Ruth Chepngetich wins the Chicago Marathon (© Getty Images)
As the year draws to a close, we look back at the key moments of 2024 in each area of the sport.
The series continues with a review of road running events – the mile, 5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon – and will be followed over the coming days by reviews of all the other event groups.
Women’s mile and 5km
Season top list - mile
| 4:28.65 | Nikki Hiltz (USA) | Honolulu | 7 December |
| 4:28.68 | Weini Kelati Frezghi (USA) | Honolulu | 7 December |
| 4:28.69 | Sinclaire Johnson (USA) | Honolulu | 7 December |
| 4:28.87 | Heather MacLean (USA) | Honolulu | 7 December |
| 4:30.3h | Marissa Damink (NED) | Dusseldorf | 1 September |
Season top list - 5km
| 14:13 | Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) | Valencia | 14 January |
| 14:35 | Likina Amebaw (ETH) | Monaco | 11 February |
| 14:38 | Edinah Jebitok (KEN) | Lille | 17 March |
| 14:38 | Medina Eisa (ETH) | Herzogenaurach | 27 April |
| 14:40 | Caroline Nyaga (KEN) | Paris | 5 April |
| 14:40 | Melknat Wudu (ETH) | Herzogenaurach | 27 April |
Season snapshot
- The four fastest road mile performances of 2024 came in the final month of the year, with USA’s Nikki Hiltz leading the way thanks to a 4:28.65 run in Honolulu on 7 December.
- The top four in Honolulu all dipped under 4:29, as Weini Kelati was second, Sinclaire Johnson third and Heather MacLean fourth.
- Over 5km, Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich started the year on a high by running a world 5km record of 14:13 on her way to a world 10km record of 28:46 in Valencia.
- Likina Amebaw ran 14:35 in Monaco the following month for a time that would remain the second-fastest performance of the year, while Edinah Jebitok and Medina Eisa both ran 14:38, a world U20 best for 19-year-old Eisa.
- Marta Alemayo ended the year with a strong performance as the 16-year-old won in Al Khobar in a world U18 best of 14:44.
Men’s mile and 5km
Season top list - mile
| 3:51.3h | Elliot Giles (GBR) | Dusseldorf | 1 September |
| 3:51.9h | Yared Nuguse (USA) | Dusseldorf | 1 September |
| 3:54.6h | Emmanuel Wanyonyi (KEN) | Herzogenaurach | 27 April |
| 3:54.9h | Vincent Kibet Keter (KEN) | Dusseldorf | 1 September |
| 3:56.2h | Hobbs Kessler (USA) | Herzogenaurach | 27 April |
Season top list - 5km
| 12:58 | Hagos Gebrhiwet (ETH) | Al Khobar | 14 December |
| 12:58 | Kuma Girma (ETH) | Al Khobar | 14 December |
| 13:00 | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | Herzogenaurach | 27 April |
| 13:01 | Mezgebu Sime (ETH) | Al Khobar | 14 December |
| 13:05 | Addisu Yihune (ETH) | Herzogenaurach | 27 April |
Season snapshot
- The men’s world road mile record was revised twice in 2024, first by Kenya’s Emmanuel Wanyonyi in April and then by Great Britain’s Elliot Giles in September, with both those marks awaiting ratification.
- Those performances head the season top list, separated by USA’s Yared Nuguse, who ran 3:51.9 in Dusseldorf in September. A total of 14 athletes dipped under four minutes for the mile in 2024.
- Ethiopia’s Hagos Gebrhiwet and Kuma Girma led the way for the men’s 5km, both running 12:58 at the Al Sharqiyah International on 15 December to top the season list. That run strengthened Gebrhiwet’s position at fifth on the world all-time list and moved 19-year-old Girma to join him there with a world U20 best on his 5km debut.
- Prior to that event, the world lead had been held by their compatriot Yomif Kejelcha, who ran 13:00 in Herzogenaurach in April.
Women’s 10km
Season top list
| 28:46 | Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) | Valencia | 14 January |
| 28:57 | Emmaculate Anyango Achol (KEN) | Valencia | 14 January |
| 29:32 | Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (KEN) | Valencia | 14 January |
| 29:50 | Faith Chepkoech (KEN) | Castellon | 25 February |
| 29:54 | Fotyen Tesfay (ETH) | Castellon | 25 February |
Season snapshot
- The season began in haste, with Kenya's Agnes Ngetich lowering the women’s world 10km record (set in a mixed gender race) to 28:46 in Valencia, improving Yalemzerf Yehualaw's 2022 record by 28 seconds. With that performance, Ngetich became the first woman to run 10km in under 29 minutes.
