| 1999 .2000 in marathon running. 2001 |
 | This article's factual accuracy is disputed .(June 2010) |
This page lists the World Best Year Performances in the year 2000 in the Marathon for both men and women. One of the main events during this season were the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where the final of the men's competition was held on October 1, 2000. The women had their Olympic race on September 24, 2000.
| Standing records prior to the 2000 season in track and field | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Record |  Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) | 2:05:42 | October 24, 1999 |  Chicago, United States |
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Venue | Rank | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:06:36 |  António Pinto (POR) | London, United Kingdom | 1 | 16-04-2000 | NR |
| 2 | 2:06:51 |  Atsushi Fujita (JPN) | Fukuoka, Japan | 1 | 03-12-2000 |  |
| 3 | 2:07:01 | Khalid Khannouchi (USA) | Chicago, United States | 1 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 4 | 2:07:15 |  Japhet Kosgei (KEN) | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 13-02-2000 | |
| 5 | 2:07:20 |  Lee Bong-Ju (KOR) | Tokyo, Japan | 2 | 13-02-2000 | NR |
| 6 | 2:07:29 | Josephat Kiprono (KEN) | Chicago, United States | 2 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 7 | 2:07:33 | Abdelkader El Mouaziz (MAR) | London, United Kingdom | 2 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 8 | 2:07:42 | Simon Biwott (KEN) | Berlin, Germany | 1 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 9 | 2:07:47 |  Antoni Peña (ESP) | Berlin, Germany | 2 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 9 | 2:07:47 | Moses Tanui (KEN) | Chicago, United States | 3 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 11 | 2:08:02 | Peter Githuka (KEN) | Chicago, United States | 4 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 12 | 2:08:08 | Alberto Juzdado (ESP) | Tokyo, Japan | 3 | 13-02-2000 | |
| 13 | 2:08:14 | Martín Fiz (ESP) | Otsu, Japan | 1 | 05-03-2000 | |
| 14 | 2:08:16 | Takayuki Inubushi (JPN) | Tokyo, Japan | 4 | 13-02-2000 | |
| 15 | 2:08:22 | Kenneth Cheruiyot (KEN) | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 1 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 16 | 2:08:23 | Fred Kiprop (KEN) | Chicago, United States | 5 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 17 | 2:08:30 | Francisco Javier Cortés (ESP) | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 2 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 18 | 2:08:33 |  Simretu Alemayehu (ETH) | Turin, Italy | 1 | 26-03-2000 | |
| 19 | 2:08:34 |  Vanderlei de Lima (BRA) | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 3 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 20 | 2:08:41 |  Giacomo Leone (ITA) | Rome, Italy | 2 | 01-01-2000 | |
| 21 | 2:08:48 | Willy Cheruiyot (KEN) | Vienna, Austria | 1 | 21-05-2000 | |
| 22 | 2:08:49 | Francesco Ingargiola (ITA) | Rome, Italy | 3 | 01-01-2000 | |
| 22 | 2:08:49 | Baek Seung-Do (KOR) | Tokyo, Japan | 5 | 13-02-2000 | |
| 22 | 2:08:49 |  Mohamed Ouaadi (FRA) | Paris, France | 1 | 09-04-2000 | |
| 22 | 2:08:49 | Joseph Ngolepus (KEN) | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 26 | 2:08:59 | Elijah Korir (KEN) | Turin, Italy | 2 | 26-03-2000 | |
| 27 | 2:09:00 | Mark Saina (KEN) | Turin, Italy | 3 | 26-03-2000 | |
| 28 | 2:09:04 | Shinji Kawashima (JPN) | Otsu, Japan | 2 | 05-03-2000 | |
| 29 | 2:09:06 | William Kiplagat (KEN) | London, United Kingdom | 4 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 30 | 2:09:09 | Abdellah Béhar (FRA) | Fukuoka, Japan | 3 | 03-12-2000 | |
| 31 | 2:09:10 | Samuel Otieno (KEN) | Paris, France | 2 | 09-04-2000 | |
| 32 | 2:09:17 | Abraham Limo (KEN) | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 2 | 15-10-2000 | |
| 33 | 2:09:18 |  Zebedayo Bayo (TAN) | Paris, France | 4 | 09-04-2000 | |
| 34 | 2:09:23 | Ryuji Takei (JPN) | Otsu, Japan | 3 | 05-03-2000 | |
| 35 | 2:09:26 | Noriaki Igarashi (JPN) | Fukuoka, Japan | 4 | 03-12-2000 | |
