Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich broke the women’s marathon world record in style at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, finishing in 2:09:56. She shaved nearly two minutes off the previous record of 2:11:53, set by Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa in Berlin last year.

Chepngetich pulled away from her competitors by the halfway point and ran to the finish amid loud cheers, claiming her third Chicago title. Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede finished in second place, 7 minutes and 36 seconds behind, while Kenya’s Irine Cheptai took third with a time of 2:17:51.

“This is my dream come true,” Chepngetich said after the race. Her time was initially recorded as 2:09:57 but was later adjusted slightly. Starting at a rapid pace, she completed the first five kilometres in 15 minutes and built a 14-second lead over Kebede by the halfway mark. Television commentators were stunned by her performance, comparing her sub-2:10 attempt to a moon landing. She maintained her speed through the final stretch, crossing the finish line in exhaustion.

Chepngetich, the 2019 world champion, dedicated her win to her late compatriot, Kelvin Kiptum, who set the men’s world record in Chicago last year before tragically passing away in a car accident four months later. “World record was in my mind,” she said, adding, “Chicago is like home.”

In the men’s race, John Korir, brother of former Boston Marathon winner Wesley Korir, won with a personal best of 2:02:43—the second-fastest time in the race’s history. He improved on last year’s fourth-place finish and his third-place result in 2022. Ethiopia’s Huseydin Mohammed Esa finished second in 2:04:39, followed closely by Amos Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, in third with a time of 2:04:50.