Record Timeline

Every record update in this archive, newest first.

Date	Athlete	Country	Time	Location	Type
26 Apr 2026	Sabastian Sawe	Kenya	1:59:30	London	World Record
7 Dec 2025	Suguru Osako	Japan	2:04:55	Valencia	Japan Record
13 Oct 2024	Ruth Chepngetich	Kenya	2:09:56	Chicago	World Record
28 Jan 2024	Honami Maeda	Japan	2:18:59	Osaka	Japan Record
8 Oct 2023	Kelvin Kiptum	Kenya	2:00:35	Chicago	World Record
24 Sept 2023	Tigst Assefa	Ethiopia	2:11:53	Berlin	World Record
25 Sept 2022	Eliud Kipchoge	Kenya	2:01:09	Berlin	World Record
28 Feb 2021	Kengo Suzuki	Japan	2:04:56	Otsu	Japan Record
1 Mar 2020	Suguru Osako	Japan	2:05:29	Tokyo	Japan Record
13 Oct 2019	Brigid Kosgei	Kenya	2:14:04	Chicago	World Record
7 Oct 2018	Suguru Osako	Japan	2:05:50	Chicago	Japan Record
16 Sept 2018	Eliud Kipchoge	Kenya	2:01:39	Berlin	World Record
25 Feb 2018	Yuta Shitara	Japan	2:06:11	Tokyo	Japan Record
28 Sept 2014	Dennis Kimetto	Kenya	2:02:57	Berlin	World Record
29 Sept 2013	Wilson Kipsang	Kenya	2:03:23	Berlin	World Record
25 Sept 2011	Patrick Makau	Kenya	2:03:38	Berlin	World Record
28 Sept 2008	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia	2:03:59	Berlin	World Record
30 Sept 2007	Haile Gebrselassie	Ethiopia	2:04:26	Berlin	World Record
25 Sept 2005	Mizuki Noguchi	Japan	2:19:12	Berlin	Japan Record
26 Sept 2004	Yoko Shibui	Japan	2:19:41	Berlin	Japan Record
28 Sept 2003	Paul Tergat	Kenya	2:04:55	Berlin	World Record
13 Apr 2003	Paula Radcliffe	Great Britain	2:15:25	London	World Record
13 Oct 2002	Paula Radcliffe	Great Britain	2:17:18^WB	Chicago	World Record
13 Oct 2002	Toshinari Takaoka	Japan	2:06:16	Chicago	Japan Record
14 Apr 2002	Khalid Khannouchi	United States	2:05:38^WB	London	World Record
7 Oct 2001	Catherine Ndereba	Kenya	2:18:47^WB	Chicago	World Record
30 Sept 2001	Naoko Takahashi	Japan	2:19:46^WB	Berlin	World Record
30 Sept 2001	Naoko Takahashi	Japan	2:19:46	Berlin	Japan Record
3 Dec 2000	Atsushi Fujita	Japan	2:06:51	Fukuoka	Japan Record
24 Oct 1999	Khalid Khannouchi	Morocco	2:05:42^WB	Chicago	World Record
26 Sept 1999	Tegla Loroupe	Kenya	2:20:43^WB	Berlin	World Record
6 Dec 1998	Naoko Takahashi	Japan	2:21:47	Bangkok	Japan Record
20 Sept 1998	Ronaldo da Costa	Brazil	2:06:05^WB	Berlin	World Record
19 Apr 1998	Tegla Loroupe	Kenya	2:20:47^WB	Rotterdam	World Record
8 Mar 1998	Naoko Takahashi	Japan	2:25:48	Nagoya	Japan Record
17 Apr 1994	Miyoko Asahina	Japan	2:25:52	Rotterdam	Japan Record
30 Jan 1994	Tomoe Abe	Japan	2:26:09	Osaka	Japan Record
26 Jan 1992	Yumi Kokamo	Japan	2:26:26	Osaka	Japan Record
27 Jan 1991	Yuko Arimori	Japan	2:28:01	Osaka	Japan Record
