We begin, as always, wishing everyone the Best New Year possible, one full of health, hope, satisfaction, and caring, for ourselves and others less fortunate.
Now, with the conclusion of the Adnoc Abu Dhabi Marathon on December 17th and the Taipei Marathon a day later, the top end of 2022 Marathon season came to a close.
As in past years, I decided to do a deep numeric dive into the marathon year just passed, using 2:10 as the men’s standard of excellence.
Then, after World Athletics released the automatic qualifying standards for the 2024 Paris Olympics, suddenly, I had to reconfigure not only my list, but my headspace as to what constituted excellence on foot over 26.2 miles.
2022 – Total sub-2:08:10s – 204
| Kenya – 76 (37.25%) Ethiopia – 67 (32.8%) Japan – 16 ( 7.8%) Eritrea – 7 (3.4%) USA – 0 |
MORE TRADITIONAL SUB-2:10 ROUND UP |
2022 – Total sub-2:10s – 395
(25.7% more than 2019, the previous high-water mark)
Kenya – 136 (34.4%)
Ethiopia- 99 (25%)
Japan – 61 (15.4%)
USA – 7 (1.7%)
TOP time: 2:01:09 WR – Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-E. African: 2:04:51 – Daniel DO NASCIMENTO (BRA) – 3rd, Seoul
2021 Total – 249 (Covid reduced)
Kenya – 93 (37.3%)
Ethiopia – 55 (22%)
Japan – 48 (19.3%)
USA – 1 (Galen Rupp, 2:06:35 – 2nd, Chicago)
TOP time – 2:02:57 – Titus Ekiru (KEN) – Milan, 16 May
Top non-East African born time: 2:04:56 – Kengo Suzuki (JPN) – 1st, Lake Biwa – #24 on world list
2020 Total – 163 (COVID-19)
Ethiopia – 54 (33%)
Japan – 34 (20.8%)
Kenya – 29 (17.7%)
USA – 8 (Martin Hehir – 2:08:59, Mara. Project, Chandler, AZ)
Top time: 2:03:00 – Evans Chebet (KEN) – Valencia, ESP
Top non-East African born time: 2:05:29 – Suguru Osako (JPN) – 4th, Tokyo – #14 on world list
2019 Total – 293
Kenya -123 (42%)
Ethiopia – 98 (33.4%)
Japan – 16 (5.4%)
USA – 3 (Leonard Korir, 2:07:56 – 11th, Amsterdam; Scott Fauble, 2:09:09- 7th, Boston; Jared Ward, 2:09:25 – 8th, Boston)
TOP Time: 2:01:41 – Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:06:16 – Sondre Moen (NOR) – 7th, Valencia – #52 on world list
2018 Total – 215
Kenya – 97 (45%)
Ethiopia–67 (31%)
USA – 2 (Rupp twice, 2:06:07 – 1st, Prague; 2:06:21 – 5th, Chicago)
TOP time – 2:01:39 WR – Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:05:26 – El Mahjoub Dazza (MAR) – 6th, Valencia – #23 on world list
2017 Total – 186
Kenya – 113 (60.75%)
Ethiopia – 41 (22%)
USA – 2 (Galen Rupp, 2:09:20, 1st in Chicago; Rupp, 2:09:58 – 2nd, Boston)
TOP time – 2:03:32 – Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:05:48 – Sondre Moen (NOR) – 1st, Fukuoka – #12 on world list
2016 Total – 150 (First year new stacked sole shoes were introduced, though only to select few)
Kenya – 98 (65.3%)
Ethiopia – 39 (26%)
USA – 0 (Galen Rupp, 2:10:05, 3rd, Rio Olympics)
TOP time – 2:03:03 – Keninisa Bekele (ETH) – Berlin
Top non-East African time: 2:09:01 – Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) – 2nd, Gold Coast – #98 on world list
2015 Total – 172
Kenya – 97 (56.4%)
Ethiopia – 57 (33.13%)
USA – 0 (Luke Puskedra, 2:10:24, 5th in Chicago)
TOP time: 2:04:00 – Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:07:39 – Masato Imai (JPN) – 7th, Tokyo – #48 on world list
2014 Total – 180
Kenyan – 106 (58.8%)
Ethiopian – 57 (31.6%)
USA – 1 (Meb Keflezighi, 2:08:37, 1st in Boston)
TOP time – 2:02:57 – Dennis Kimetto (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:08:09 – Kohei Matsumura (JPN) – 8th, Tokyo – #86 on world list
2013 Total – 189
Kenya – 99 (52.4%)
Ethiopia- 61 (32.2%)
USA – 1 (Dathan Ritzenhein, 2:09:45, 5th in Chicago)
TOP time – 2:03:23 – Wilson Kipsang (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:07:55 – Mustapha El Aziz (MAR) – 3rd, Seoul – #58 on world list
2012 Total – 220
Kenya – 120 (54.5%)
Ethiopia – 64 (29%)
USA – 5 (Dathan Ritzenhein (twice), 2:07:47, 9th in Chicago, also Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi, Abdi Abdirahman)
TOP time- 2:04:15 – Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) – Berlin
Top non-East African born time: 2:07:30 – Patrick Tambwe (FRA) – 1st, See Genezareth – #60 world list
2011 Total – 182
Kenya – 110 (61%)
Ethiopia – 42 (22%)
USA – 3 (Ryan Hall – 2:04:58, 4th in Boston; 2:08:04, 5th, Chicago; also Meb, 2:09:13 – 6th, NYC)
TOP time – 2:03:02 – Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) – Boston
Top non-East African born time: 2:04:58 – Ryan Hall (USA) – 4th, Boston – #7 on world list
2010 Total – 144
Kenya – 79 (54.86%)
Ethiopia – 47 (32.6%)
USA – 2 (Ryan Hall, 2:08:41 – 4th, Boston; Meb Keflezighi, 2:09:26 – 5th, Boston)
TOP time – 2:04:48, Patrick Makau (KEN) – Rotterdam
Top non-East African born time: 2:06:55 – Jaouad Gharib (MAR) – 3rd, London – #23 on world list
SUB-2:10s
No. Year Kenya %
144 – 2010. 54.86%
182 – 2011. 61%
220 – 2012. 54.5%
189 – 2013. 52.4%
180 – 2014. 58.8%
172 – 2015. 56.4%
150 – 2016. 65.3%
186 – 2017. 60.75%
215 – 2018. 45%
293 – 2019. 42%
163 – 2020. 17.7%
249 – 2021 37.3%
394 – 2022. 34.3%
KENYA seems to be losing altitude as the world’s undisputed #1. But how much of that diminution involves immigration? How about Covid-19? How about PEDs?
How about 2023? Wait and see. Best to all.
END
WANDERING IN A RUNNING WORLD 
Excellent deep dive, Toni. A great resource for number nerds, like me. But for many reasons, I also think it historically significant, given the proliferation of super shoes, and unfortunately, as pessimistic as it makes me feel, the first and second of your final three questions. And because of those questions, even more unfortunately, I find myself becoming less and less excited each year when you compile these lists.
Brian,
First, happy new year. Second, your reaction, less and less excited with year-end analysis, should be a sobering (and challenging) message for this sport’s officials. There’s no greater fan of the sport than you. When you don’t care, who will? Is anyone in the halls of World Athletics listening? Thanks, as always, for your valuable addition to the conversation.
Toni
Thinking PED’s play a big role.