Agnes Ngetich celebrates her world 10km record in Valencia (© Sportmedia.es)
- Ngetich, who was paced by Japheth Kipkemboi Kosgei, hit the required pace early and broke her first world record at the 5km mark, clocking 14:13. She then covered the second 5km in 14:33 to cross the finish line in 28:46, leading a Kenyan top four all under 30 minutes. Emmaculate Anyango – currently serving a ban – followed in 28:57, while Lilian Rengeruk clocked 29:32 and Janeth Chepngetich 29:55.
- In April, Ngetich narrowly missed out on the women-only world record set by the late Agnes Tirop by just two seconds, clocking 30:03 in Herzogenaurach.
- Valencia and Castellon provided seven of the fastest performances of the year as a total of 10 women dipped under 30 minutes.
Men’s 10km
Season top list
| 26:37 | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | Laredo | 16 March |
| 26:48 | Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) | Valencia | 14 January |
| 26:53 | Joshua Cheptegei (UGA) | Laredo | 16 March |
| 26:57 | Birhanu Balew (BRN) | Valencia | 14 January |
| 26:59 | Peter Mwaniki (KEN) | Valencia | 14 January |
Season snapshot
- Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha – the world indoor mile record-holder who would go on to become the world half-marathon record-holder – charged to the third-fastest 10km time in history when he won in Laredo, Spain, in 26:37. He had been up against Uganda’s world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder Joshua Cheptegei, who placed second in 26:53. Kejelcha had been on course for a world record, going through the 5km mark in 13:11, but he slowed down over the final 5km after the pacemakers relinquished their duty.
- Sitting between Kejelcha and Cheptegei on the season top list is Cheptegei’s compatriot Jacob Kiplimo, who ran 26:48 at the 10K Valencia Ibercaja in January. That time temporarily placed him fifth on the world all-time list and after Kejelcha’s run he now sits in sixth.
- Bahrain's Birhanu Balew set an Asian record of 26:57 in Valencia, while the European record was revised twice – to 27:07 by Jimmy Gressier in March and then to 27:04 by his French compatriot Etienne Daguinos in November.
- A total of 82 men have gone under 28 minutes this season, 19 more than last season's 63.
Women’s half marathon
Season top list
| 1:03:04 | Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) | Valencia | 27 October |
| 1:03:21 | Fotyen Tesfay (ETH) | Valencia | 27 October |
| 1:03:32 | Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (KEN) | Valencia | 27 October |
| 1:04:14 | Ejgayehu Taye (ETH) | Valencia | 27 October |
| 1:04:29 | Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) | Barcelona | 11 February |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Agnes Jebet Ngetich (KEN) | 1331 |
| 2 | Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (KEN) | 1294 |
| 3 | Margaret Chelimo Kipkemboi (KEN) | 1283 |
| 4 | Fotyen Tesfay (ETH) | 1264 |
| 5 | Loice Chemnung (KEN) | 1259 |
Season snapshot
- Ten months on from breaking the world 5km and 10km records, Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich was back in Valencia on the hunt for more. She staged an impressive debut in the half marathon, hitting 1:03:04 for victory, a world-leading time and the second-fastest run in women’s half marathon history. Her winning time fell short of Letesenbet Gidey’s world record of 1:02:52 by 13 seconds.
- Two other athletes crossed the line under 64 minutes in Valencia - Ethiopia’s Fotyen Tesfay (1:03:21) and Kenya’s Lilian Kasait Rengeruk (1:03:32). Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye was fourth in 1:04:14.
- Another strong performance of the year was Joyciline Jepkosgei’s course record of 1:04:29 at the Edreams Mitja Zurich Marato in Barcelona. The time moved her to sixth on the world all-time list at that time, a position she relinquished after the Valencia Half Marathon.
- Norway’s Karoline Bjerkeli Grovdal claimed the European title in a championship record of 1:08:09. She also became the first Norwegian woman to win the United Airlines NYC Half, clocking 1:09:09.
- Five of the top 11 performances on the world all-time list have been achieved in 2024.
