(Update: 13 October 2024 – Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich smoked Tigst Assefa’s marathon world record by 1:57 in Chicago, running history’s first sub-2:10 women’s marathon at 2:09:56)
In the wake of Tigst Assefa‘s 2:11:53 marathon world record at the 2023 BMW Berlin Marathon last Sunday, I thought it might be instructive to look back at the women’s marathon world record progression, and see the percentage of change represented by each subsequent record.
I decided to begin with the first sub-3 hour women’s marathon, run by American Beth Bonner in New York City in September 1971. You can form your own judgements from the data.
TIME – % CHANGE – NAME – PLACE – DATE
3:01:42 – 0.65% – Beth Bonner (USA) – PhilA. PA `71
2:55:22 – 3.54% – Beth Bonner (USA) – NYC `71
2:49:40 – 3.30% – Cheryl Bridges (USA) – Culver City, CA. `71
2:46:36 – 1.82% – Miki Gorman (USA) – Culver City `73
2:46:24 – 0.12% – Chantal Langlace (FRA) – Neuf-Bris. `74
2:43:54 – 1.51% – Jaqi Hansen (USA) – Culver City `74
2:42:24 – 0.92% – Liane Winter (WGer) – Boston `75
2:40:16 – 1.32% – Christa Vahlensieck (WGer) – `75
2:38:19 – 1.22% – Jacqueline Hansen (USA) – Nike/OTC `75
2:35:16 – 1.94% – Changal Langlace (FRA) – Oiartzun `77
2:34:48 – 0.30% – Christa Vahlensieck (WGer) – Berlin `77
2:32:30 – 1.49% – Grete Waitz (NOR) – NYC Oct. 1978
2:27:33 – 3.35% – Grete Waitz (NOR) – NYC Oct. 1979
2:25:42 – 1.27% – Grete Waitz (NOR) – NYC Oct. 1980
2:25:28 – 0.16% – Allison Roe (NZL) – NYC Oct. 1981
2:25:28 – 0.00% – Grete Waitz (NOR) – London 1983
2:22:43 – 1.90% – Joan Benoit (USA) – Boston 1983
2:21:06 – 1.13% – Ingrid Kristiansen – (NOR) London 85
2:20:47 – 0.22% – Tegla Loroupe (KEN) – Rotterdam 98
2:20:43 – 0.04% – Tegla Loroupe (KEN) – Berlin 1999
2:19:46 – 0.67% – Naoko Takahashi (JPN) – Berlin 2001
2:18:47 – 0.70% – Catherine Ndereba (KEN) – Chicago 01
2:17:18 – 1.07% – Paula Radcliffe (GBR) – Chicago 2002
2:15:25 – 1.38% – Paula Radcliffe (GBR) – London 2003
2:14:04 – 1.00% – Brigid Kosgei (KEN) – Chicago 2019
2:11:53 – 1.64% – Tigst Assefa (ETH) – Berlin 2023
From 1971 until Ingrid Kristiansen’s 2:21:06 in London 1985, which lasted 13 years, the marathon record was broken consistently, often annually, but at least once every two years. Paula Radcliffe’s 2:15:25 in London 2003 lasted for 16 years before Brigid Kosgei’s 2:14:04 consigned it to history in Chicago 2019. How long do you think Tigst Assefa’s 2:11:53 will remain on the books? It’s a brave new world out there, with the once mighty marathon left somewhat toothless in the face of the new shoe technology.
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tonireavis.com 
Toni, LONG time fan of your writing. I’ve been a fairly competitive runner for a very long time, as well as a big fan of the sport. Sadly, seeing performances like hers always leaves me a bit jaded. How am I supposed to believe she went from something like a 2:34 to sub-2:12 in ONE YEAR?!? I know these super shoes aid in performances but come on! Sigh.
Tim
Well, her 2:34 debut in Saudi Arabia wasn’t a focused effort. They wanted/needed another athlete and she grabbed the appearance fee. Still, when you look at her career, from 2011 on, every score she got from 800 and 10 K and even half marathon averaged 1150 points on the world athletics scoring table. In 2016, she ran five 800m and averaged 1146 points on the scoring table. 2019 averaged 1141 points, 2022, 1178 points. Berlin 2023 represents 1318 points, way beyond her career average. Even the 2:15:37 win in Berlin 2022 was 1279.
With the old figure skating and diving scoring format, you throw out the lowest mark and the highest mark then average the stuff in the middle to find out what’s real. Berlin 2023 was way beyond anything she’s ever done before. Are the shoes that good?