| 36 | 2:09:30 | Hiroshi Miki (JPN) | Tokyo, Japan | 6 | 13-02-2000 | |
| 37 | 2:09:35 | Joseph Mereng (KEN) | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 6 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 38 | 2:09:43 |  Hendrick Ramaala (RSA) | London, United Kingdom | 5 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 39 | 2:09:45 | Stefano Baldini (ITA) | London, United Kingdom | 6 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 39 | 2:09:45 | Gezahegne Abera (ETH) | Fukuoka, Japan | 5 | 03-12-2000 | |
| 41 | 2:09:46 | Michael Kite (KEN) | Münich, Germany | 1 | 15-10-2000 | |
| 42 | 2:09:47 | Elijah Lagat (KEN) | Boston, United States | 1 | 17-04-2000 | |
| 42 | 2:09:47 | Joel Sankale (KEN) | Münich, Germany | 2 | 15-10-2000 | |
| 44 | 2:09:49 | Moges Taye (ETH) | Rome, Italy | 4 | 01-01-2000 | |
| 45 | 2:09:50 | Atsushi Sato (JPN) | Otsu, Japan | 4 | 05-03-2000 | |
| 45 | 2:09:50 | John Bungei (KEN) | Venice, Italy | 1 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 47 | 2:09:52 | Jackson Kabiga (KEN) | Berlin, Germany | 3 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 48 | 2:09:55 |  Mathias Ntawulikura (RWA) | London, United Kingdom | 7 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 49 | 2:10:00 |  Steve Moneghetti (AUS) | Tokyo, Japan | 7 | 13-02-2000 | |
| 50 | 2:10:08 | Takahiro Sunada (JPN) | Berlin, Germany | 4 | 10-09-2000 |
| Standing records prior to the 2000 season in track and field | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Record | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 2:20:43 | September 26, 1999 |  Berlin, Germany |
| Rank | Time | Athlete | Venue | Pos | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2:21:33 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | Chicago, United States | 1 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 2 | 2:22:19 | Naoko Takahashi (JPN) | Nagoya, Japan | 1 | 12-03-2000 | |
| 3 | 2:22:36 | Lornah Kiplagat (KEN) | Chicago, United States | 2 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 4 | 2:22:54 |  Lidia Șimon (ROM) | Osaka, Japan | 1 | 30-01-2000 | |
| 5 | 2:22:56 | Harumi Hiroyama (JPN) | Osaka, Japan | 2 | 30-01-2000 | |
| 6 | 2:23:31 | Esther Wanjiru (KEN) | Osaka, Japan | 3 | 30-01-2000 | |
| 7 | 2:23:44 |  Marleen Renders (BEL) | Paris, France | 1 | 09-04-2000 | |
| 8 | 2:23:47 | Maura Viceconte (ITA) | Vienna, Austria | 1 | 21-05-2000 | |
| 9 | 2:24:02 | Joyce Chepchumba (KEN) | Tokyo, Japan | 1 | 19-11-2000 | |
| 10 | 2:24:33 | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | London, United Kingdom | 1 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 11 | 2:24:36 | Reiko Tosa (JPN) | Nagoya, Japan | 2 | 12-03-2000 | |
| 12 | 2:24:47 | Elfenesh Alemu (ETH) | Osaka, Japan | 4 | 30-01-2000 | |
| 13 | 2:25:14 | Kayoko Obata (JPN) | Osaka, Japan | 5 | 30-01-2000 | |
| 14 | 2:25:32 |  Ren Xiujuan (CHN) | Jinan, PR China | 1 | 02-04-2000 | |
| 15 | 2:25:42 |  Adriana Fernandez (MEX) | London, United Kingdom | 4 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 16 | 2:25:45 |  Lyudmila Petrova (RUS) | New York, United States | 1 | 05-11-2000 | |
| 17 | 2:25:59 | Kerryn McCann (AUS) | London, United Kingdom | 5 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 18 | 2:26:03 | Franca Fiacconi (ITA) | New York, United States | 2 | 05-11-2000 | |
| 19 | 2:26:09 | Derartu Tulu (ETH) | London, United Kingdom | 6 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 20 | 2:26:12 | Maria Guida (ITA) | London, United Kingdom | 7 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 21 | 2:26:15 | Kazumi Matsuo (JPN) | Berlin, Germany | 1 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 22 | 2:26:27 |  Irina Bogacheva (KGZ) | Boston, United States | 2 | 17-04-2000 | |
| 22 | 2:26:27 | Fatuma Roba (ETH) | Boston, United States | 3 | 17-04-2000 | |
| 24 | 2:26:33 | Lyubov Morgunova (RUS) | London, United Kingdom | 8 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 24 | 2:26:33 | Madina Biktagirova (RUS) | Sydney, Australia | 5 | 24-09-2000 | |
| 26 | 2:26:34 | Wei Yanan (CHN) | Beijing, PR China | 1 | 15-10-2000 | |
