The 2024 London Marathon fielded the deepest elite women’s field the event had ever seen, and with that came the anticipation that they could rewrite history.
The London Marathon brought together world record holders, Olympic champions, and world champions to go head-to-head on the fast and flat course.
The headliners included mixed world record holder Tigist Assefa (2:11:53), former world record holder Brigid Kosgei (2:14:04), reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir (2:17:16), and former world champion and four-time Majors medalist Ruth Chepngetich (2:14:18), to name just a few.
The women’s-only world record was on the line, with the previous mark of 2:17:01 being set by Mary Keitany at the 2017 London Marathon.
With three of the four fastest women in history on the starting line, the running world was abuzz with anticipation, sensing that something truly extraordinary was about to unfold.
And the race certainly did not disappoint.
From the gun, the pace was strong, with the lead pack coming through the first 5K in 15:44 (3:01 pace).
They continued on, hitting the halfway mark in 1:07:04 (3:29 pace).
The final group included Jepchirchir, Assefa, Alemu, and Jepkosgei.
It came down to the back end of the race, but it was Jepchirchir’s day in a massive sprint finish.
Jepchirchir crossed the line in 2:16:16, claiming a new women’s-only world record.
Just behind her was Assefa, finishing with a time of 2:16:23. Rounding out the podium was Jepkosgei, clocking a time of 2:16:24.
Following the race, Jepchirchir spoke about how please she was with her performance, specifically with Paris looming in the near future.
“Yes, I am satisfied, and I am so happy,” she told us in an interview.
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