Running World / Records
Selected track, road and marathon records for runners who want to understand the sharp end of the sport. Records should always be checked against official lists before publishing race-week content.
Track records
These are selected running records from sprint, middle-distance and long-distance events. World Athletics is the main verification source.
| Event | Men's record | Men | Country | Date | Women's record | Women | Country | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100m | 9.58 | Usain Bolt | Jamaica | 16 Aug 2009 | 10.49 | Florence Griffith-Joyner | USA | 16 Jul 1988 | World Athletics |
| 400m | 43.03 | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa | 14 Aug 2016 | 47.60 | Marita Koch | East Germany | 6 Oct 1985 | World Athletics |
| 800m | 1:40.91 | David Rudisha | Kenya | 9 Aug 2012 | 1:53.28 | Jarmila Kratochvilova | Czechoslovakia | 26 Jul 1983 | World Athletics |
| 1500m | 3:26.00 | Hicham El Guerrouj | Morocco | 14 Jul 1998 | 3:48.68 | Faith Kipyegon | Kenya | 5 Jul 2025 | World Athletics |
| 5000m | 12:35.36 | Joshua Cheptegei | Uganda | 14 Aug 2020 | 14:00.21 | Gudaf Tsegay | Ethiopia | 17 Sep 2023 | World Athletics |
| 10,000m | 26:11.00 | Joshua Cheptegei | Uganda | 7 Oct 2020 | 28:54.14 | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya | 25 May 2024 | World Athletics |
Road records
Road records can be affected by course rules, measurement, pacers and ratification timing, so each row links back to the official record source.
| Event | Men's record | Men | Country | Date | Women's record | Women | Country | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5km road | 12:49 | Berihu Aregawi | Ethiopia | 31 Dec 2021 | 14:13 | Beatrice Chebet | Kenya | 31 Dec 2023 | World Athletics |
| Half marathon | 57:20 | Jacob Kiplimo | Uganda | 8 Mar 2026 | 1:02:52 | Letesenbet Gidey | Ethiopia | 24 Oct 2021 | World Athletics |
Marathon records
The main marathon table uses overall records only. The women-only record is separated below so it is not confused with the overall women's world record.
| Event | Men's record | Men | Country | Date | Women's overall record | Women | Country | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 1:59:30 | Sabastian Sawe | Kenya | 26 Apr 2026 | 2:09:56 | Ruth Chepngetich | Kenya | 13 Oct 2024 | World Athletics |
Tigst Assefa of Ethiopia set the women-only marathon world record at the TCS London Marathon on 26 Apr 2026. This is tracked separately from the overall women's marathon record because women-only races do not use male pacers.
Sources: London Marathon Events, Guinness World Records and World Athletics records.
Last editorial check: 29 May 2026. Primary record source: World Athletics world records. For fast-moving marathon updates, RunThis verifies against World Athletics plus official race reports before publishing.