The 10 fastest women’s marathon times in history

Running a marathon is one of the most gruelling sports at the Olympics and consists of some of the most talented and fittest athletes in the world.

The Women's Olympic Marathon starts on the 11th of August, with some of the best runners in the world looking to break the marathon record. With that being said, here are the ten fastest marathon times by women in history!

Ethiopian Tigst Assefa smashed the world record time for a woman, running the Berlin Marathon in two hours, 11 minutes, and 53 seconds in 2023, beating the previous best by nearly two minutes.

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Dutch runner Sifan Hassan broke the European record for a marathon for the first time in 20 years at the Chicago Marathon in 2023, running a time of 2:13:44. It means Hassan has held every European record from 1500m to marathon, per the European Athletics website.

Third on the list is Kenyan Brigid Kosgei, who clocked a time of 2:14:04 at the Chicago Marathon in 2019. The Kenyan won silver in the marathon at the Tokyo Olympics. Can she go one better in Paris?

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Ruth Chepngetich won the Chicago Marathon in 2021 and 2022, but her personal best came in Chicago in 2022, clocking a time of 2:14:18. American Emily Sisson came second in the race by more than four minutes, The Guardian reports.

Amane Beriso Shankula shocked the world after beating world 10,000m champion Letesenbet Gidey in the 2022 Valencia Marathon, clocking a time of 2:14:58 on her marathon debut!

British runner Paula Radcliffe held the world record for the fastest marathon by a woman for 16 years after clocking a time of 2:15:25 at the London Marathon in 2003. Two years later, she won the marathon at the 2005 World Championships.

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Worknesh Degefa finished well within the two hours and 16-minute mark, finishing with a time of 2:15:51 at the Valencia Marathon in 2023. She beat her previous career best of 2:17:41 from 2019 and moved to seventh on the list.

Eighth on the list is Sutume Asefa Kebede, who ran 2:15:55 at the Tokyo Marathon in March 2024, the perfect time to run your personal best as the Olympic race rolls around the corner.

Ethiopia's Tigist Ketema was better known as a middle-distance runner, having won bronze at the U20 World Championships in 2016. In her marathon debut in Dubai, Ketema ran a time of 2:16:07, breaking into the top ten after one race.

Last but not least is Rosemary Wanjiru, who breaks into the top ten after reaching a time of 2:16:14 at the Tokyo Marathon in 2024, finishing second behind Kebede.

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