| 27 | 2:26:36 | Sun Yingjie (CHN) | Beijing, PR China | 2 | 15-10-2000 | |
| 27 | 2:26:36 | Margaret Okayo (KEN) | New York, United States | 3 | 05-11-2000 | |
| 29 | 2:26:41 | Manuela Machado (POR) | London, United Kingdom | 9 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 30 | 2:26:42 | Hellen Kimutai (KEN) | New York, United States | 4 | 05-11-2000 | |
| 31 | 2:26:58 | Takami Ominami (JPN) | Nagoya, Japan | 3 | 12-03-2000 | |
| 32 | 2:27:00 | Florence Barsosio (KEN) | New York, United States | 5 | 05-11-2000 | |
| 33 | 2:27:03 | Eri Yamaguchi (JPN) | Sydney, Australia | 7 | 24-09-2000 | |
| 34 | 2:27:07 |  Ham Bong-Sil (PRK) | Sydney, Australia | 8 | 24-09-2000 | |
| 35 | 2:27:14 | Zhang Shujing (CHN) | Berlin, Germany | 3 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 36 | 2:27:25 | Sonja Oberem (GER) | Vienna, Austria | 3 | 21-05-2000 | |
| 37 | 2:27:41 | Noriko Geji (JPN) | Berlin, Germany | 4 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 38 | 2:27:42 | Alina Ivanova (RUS) | Prague, Czech Republic | 1 | 21-05-2000 | |
| 39 | 2:27:52 |  Małgorzata Sobańska (POL) | Tokyo, Japan | 4 | 19-11-2000 | |
| 40 | 2:27:55 | Midori Fumoto (JPN) | Nagoya, Japan | 4 | 12-03-2000 | |
| 41 | 2:27:58 | Melanie Kraus (GER) | Berlin, Germany | 5 | 10-09-2000 | |
| 42 | 2:28:01 | Tomoe Abe (JPN) | Osaka, Japan | 6 | 30-01-2000 | |
| 43 | 2:28:11 | Svetlana Zakharova (RUS) | London, United Kingdom | 10 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 44 | 2:28:16 | Ruth Kutol (KEN) | Venice, Italy | 1 | 22-10-2000 | |
| 45 | 2:28:18 | Alina Gherasim (ROM) | Paris, France | 2 | 09-04-2000 | |
| 46 | 2:28:20 | Junko Kataoka (JPN) | Tokyo, Japan | 5 | 19-11-2000 | |
| 47 | 2:28:32 | Hiromi Ominami (JPN) | Nagoya, Japan | 5 | 12-03-2000 | |
| 47 | 2:28:32 | Jackline Cherotich (KEN) | Carpi, Italy | 1 | 15-10-2000 | |
| 49 | 2:28:46 | Zinaida Semenova (RUS) | London, United Kingdom | 11 | 16-04-2000 | |
| 50 | 2:28:51 | Mineko Yamanouchi (JPN) | Tokyo, Japan | 7 | 19-11-2000 |
The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of 42.195 kilometres, usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There are also wheelchair divisions. More than 800 marathons are held throughout the world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes, as larger marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.
Paula Jane Radcliffe MBE is a former British long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon, three-time New York Marathon champion, and 2002 Chicago Marathon winner. She was previously the fastest female marathoner of all time, and held the Women's World Marathon Record with a time of 2:15:25 for 16 years from 2003 to 2019 when it was broken by Brigid Kosgei.
This list is a chronological progression of record times for the marathon. World records in the marathon are now ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
The New York City Marathon is an annual marathon that courses through the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest marathon in the world, with 53,627 finishers in 2019 and 98,247 applicants for the 2017 race. Along with the Boston Marathon and Chicago Marathon, it is among the pre-eminent long-distance annual running events in the United States and is one of the World Marathon Majors.
Joan Benoit Samuelson is an American marathon runner who was the first women's Olympic Games marathon champion, winning the gold medal at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She held the fastest time for an American woman at the Chicago Marathon for 32 years after winning the race in 1985. Her time at the Boston Marathon was the fastest time by an American woman at that race for 28 years. She was inducted into the Maine Women's Hall of Fame in 2000.
The Berlin Marathon is a marathon event held annually on the streets of Berlin, Germany on the last weekend of September. Held annually since 1974, the event includes multiple races over the marathon distance of 42.195 kilometres (26.219 mi), including elite level road running competitions for men and women, a race for the public, an inline skating race, a wheelchair race, and a handcycle race.
