04.16 and the other in 1:05.41. Well, that seems nothing too bizarre, for she often hovers around these timings. Notably, her half marathon personal best is 1:04.02 from 2021. Also, just two months ago, in August, she ran another half marathon in Buenos Aires, where her half marathon completion time was 1:05.58.

Another fan highlights how there might be selective targeting against Ruth Chepngetich. They write, “Europeans and Americans are angered by Ruth Chepngetich’s world record. They are accusing her of doping, without any proof.” The same user then highlights how “When Armand Duplantis from Ukraine breaks the Pole Vault world record eight times within three years, he is called a genius.” 

If we look through the data for the last five years, the women’s marathon world record time has changed three times, and the largest margin it has dipped by over the course has been 5 and a half minutes. Well, if that were achievable, fans truly do not see a reason why Ruth’s progression is questionable. In other sports, we also have veterans like Mondo Duplantis or, say, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who have been known to lower the WRs multiple times as well. Thus the fan points out how there is a difference in lens towards Ruth.

Another fan adds, “Love how he says “athletics is dead as a sport”. This sport got through the eras of Kratochvilova, Koch, Ben Johnson, Ma’s army, and more. Even if top athletes are doping, it’s certainly no worse than the past.” There have been doping scandals in the past too. In fact, athletes like Wilson Kipsang, Abraham Kiptum, and others have been banned too. But claims that athletics is dead without any substantial proof against Ruth seemed a bit too harsh to this fan, who answered back.

Well, when it comes to Ruth, another reason why Chepngetich was faster could have been her shoes. She was wearing the Nike Alphafly 3—the same kicks Kelvin Kiptum wore when he set his WR in Chicago last year. These “supershoes” are packed with tech—foam, carbon plates, and pressurized airbags, all designed to give runners more energy and smoother heel-to-toe transitions. And hey, this shoe’s been approved and published by World Athletics, so it’s all legit.

And when Ruth was asked about the doping allegations surrounding her WR, she shrugged it off with grace, saying, “People must talk.” A fan, not having any of it, called it, “People throwing jabs and having selective tantrums.” Reflecting on this sparring, here’s the big question: Are we really witnessing a groundbreaking performance—or is this just another case of selective skepticism? Share your thoughts below!