I ran across the following data while looking over past notes in my iPhone. Wanted to see how the marathon year 2024 compared with 2018 after reading the following note from six years ago.

2018

“In 2018, a year when the marathon world record (2:02:57, Dennis Kimetto, Berlin 2014) was broken by the largest margin in over 50 years (1:18 by Eliud Kipchoge, Berlin, 2:01:39), and the depth in the marathon was greater than ever – times established by the 10th best (2:04:31); 20th best (2:05:21); and 50th best (2:06:37) were easily the best ever – it fell to the slow, record-ineligible Boston Marathon to produce the most compelling marathon race of 2018 (outside Kipchoge’s world record).”

Of course, 2018 Boston was so compelling because that was the year strong headwinds, heavy rain, and temperatures not much beyond freezing tore through Patriots’ Day like a Salem-avenging witch, turning supple muscles to stone, bringing Japan’s Everyman marathoner Yuki Kawauchi to victory in 2:15:58.

2024

Best time of 2024 came in the final bullet-course venue of the year, Valencia on 1 December, where Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe took top honors in 2:02:05. 

Interestingjy, Sawe’s winning time was 26 seconds slower than Eliud Kipchoge’s 2018 world record (2:01:39) when super shoes were still restricted to athletes repping the original super shoe manufacturer. Here’s a look at the 2018 down-list times compared with 2024.

 

GAPS

Best time 2018 – 2:01:39 

Best time 2024 – 2:02:05

2024 Difference: + :26

 

10th best 2018 –  2:04:31

10th best 2024  – 2:03:37

2024 Difference: – :54

20th best 2018 – 2;05:21

20th best 2024 – 2:04:40

2024 Difference: – :41

 

50th best 2018 – 2:06:37

50th best 2024 – 2:05:43

2024 Difference: – :54

 

100th best 2018 –  2:08:16

100th best 2024 – 2:06:44

2024 Difference: – 1:32

     Considering 2018 was a record year from 1st to 50th position, the depth of times in 2024 illustrate how impactful the widespread availability of super shoes, and the refinement of the designs, have been on performance. 

It also underscores how dominant an athlete Eliud Kipchoge was in his prime. 

The gap between Kipchoge’s 2:01:39 world record in Berlin, and Mosinet Geremew’s 2:04:00 win in Dubai, second best of 2018, was 2:21.

The gap between the world lead and second best in 2019 was 56 seconds, between Kenenisa Bekele’s 2:01:41 in Berlin and Eliud Kipchoge’s 2:02:37 victory in London. 

The gap in 2020, the Covid year, was just four seconds between Evans Chebet’s 2:03:00 in Valencia and Lawrence Cherono‘s 2:03:04 runner-up in Valencia. 

2021 saw the difference narrow to three seconds between Belgium’s Bashir Abdi’s 2:03:36 in Rotterdam, and Tamirat Tola’s 2:03:39 in Amsterdam. 

In 2022, Ellud Kipchoge‘s 2:01:09, his final world record, set in Berlin, was 44 seconds better than Kelvin Kiptum‘s 2:01:53 debut in Valencia, 

In 2023, Kelvin Kiptum produced his 2:00:35 world record in Chicago, which was 50 seconds better than his winning time in London in April, which was the second fastest time of the year. 

When was the last time one man had the two fastest times of the year in the marathon?

And in 2024, Sabastian Sawe‘s 2:02:05 win in Valencia was 11 seconds faster than Benson Kipruto‘s victory in Tokyo at 2:02:16.

Until his tragic passing this past February in a late night auto accident back home in Kenya, Kiptum was widely expected to take the marathon record under 2:00 for the first time officially either in a spring or fall performance. If he had, he likely would have challenged Kipchoge’s 2:21 gap between the year’s fastest and second fastest time set in 2018. 

Just noodling. Have a safe and smashing New Year’s Eve!

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