Men’s half marathon
Season top list
| 57:30 | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | Valencia | 27 October |
| 58:05 | Sabastian Kimaru Sawe (KEN) | Copenhagen | 15 September |
| 58:09 | Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) | Copenhagen | 15 September |
| 58:10 | Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi (KEN) | Copenhagen | 15 September |
| 58:17 | Daniel Mateiko (KEN) | Valencia | 27 October |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Yomif Kejelcha (ETH) | 1339 |
| 2 | Sabastian Kimaru Sawe (KEN) | 1317 |
| 3 | Daniel Mateiko (KEN) | 1282 |
| 4 | Isaia Kipkoech Lasoi (KEN) | 1278 |
| 5 | Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) | 1276 |
Season snapshot
- Following his sixth-place finish in the 10,000m at the Paris Olympics, Ethiopian Yomif Kejelcha was back on the roads in Valencia, where he set a world half marathon record of 57:30. In his typical dominant fashion in a rainy Valencia, Kejelcha’s pace was consistent. He led from the 16km mark and finished strong, improving the previous record set by Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo by one second. In second place, 47 seconds later, was Kenya’s Daniel Mateiko (58:17) and in third was Kenya’s Isaia Kipkoech (58:21).
Yomif Kejelcha wins in Valencia (© Organisers)
- Another notable performance was that by world half marathon champion Sabastian Sawe, who outsprinted Jacob Kiplimo to win the Copenhagen Half Marathon in a PB of 58:05 that places him ninth on the world all-time list. Kiplimo clocked 58:09 for the runner-up position as Kipkoech clocked a personal best of 58:10.
- Italy’s Yemaneberhan Crippa led an Italian one-two at the European Championships when he won in a championship record of 1:01:03, with Pietro Riva claiming silver.
- The Valencia race produced five of the top 10 performances of the season, with Copenhagen producing three, and Prague and Ras Al Khaimah one. Ten men have dipped under 59 minutes this year.
- The Valencia Half Marathon Trinidad Alfonso Zurich now proudly owns both the men's and women’s world records.
Women’s marathon
Season top list
| 2:09:56 | Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) | Chicago | 13 October |
| 2:15:55 | Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) | Tokyo | 3 March |
| 2:16:07 | Tigist Ketema (ETH) | Dubai | 7 January |
| 2:16:14 | Rosemary Wanjiru (KEN) | Tokyo | 3 March |
| 2:16:16 | Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) | London | 21 April |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Tigist Assefa (ETH) | 1480 |
| 2 | Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) | 1479 |
| 3 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | 1476 |
| 4 | Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) | 1417 |
| 5 | Megertu Alemu (ETH) | 1407 |
Olympic medallists
| 🥇 | Sifan Hassan (NED) | 2:22:55 OR |
| 🥈 | Tigist Assefa (ETH) | 2:22:58 SB |
| 🥉 | Hellen Obiri (KEN) | 2:23:10 PB |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
Olympic Games: Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:22:55
Xiamen: Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:22:54
Osaka: Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:18:51
Tokyo: Sutume Asefa Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55
Nagoya: Yuka Ando (JPN) 2:21:18
Seoul: Fikrte Wereta (ETH) 2:21:32
Boston: Hellen Obiri (KEN) 2:22:37
London: Peres Jepchirchir (KEN) 2:16:16 WR (women-only)
Sydney: Workenesh Edesa (ETH) 2:21:41
Berlin: Tigist Ketema (ETH) 2:16:42
Chicago: Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:09:56 WR (mixed gender race)
Amsterdam: Yalemzerf Yehualaw (ETH) 2:16:52
New York: Sheila Chepkirui (KEN) 2:24:35
Valencia: Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:16:49
Shanghai: Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:25:21
Season snapshot
- With a dazzling marathon, Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich inscribed her name in history by running 2:09:56 at the Chicago Marathon in October. The 2019 world marathon champion made a tremendous improvement on the previous world record of 2:11:53 (set in a mixed gender race), lowering it by almost two minutes to become the first woman to cover the distance under 2:10. She shaved more than four minutes off her previous personal best of 2:14:18.
- Having dropped her biggest challenger, Sutume Kebede, by the halfway mark which she went through in 1:04:16, the 30-year-old powered through the second half in 1:05:40 to gain her third Chicago Marathon triumph – becoming the first woman to achieve that feat. A distant runner-up, Ethiopia’s Kebede crossed the line in 2:17:32, with Kenya’s Irine Cheptai finishing third (2:17:52).
- The women-only world marathon record was also improved in 2024, Kenya's Peres Jepchirchir breaking the mark by 45 seconds in London as she clocked 2:16:16.
