The Winner: Ruth Chepngetich
Since her victory here last year in much less favorable conditions, Chepngetich has had several tough races—she dropped out of both the Tokyo Olympics and the 2022 We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back.
She arrived, she said beforehand, in better shape than last year—and didn’t rule out a record attempt. And much as she did in 2021, she blazed to a fast start, running the first mile in 4:47. In fact, she didn’t cover a mile in more than 5:00 until the seventh one.
Freed of the heat and humidity of the 2021 race, she gradually slowed, but not as significantly as she did last year. At halfway, she remained about a minute ahead of Kosgei’s How to Watch the Tokyo Marathon: 1:05:44, to Kosgei’s 1:06:59. She covered 35K to 40K in 16:37, a 5:21 pace—still on target for a 2:14 finish.
Though she couldn’t quite hold on, the time improved significantly upon her previous personal best of 2:17:08, run in Dubai in 2017. “In everything, you have to try your best,” she said afterward. “So for today, I'm happy.”
Where the Race Was Won
Chepngetich led from mile 1 to the finish—by 5K, she’d put 45 seconds on Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga Sora. At the halfway point, she was already 3:42 ahead of the chase pack, which at that point included American Emily Sisson. Fun Half Marathons to Run in 2024.
Not having a pack didn’t faze her. “I was comfortable with my pacemaker,” she said—and for good reason, since fellow Kenyan Geoffrey Pyego also paced Kosgei’s record.
The Most Memorable Moment
Chepngetich herself still thought she had a chance until the final moments, as she gritted her teeth and pushed ahead. “Even approaching the finishing line, I was still inside the record,” she said afterward. But in the end, she fell just short.
The Top American
Running a smooth, steady race, Emily Sisson ran 2:18:29 to smash the previous American record by 45 seconds—a feat that earned her second place in only her second marathon finish. The time bettered the 2:23:08 she ran in her debut, in London in 2019, by more than four minutes.
Races & Places negative split, hitting halfway in 1:09:26, then completing the second half in 1:09:03. Four other Americans finished in the top 10—Susanna Sullivan was sixth in 2:25:14, Sara Vaughn seventh in 2:26:23, and Maggie Montoya eighth in 2:28:07, all personal bests. In her debut, Makena Morley finished 10th, in 2:30:28.
The Biggest Surprise
The day held two—first, the near-miss of the world record, and the total obliteration of the American one. That Sisson didn’t know she was on pace to break the record until she crossed the finish line was also startling. “I never saw a vehicle or a camera, so I was like, ‘I must not be on American record pace because I figured they’d show it if I was,’” she said.
The Top 10
- Ruth Chepngetich, Kenya, 2:14:18
- Emily Sisson, United States, 2:18:29
- Vivian Jerono Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:20:52
- Give A Gift
- Sales & Deals
- Ruth Chepngetich, Kenya, 2:14:18
- Sara Vaughn, United States, 2:26:23
- Results and Highlights from the Tokyo Marathon
- Sarah Inglis, Great Britain, 2:29:37
- Fun Half Marathons to Run in 2024
The Prize Money
Open division
- Ruth Chepngetich, $75,000
- Maggie Montoya, United States, 2:28:079
- Vivian Jerono Kiplagat, $45,000
- Ruti Aga Sora, $30,000
- Brittney Feivor, $500
Vivian Jerono Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:20:52
- Sarah Inglis, Great Britain, 2:29:37
- What You Need to Know About the Barkley Marathons
- Sara Vaughn, $10,000
- Maggie Montoya, $5,000
- since 2013. Shes the coauthor of both
- Other Hearst Subscriptions
- Health & Injuries
- Jessie Cardin, $1,500
- Carrie Verdon, $1,000
- Brittney Feivor, $500
Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