30 Apr 1989	Kazue Kojima	Japan	2:29:23	Paris	Japan Record
17 Apr 1988	Belayneh Densamo	Ethiopia	2:06:50^WB	Rotterdam	World Record
31 Jan 1988	Misako Miyahara	Japan	2:29:37	Osaka	Japan Record
2 Feb 1986	Taisuke Kodama	Japan	2:07:35	Beppu	Japan Record
21 Apr 1985	Ingrid Kristiansen	Norway	2:21:06^WB	London	World Record
20 Apr 1985	Carlos Lopes	Portugal	2:07:12^WB	Rotterdam	World Record
14 Apr 1985	Takeyuki Nakayama	Japan	2:08:15	Hiroshima	Japan Record
21 Oct 1984	Steve Jones	Great Britain	2:08:05^WB	Chicago	World Record
11 Sept 1983	Akemi Masuda	Japan	2:30:30	Eugene	Japan Record
18 Apr 1983	Joan Benoit	United States	2:22:43^WB	Boston	World Record
17 Apr 1983	Grete Waitz	Norway	2:25:29^WB	London	World Record
13 Feb 1983	Toshihiko Seko	Japan	2:08:38	Tokyo	Japan Record
13 Jun 1982	Nanae Sasaki	Japan	2:35:00	New Zealand	Japan Record
21 Feb 1982	Akemi Masuda	Japan	2:36:34	Hikari, Chiba	Japan Record
6 Dec 1981	Rob de Castella	Australia	2:08:18^WB	Fukuoka	World Record
20 Apr 1981	Nanae Sasaki	Japan	2:40:56	Boston	Japan Record
26 Oct 1980	Grete Waitz	Norway	2:25:42^WB	New York	World Record
21 Oct 1979	Grete Waitz	Norway	2:27:33^WB	New York	World Record
5 Feb 1978	Shigeru Soh	Japan	2:09:05	Beppu	Japan Record
10 Sept 1977	Christa Vahlensieck	West Germany	2:34:48^WB	Berlin	World Record
3 May 1975	Christa Vahlensieck	West Germany	2:40:15^WB	Dülmen	World Record
21 Apr 1975	Liane Winter	West Germany	2:42:24^WB	Boston	World Record
6 Dec 1970	Akio Usami	Japan	2:10:37	Fukuoka	Japan Record
30 May 1969	Derek Clayton	Australia	2:08:34^WB	Antwerp	World Record
3 Dec 1967	Derek Clayton	Australia	2:09:36^WB	Fukuoka	World Record
6 May 1967	Maureen Wilton	Canada	3:14:23^WB	Toronto	World Record
12 Jun 1965	Morio Shigematsu	Japan	2:12:00^WB	Chiswick	World Record
12 Jun 1965	Morio Shigematsu	Japan	2:12:00	Chiswick	Japan Record
21 Oct 1964	Abebe Bikila	Ethiopia	2:12:11^WB	Tokyo	World Record
21 Jul 1964	Mildred Sampson	New Zealand	3:19:33^WB	Auckland	World Record
13 Jun 1964	Basil Heatley	Great Britain	2:13:55^WB	Chiswick	World Record
23 May 1964	Dale Greig	Great Britain	3:27:45^WB	Isle of Wight	World Record
15 Jun 1963	Leonard Edelen	United States	2:14:28^WB	Chiswick	World Record
17 Feb 1963	Toru Terasawa	Japan	2:15:15^WB	Beppu	World Record
17 Feb 1963	Toru Terasawa	Japan	2:15:15	Beppu	Japan Record
10 Sept 1960	Abebe Bikila	Ethiopia	2:15:16^WB	Rome	World Record

WB = world best. World Athletics began officially ratifying marathon world records on 1 Jan 2004; earlier marks were world bests (first ratified: Tergat & Radcliffe, 2003).