Ruth Chepngetich

Ruth Chepng'etich grew up in Kericho, Kenya and attended Sigowet Primary School and Momoniat Secondary School before committing fully to athletics. She broke through at the international level in 2017 with a win at the Istanbul Marathon and has since become one of the most decorated marathon runners of her generation.

Her career progression was steep. She won the 2019 World Athletics Championships marathon in Doha in 2:32:43, racing under a midnight start in extreme heat and humidity. In 2021, she ran 1:04:02 at Istanbul to set the half marathon world record, cutting 29 seconds from the previous mark.

Chepngetich became the most successful runner in Chicago Marathon history among women, winning there in 2021 (2:22:31), 2022 (2:14:18), and 2024. On October 13, 2024, she ran 2:09:56 in Chicago to set the women's marathon world record -- the first woman under 2:10 -- in a performance she dedicated to Kelvin Kiptum, the men's world record holder who had died earlier that year. The world record officially stands.

She trains under coach Gabriel Kiptanui and competes for Nike.

In March 2025, Chepngetich tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide, a banned diuretic, at a concentration 190 times the detection threshold. She accepted a three-year ban backdated to April 2025.