How far could you run at her average pace?
At the 2019 Chicago Marathon, Brigid Kosgei of Kenya ran 2:14:04 to shatter Paula Radcliffe’s previous world record of 2:15:25. Radcliffe’s mark had stood since 2003, and was thought to be untouchable—when Kosgei started her world-record run, the second fastest women’s marathon in history was 2:17:01.
Just how fast is the new women’s world record? How long could you run at Kosgei’s average pace? Here are a few fun facts in the wake of Kosgei’s mark.
- Kosgei’s average pace per mile: 5:06.8
- Kosgei’s average pace per 5K: 15:53.2
- Kosgei’s average pace for one lap of a 400-meter track: 76.25 seconds
- Kosgei’s first and second half marathon splits, respectively: 66:59 and 67:05
- U.S. women’s half marathon record (held by Runner’s World contributing writer Molly Huddle): 67:25
- Date the men’s world record became faster than Kosgei’s time: June 13, 1964 (2:13:55, by Basil Heatley of Great Britain)
- Time it took Kosgei to go from 35K to the finish: 22:50
- Time it took defending men’s champ Mo Farah to go from 35K to the finish in the same race: 23:35
- Gap between Farah and Kosgei at the finish: 4:06
- Gap between Farah and men’s winner Lawrence Cherono: 4:13
- Time by which the women’s world record has fallen since Kosgei was born on February 20, 1994: 7:02
- Kosgei’s age when Radcliffe set the previous world record: 9
