This list is a chronological progression of record times for the marathon. World records in the marathon are now ratified by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
Kenenisa Bekele is an Ethiopian long-distance runner and the current world record and Olympic record holder in both the 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre events. He won the gold medal in both the 5,000 m and 10,000 m events at the 2008 Summer Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics he won the gold medal in the 10,000 m and the silver medal in the 5000 m. He is married to actress Danawit Gebregziabher and he has one younger brother, Tariku Bekele, who is also an accomplished world-class distance runner.
Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in long-distance running, competing in events ranging from 10 km to the marathon. He was the bronze medallist in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics. He is the former world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:03:23, which he set at the 2013 Berlin Marathon. He has run under 2 hours 4 minutes for the marathon on four separate occasions.
Dennis Kipruto Kimetto is a Kenyan long distance runner who competes in road running events. He was the world record holder in the men's marathon with a time of 2 hours 2 minutes 57 seconds, a record which he held until Eliud Kipchoge broke it in 2018 with a time of 2:01:39.
Gladys Cherono Kiprono is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in track and road running events. She became the first woman to win both the 5000 metres and 10,000 metres at the African Championships in 2012. She is a three-time winner of the Berlin Marathon and in the top 10 list of fastest women of all time in both half marathon and marathon distances.
The 2014 Chicago Marathon was the 37th edition of the Chicago Marathon, held in Chicago, Illinois, on Sunday, October 12. Eliud Kipchoge won the men's race in a time of 2:04:11 hours, with a winning margin of seventeen seconds. Mare Dibaba won the women's division, with a winning margin of twenty seconds. The original winner, Rita Jeptoo, was disqualified after a failed drug test.
The men's marathon at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro took place on the Sambódromo on 21 August, the final day of the Games.
The 2015 London Marathon took place on 26 April 2015. It was the 35th running of the annual mass-participation marathon race and the third World Marathon Major of the year.
The 2015 Berlin Marathon was the 42nd edition of the Berlin Marathon. The marathon took place in Berlin, Germany, on 27 September 2015 and was the fourth World Marathon Majors race of the year.
Ghirmay Ghebreslassie is an Eritrean long distance runner. He won the 2015 World Championships in Athletics marathon in Beijing, China, becoming the youngest winner of the race at age 19 and became the first Eritrean to win a gold medal at the World Championships. On 6 November 2016, Ghirmay was the top men's finisher at the New York City Marathon, becoming the youngest male to ever win the race.
Sonia Samuels is a British long-distance runner. She competed in the marathon event at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics in Moscow, Russia. Samuels finished in seventh place at the 2017 Berlin Marathon with a time of 2:29:34.
Koen Naert is a Belgian athlete who specializes in cross-country and long-distance running.
The 2016 London Marathon was held on 24 April 2016. It was the 36th running of the annual mass-participation marathon race and the third World Marathon Major of the year.
Breaking2 was a project by Nike to break the two-hour barrier for the marathon. Nike announced the project in December 2016 and organized a team of three elite runners who trained for a private race. The event was held on the Formula One Autodromo Nazionale Monza race track in Italy on May 6, 2017. Ultimately, the project came up short, with Eliud Kipchoge winning the race in 2:00:25. Although this time was several minutes faster than the world record, it did not count as a new world record under IAAF standards.
The 2018 London Marathon was the 38th annual mass participation London Marathon race and took place on Sunday, 22 April 2018, in London, England. An estimated number of 40,000 runners were expected on the start line on 22 April in the race that was formally started by Queen Elizabeth. It was officially recorded as the hottest London Marathon to date at a peak temperature of 24.1 °C (75.4 °F).
The 2018 Berlin Marathon was the 45th edition of the Berlin Marathon. The marathon took place in Berlin, Germany, on 16 September 2018 and was the fourth World Marathon Majors race of the year. The men's race was won by Eliud Kipchoge, who set a new world record time. The women's race was won by Gladys Cherono in a time of 2:18:11.