- It was Dutch athlete Sifan Hassan who achieved Olympic victory on the challenging marathon course in Paris. The end was dramatic as Hassan clashed with Ethiopia’s Tigist Assefa with the finish in sight. Hassan, racing the fourth marathon of her career, narrowly triumphed in an Olympic record of 2:22:55, defeating Assefa by just three seconds. Kenya’s Hellen Obiri got bronze in a PB of 2:23:10. Obiri was eventually crowned the World Marathon Majors series champion after her Boston victory, Olympic bronze and second place finish in New York.
Sifan Hassan wins Olympic marathon gold in Paris (© Getty Images)
- Hassan, who was named overall women’s World Athlete of the Year as well as out of stadium athlete of the year ahead of Chepngetich, became the first woman to win medals in the 5000m, 10,000m and marathon at the same Games. Hassan’s marathon win came just 37 hours after she claimed bronze in the 10,000m, and six days after she got bronze in the 5000m.
- The world all-time list underwent serious revision in 2024. Chepngetch sits at the top, while performances by Sutume Kebede and Rosemary Wanjiru in Tokyo moved them to to eighth and 10th respectively and Tigist Ketema's Dubai Marathon performance put her at No.9 on the list.
- With her victory in Berlin and Olympic silver, Assefa is the leading performer by world ranking with a score of 1480, just one point ahead of Chepngetich, with Hassan ranked third just three points behind Chepngetich. The top 10 women this year covered the marathon in under 2:17.
Men’s marathon
Season top list
| 2:02:05 | Sabastian Kimaru Sawe (KEN) | Valencia | 1 December |
| 2:02:16 | Benson Kipruto (KEN) | Tokyo | 3 March |
| 2:02:38 | Deresa Geleta (ETH) | Valencia | 1 December |
| 2:02:44 | John Korir (KEN) | Chicago | 13 October |
| 2:02:55 | Timothy Kiplagat (KEN) | Tokyo | 3 March |
World Athletics rankings
| 1 | Tamirat Tola (ETH) | 1457 |
| 2 | Benson Kipruto (KEN) | 1438 |
| 3 | Sisay Lemma (ETH) | 1422 |
| 4 | Alexander Munyao (KEN) | 1419 |
| 5 | CyBrian Kotut (KEN) | 1412 |
Olympic medallists
| 🥇 | Tamirat Tola (ETH) | 2:06:26 OR |
| 🥈 | Bashir Abdi (BEL) | 2:06:47 SB |
| 🥉 | Benson Kipruto (KEN) | 2:07:00 |
| Full results | ||
Major winners
Olympic Games: Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:06:26 OR
Xiamen: Asefa Boki (ETH) 2:06:46
Tokyo: Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:02:16
Seoul: Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:06:08
Boston: Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:06:17
London: Alexander Mutiso Munyao (KEN) 2:04:01
Sydney: Brimin Kipkorir (KEN) 2:06:18
Berlin: Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:03:17
Chicago: John Korir (KEN) 2:02:44
Amsterdam: Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:05:38
New York: Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:07:39
Valencia: Sabastian Kimaru Sawe (KEN) 2:02:05
Shanghai: Samsom Amare (ERI) 2:06:26
Season snapshot
- Marathon glory at the Olympics Games in Paris went to Ethiopia’s Tamirat Tola – a late replacement in the Ethiopian team – who conquered the tough course and won in an Olympic record of 2:06:26. The men’s field was incredibly deep but Tola stood out to become the first Ethiopian man to win the Olympic marathon in 24 years. Behind him was Belgian Abdi Bashir who added a silver medal to the bronze he won in Tokyo. Kenya’s Benson Kipruto completed the podium.
Tamirat Tola wins the marathon at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games (© Christel Saneh for World Athletics )
- World half marathon champion Sabastian Sawe stepped up in distance in Valencia to compete in his first full marathon and won in 2:02:05, the fastest marathon time this year beating Benson Kipruto’s Tokyo time of 2:02:16.
- Tola tops the world rankings ahead of Benson Kipruto, No.2 this year after his 2:02:16 Tokyo Marathon win and bronze medal in Paris. That performance also got 33-year-old Kipruto crowned the World Marathon Majors champion. Deresa Geleta’s 2:02:38 from Valencia, John Korir’s 2:02:44 from Chicago and Timothy Kiplagat’s 2:02:55 from Tokyo concludes the top five this year.
- A total of 12 men went sub-2:03 and five made an entry into the top 10 on the world all-time list – Sawe (No.5), Kipruto (No.6), Geleta (No.7), Korir (No.8) and Kiplagat (No.10).
Michelle Katami for World Athletics
