Editing Marathon (section)

===World records and world's best===
[[World record]]s were not officially recognized by the IAAF, now known as [[World Athletics]], until 1 January 2004; previously, the best times for the marathon were referred to as the 'world best'. Courses must conform to World Athletics standards for a record to be recognized. However, marathon routes still vary greatly in elevation, course, and surface, making exact comparisons impossible. Typically, the fastest times are set over relatively flat courses near sea level, during good weather conditions and with the assistance of [[Pacemaker (running)|pacesetter]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rw.runnersworld.com/sub-2/|title=Runner's World {{!}} What Will It Take to Run A 2-Hour Marathon|website=rw.runnersworld.com|access-date=2017-08-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170829032300/https://rw.runnersworld.com/sub-2/|archive-date=29 August 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

The current world record time for men over the distance is 2 hours and 35 seconds, set in the [[2023 Chicago Marathon|Chicago Marathon]] by the late [[Kelvin Kiptum]] of [[Kenya]] on 8 October 2023.

The world record for women was set by [[Ruth Chepng'etich]] of Kenya in the [[Chicago Marathon]] on 13 October 2024, in 2 hours, 9 minutes, and 56 seconds. This broke [[Tigst Assefa|Tigst Assefa's]] previous world record of 2 hours 11 minutes and 53 seconds by almost two minutes, and was the first time in history a woman broke the 2:11 and 2:10 barriers in the marathon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Marathon - women - senior - all |url=https://worldathletics.org/records/all-time-toplists/road-running/marathon/outdoor/women/senior |access-date=2024-10-13 |website=worldathletics.org}}</ref>