Naoko Takahashi is a retired Japanese long-distance runner and Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and became the first woman to complete a marathon in under 2:20:00 in 2001.
Cape Verde sent a delegation to compete at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October 2000. This was Cape Verde's second appearance at a Summer Olympic Games after the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta four years prior. The Cape Verdean delegation to Sydney consisted of two track and field athletes, Isménia do Frederico and António Zeferino, who were both making their second Olympic appearance. Do Frederico did not advance out of her heat in the women's 100 meters, while Zeferino finished 67th of 81 finishers in the men's marathon.
Djibouti took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics, which were held in Sydney, Australia from 15 September to 1 October. The country's participation at Sydney marked its fifth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its debut at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles, United States. The delegation included two track and field athletes; Omar Daher Gadid in the men's marathon and Roda Ali Wais in the women's 800 metres. Gadid failed to finish the marathon, while Wais did not progress past the first round of her event.
Lisa Frances Ondieki is an Australian former long-distance runner. In the marathon, she won the 1988 Olympic silver medal and two Commonwealth Games gold medals. Other marathon victories included the 1988 Osaka International Ladies Marathon and the 1992 New York City Marathon. She also won the Great North Run Half Marathon three times. Her best time for the marathon of 2:23:51, set in 1988, made her the fourth-fastest female marathon runner in history at the time.
The World Marathon Majors (WMM) is a championship-style competition for marathon runners that started in 2006. A points-based competition founded on six major marathon races recognised as the most high-profile on the calendar, the series comprises annual races for the cities of Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. In addition, each edition of the series recognises and includes the results of the major global championship marathon held in that year, usually on a one-off lapped course. These races are the biennial World Athletics Championships Marathon, and the quadrennial Olympic Games Marathon.
Eliud Kipchoge is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in the marathon and formerly specialized at the 5000 metre distance. Widely regarded as the greatest marathon runner of all time, he is the 2016 and 2020 Olympic marathon champion and the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:09 set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon. He has run four out of the five fastest marathon times in history.
The African Championships in Athletics is a continental athletics event organized by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA), the continental association for the sport in Africa. Since its inaugural edition in 1979 it was at first organised intermittently with nine editions held in fourteen years until 1993. Following the tenth edition in 1996 it has been organised biennially on even years, and is always held in the same year as the Summer Olympics. The 21st edition was held in Asaba, Nigeria in August 2018.
Irina Mikitenko, néeVolynskaya, is a retired German long-distance runner who competed in marathons. She won the Berlin Marathon in 2008 and is a two-time winner of the London Marathon. She has competed at the Summer Olympics on four occasions.
Colleen S. De Reuck is a long-distance runner from South Africa, who became an American citizen on 11 December 2000. She has had a long-lasting career, running in her forties, and made a total of four appearances at the Summer Olympics.
This article contains an overview of the year 1988 in athletics.
Djibouti has participated in nine Summer Olympic Games as of the completion of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. They have never competed in the Winter Olympic Games. Djibouti debuted at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States of America with three athletes, but did not take home a medal. The highest number of Djiboutian athletes participating in a summer Games is eight in the 1992 games in Barcelona, Spain. Only one Djiboutian athlete has ever won a medal at the Olympics, marathon runner Hussein Ahmed Salah, who won a bronze medal in the 1988 marathon.
The Nagano Olympic Commemorative Marathon is an annual marathon road race which takes place in mid-April in Nagano, Japan. It is an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race competition. The Nagano Marathon has races for both elite and amateur runners. It is named in honour of the 1998 Winter Olympics which were held in Nagano.
Lesotho competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, which was held from 27 July to 12 August 2012. The country's participation at London marked its tenth appearance in the Summer Olympics since its début at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The delegation included three track and field athletes; Tsepo Ramonene, Mosito Lehata and Mamorallo Tjoka, and one swimmer; Masempe Theko. Ramonene and Lehata qualified for the Games by meeting qualification standards, while Tjoka and Theko made the Olympics through wildcard places. Tjoka was selected as the flag bearer for the opening ceremony while Lehata held it at the closing ceremony. Ramonene finished last in the men's marathon and was revived by medical personnel during the event. Lehata did not progress to the semi-finals of the men's 200 metres and Tjoka finished in 90th in the women's marathon. Theko finished 73rd overall in the women's 50 metre freestyle and did not progress to the semi-finals of the event.
The marathon at the Summer Olympics is the only road running event held at the multi-sport event. The men's marathon has been present on the Olympic athletics programme since 1896. Nearly ninety years later, the women's event was added to the programme at the 1984 Olympics.