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The women’s marathon has one of the most complex world-record histories in athletics because the event developed long before it was fully accepted within the official championship programme. Early performances were often run under uncertain course conditions, in mixed races with male fields, or before standardised ratification rules were firmly in place, which is why the pre-IAAF progression is much longer than the list of officially ratified world records.

World Athletics credits Violet Piercy‘s 1926 performance as the first woman to race the standard marathon distance; however, other sources report that the 1918 performance of Marie-Louise Ledru in the Tour de Paris set the initial mark for women. Other “unofficial” performances have also been reported to be world bests or world records over time: although her performance is not recognized by World Athletics, Adrienne Beames from Australia is frequently credited as the first woman to break the three-hour barrier in the marathon.

he IAAF Congress, at the 2011 World Championships, passed a motion changing the record eligibility criteria effective October 6, 2007, so that women’s world records must be set in all-women competitions. The result of the change was that Radcliffe’s 2:17:42 performance at the 2005 London Marathon supplanted her own existing women’s mark as the “world record”; the earlier performance is to be referred to as a “world best”.

Per the 2021 IAAF Competition Rules, “a World Record for performance achieved in mixed sex races and a World Record for performance achieved in single sex races” are tracked separately.

Marathon, Women World Record Progression – Data Table

Performance	Athlete	Country	Date	Location	Competition	Notes
2:15.41	Tigst Assefa	ETH	26/4/2026	London	London Marathon	WOMEN-ONLY RACE OFFICIAL WR
2:15:50	Tigst Assefa	ETH	27/4/2025	London	London Marathon	Women-only race
2:09.56	Ruth Chepngetich	KEN	13/10/2024	Chicago	Chicago Marathon	MIXED RACE OFFICIAL WORLD RECORD. Chepng'etich was banned on 23/10/2025 for three years for use ofÿhydrochlorothiazide, though achievements and records pre-dating the 14 March 2025 positive sample stand.
2:09:56	Ruth Chepng'etich	KEN	13/10/2024	Chicago	Chicago Marathon	Chepng'etich was banned on 23/10/2025 for three years for use ofÿhydrochlorothiazide, though achievements and records pre-dating the 14 March 2025 positive sample stand.
2:16:16	Peres Jepchirchir	KEN	21/4/2024	London	London Marathon	Women-only race
2:11:53	Tigst Assefa	ETH	24/9/2023	Berlin	Berlin Marathon	Mixed Race
2:11:53	Tigst Assefa	ETH	24/9/2023	Berlin	Berlin Marathon
2:14:04	Brigid Kosgei	KEN	13/10/2019	Chicago	Chicago Marathon	Mixed Race
2:17:01	Mary Jepkosgei Keitany	KEN	23/4/2017	London	London Marathon	Women-only race
2:17:42	Paula Radcliffe	GBR	17/4/2005	London	London Marathon	Women-only race
2:15:25	Paula Radcliffe	GBR	13/4/2003	London	London Marathon	First world record for the women's marathon ratified by the ˆAAF. Radcliffe's extended time 2:15:24.6. Mixed Race
2:17:18	Paula Radcliffe	GBR	13/10/2002	Chicago	Chicago Marathon	First "World's Best" recognized by the IAAF, extended time as 2:17:17.7
2:18:47	Catherine Ndereba	KEN	7/10/2001	Chicago	Chicago Marathon
2:19:46	Naoko Takahashi	JPN	30/9/2001	Berlin	Berlin Marathon
2:20:43	Tegla Loroupe	KEN	26/9/1999	Berlin	Berlin Marathon
2:20:47	Tegla Loroupe	KEN	19/4/1998	Rotterdam	Rotterdam Marathon
2:21:06	Ingrid Kristiansen	NOR	21/4/1985	London	London Marathon
2:24:26	Ingrid Kristiansen	NOR	13/5/1984	London	London Marathon
2:22:43	Joan Benoit	USA	18/4/1983	Boston	Boston Marathon	Disputed (point-to-point)
2:25:28.7	Grete Waitz	NOR	17/4/1983	London	London Marathon
2:26:12	Joan Benoit	USA	12/9/1982	Eugene	Nike OTC Marathon
2:29:01.6	Charlotte Teske	FRG	16/1/1982	Miami	Miami Marathon
2:25:28	Allison Roe	NZL	25/10/1981	New York	New York City Marathon	Disputed (short course)
2:29:57	Joyce Smith	GBR	29/3/1981	London	London Marathon
2:30:27	Joyce Smith	GBR	16/11/1980	Tokyo	Tokyo Marathon
2:25:41.3	Grete Waitz	NOR	26/10/1980	New York	New York City Marathon	Disputed (short course)
2:30:57.1	Patti Catalano	USA	6/9/1980	Montreal	Montreal Marathon
2:31:23	Joan Benoit	USA	3/2/1980	Auckland	Auckland Marathon
2:27:32.6	Grete Waitz	NOR	21/10/1979	New York	New York City Marathon	Disputed (short course)
2:32:29.8	Grete Waitz	NOR	22/10/1978	New York	New York City Marathon	Disputed (short course)
2:34:47.5	Christa Vahlensieck	FRG	10/9/1977	Berlin	Berlin Marathon
2:35:15.4	Chantal Langlac?	FRA	1/5/1977	Oiartzun	Oiartzun Marathon
2:38:19	Jacqueline Hansen	USA	12/10/1975	Eugene	Nike OTC Marathon
2:40:15.8	Christa Vahlensieck	FRG	3/5/1975	D?lmen	D?lmen Marathon
2:42:24	Liane Winter	FRG	21/4/1975	Boston	Boston Marathon	Disputed (point-to-point)
2:43:54.5	Jacqueline Hansen	USA	1/12/1974	Culver City	Culver City Marathon	The ARRS notes extended time as 2:43:54.6[19]
2:46:24	Chantal Langlac?	FRA	27/10/1974	Neuf-Brisach	Neuf-Brisach Marathon
2:46:36	Michiko Gorman	USA	2/12/1973	Culver City	Culver City Marathon	The ARRS notes extended time as 2:46:37
2:49:40	Cheryl Bridges	USA	5/12/1971	Culver City	Culver City Marathon
2:55:22	Elizabeth Bonner	USA	19/9/1971	New York	New York City Marathon
3:01:42	Elizabeth Bonner	USA	9/5/1971	Philadelphia	Philadelphia Marathon
3:02:53	Caroline Walker	USA	28/2/1970	Seaside, OR	Seaside Marathon
3:07:27.2	Anni Pede-Erdkamp	USA	16/9/1967	Waldniel	Waldniel Marathon	The ARRS notes extended time as 3:07:26.2[19]
3:14:23	Maureen Wilton	CAN	6/5/1967	Toronto	Toronto Marathon	The ARRS notes extended time as 3:14:22.
3:19:33	Mildred Sampson	NZL	21/7/1964	Auckland	Auckland Marathon	Disputed by ARRS as a time trial.
3:27:45	Dale Greig	GBR	23/5/1964	Ryde	Ryde Marathon
3:37:07	Merry Lepper	USA	16/12/1963	Culver City	Culver City, United States	Disputed (short course)
3:40:22	Violet Piercy	GBR	3/10/1926	London	London Marathon	The ARRS indicates that was set on August 2, 1926, during a time trial on a course that was only 35.4ÿkm.
5:40	Marie-Louise Ledru	FRA	29/9/1918	Paris	Tour de Paris Marathon

See also: [Men’s Marathon WR Progression]