World records in the marathon are ratified by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics.
Haile Gebrselassie is an Ethiopian former long-distance track, road running athlete, and businessman. He won two Olympic gold medals and four World Championship titles over the 10,000 metres. Haile triumphed in the Berlin Marathon four times consecutively and also had three straight wins at the Dubai Marathon. He also earned four world titles indoors and was the 2001 World Half Marathon Champion.
Derek James Clayton is a former Australian long-distance runner, born in Cumbria, England and raised in Northern Ireland.
Jéssica de Barros Augusto, ComM is a Portuguese runner who competes in cross country, road running and in middle-distance and long-distance track events. At club level, she represents Sporting CP.
Shalane Grace Flanagan is an American long-distance runner, coach, Olympic medalist and New York City Marathon champion. She was the first American woman to win the New York City Marathon since 1977. She holds the NACAC area records in both the 10k and 15k road races.
Edward D. Eyestone is a two-time Olympic marathoner, long distance runner, and an NCAA coach.
Germán Silva Martínez is a Mexican former long-distance runner who specialized in the marathon. His foremost achievements were back-to-back victories at the New York City Marathon in 1994 and 1995. He represented Mexico twice at the Summer Olympics, in 1992 and 1996. He also competed at the World Championships in Athletics on two occasions. His personal best for the marathon is two hours, eight minutes, and 56 seconds.
Juan Luis Barrios Nieves is a Mexican runner. He competed in the 5000 m at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics and finished seventh-eighth. He placed 14th in the same event at the 2007 and came 18th in the 10,000 metres at the 2009 World Championships.
Izumi Maki was a Japanese long-distance runner who competed in the marathon. She represented her native country twice at the Summer Olympics: in 1992 and 1996. She competed for the Wacoal corporate team during her career.
Ana Dulce Ferreira FélixComM is a Portuguese long distance runner who competes in track, cross country, and road running events. She ran the Olympic marathon in 2012 and 2016 and placed 21st and 16th, respectively.
Sylvia Mosqueda is an American long distance runner notable for hard front running over an extended career at an elite level.
Dulce María Rodríguez de la Cruz is a Mexican long-distance runner who competes in track and road running events, including the marathon. A three-time Olympian for Mexico, she has also run for Mexico at the World Championships in Athletics on three occasions.
Silvana Cruciata is a former Italian middle- and long-distance runner. She represented Italy at the 1976 Montreal Olympics and shared medals with the Italian women's teams at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. Her best of 18.084 km for the one hour run set in 1981 was a world record for over seventeen years.
Stephen Mokoka is a South African long-distance runner who competes in races ranging from 3000 metres to the 50 km distance. He formerly held the 50 km world record. He is a four-time medalist at the Universiade and has represented South Africa internationally in road, cross country, and track events. He represented South Africa in the marathon at the 2012 London Olympics.
Yolanda Beatriz Caballero Pérez is a long-distance runner from Colombia. Her personal best of 2:26:17 hours for the marathon is the fastest by a South American runner. Her half marathon best of 1:10:30 hours is also a South American record.
Carl Edward Thackery is a retired British long-distance runner, who competed in the 1980s and 1990s. His daughter Calli Hauger-Thackery is an international marathon runner.
Thomas Osano is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who competed across track, road, and cross country running disciplines. His greatest individual honour was a 10,000 metres gold medal at the 1991 All-Africa Games. He also shared in a team gold medal with Kenya at the 1993 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.
Godfrey Chirchir Kiprotich is a Kenyan former long-distance runner who specialised in road running. He was a team gold medallist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 1994, placing fourth to lead a team including Shem Kororia and Andrew Masai to victory.
Jane Moraa Omoro is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track and road running events, up to the marathon. She was active from 1993 to 2007, with most of her success coming in the 1990s.
The world record in the half marathon has been officially recognized since 1 January 2004 by World Athletics, the international governing body for the sport of athletics. A total of five men's world records and six women's world records have been officially ratified since that date. The IAAF officially recognized the fastest times before that date as a "world best" from 1 January 2003 onwards. Before that date, the IAAF did not recognize any road running world records, though the concept of a world record was recognized by other organizations, such as the Association of Road Racing Statisticians (ARRS).
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