Declaring that ‘My dream has come true’, Chepngetich dedicated her record time to Kelvin Kiptum, a fellow Kenyan who broke the men’s marathon record a year earlier in Chicago, but tragically passed away after a road accident in February of this year. She has since been praised by World Athletics for ‘rewriting history’ as women’s athletics sees breakthrough times becoming more regular and in turn more significant. To put this in perspective, in the last five years, the fastest women’s time over the distance has dropped by five and a half minutes and will most likely continue to get faster.
Having said this, the record-breaking run has since become somewhat of a talking point in the running world, stirring up a wide range of reactions from athletes, scientists and fans alike. Faster race times across the athletic field are resetting expectations of athletes, pushing them in ways that weren’t previously conceivable within the last decade. A lot of this can be put down to changes in running technology, most notably shoe technology and performance. Like many sports now, the technology and regulations surrounding production and prototypes is in constant development, which will be crucial in the future of the sport.
There is no doubt, however, that in a sport that for the Kenyan team has been overshadowed by doping scandals in the last few years, this is a resounding victory and a race that will be remembered for years to come. If Chepngetich’s record is anything to go off, we can expect to see a lot more records being broken in coming seasons.
