I think, if its not already pretty obvious, this should tell everyone that ALL Kenyans are doping, Kipchoge, Kipyegon, Chebet, Kiptum all of them.
When you're faced with taking a small drug thats readily available to be able to run times that earn you tens of thousands or working 10 hours a day on rice farms for 3 dollars you'd actually be stupid not to.
Every Kenyan deserves an unofficial asterisk.
Financial motivation is poweful, but plenty cheat for glory.
Chepngetich was on the top of the likely list before this because 2:09 was such an outlier time for her and history. Kipchoge or Jakob may be doping, but what they've done or are doing fits with what they've always done. With slow incremental improvements mostly in line with super shoes and evidence of crazy talent in their teens. Kipyegon is the same. Hassan, well maybe not so much I'm afraid.
Dropping your time by 5 min at age 30? It was just a matter of time until it all fell apart it seems.
Not defending her, but her 2:09 was not so much an outlier based on her history.
Her history indicates that she was a very successful and accomplished runner that had never failed a drug test before running 2:09 in Chicago. She had won 8 prior marathons, including the World Championship marathon. She had a more recent history of going out very hard and fast in marathons (sub world record pace) but then fading.
In addition, she had run 15 half marathons. This included setting a world record in the half marathon of 1:04:02 in 2021. She won 8 of the half marathons she ran and broke 1:07 six times.
Both her marathon and half marathon times indicate a general progression/trend of faster and faster times.
Again not defending her, but Chepngetich did not come out of nowhere and she generally lowered her half and full marathon times as she became more experienced.
It seems likely that she was targeting world records in both those distances as she went on and it took her a few attempts to get there. Note how she ran the four Chicago Marathons in 2021-2024 below which indicated that she was likely targeting the world record in those races. Her splits during the 2024 races were not much of an outlier based on her approach to the three prior years.
Every world record can be viewed as an outlier to a certain extent.
Her major race history:
2018 won Istanbul Marathon in 2:18
2022 2nd Paris Marathon 2:22
2019 won Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08
2019 won World Championship Marathon in 2:32. This was in Doha and run in incredibly hot and humid conditions
2020 third in London Marathon in 2:22
2021 won Istanbul Half Marathon in new world record time of 1:04:02. She had run 15 half marathons in the 5 years before this. She won 7 of those other half marathons and her times indicated a normal progression of improvement until she ran 1:04. She broke 1:07 six times.
2021 won Chicago Marathon in 2:22, but she did so by going out really fast (67 min at half marathon) before fading.
2022 won Nagoya Women only Marathon in 2:22. Ran negative splits.
2022 won Chicago Marathon in 2:14:18. This was a personal best by 2:50 and only 14 seconds slower than the world record. She went out incredibly fast and well under world record pace (49:49 at 10 miles, 65 at the half) before slowing.
2023 won Nagoya Women only Marathon in 2:18
2023 2nd in Chicago Marathon in 2:15:37. She again started incredibly fast (31:05 at 10k, 65 at the half) before slowing and being passed by eventual winner Sifan Hassan.
2024 won Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56 a personal best by 4:22. She started faster ( 30:14 at 10k and 64 at the half) and slowed less.
Not defending her, but her 2:09 was not so much an outlier based on her history.
Her history indicates that she was a very successful and accomplished runner that had never failed a drug test before running 2:09 in Chicago. She had won 8 prior marathons, including the World Championship marathon. She had a more recent history of going out very hard and fast in marathons (sub world record pace) but then fading.
In addition, she had run 15 half marathons. This included setting a world record in the half marathon of 1:04:02 in 2021. She won 8 of the half marathons she ran and broke 1:07 six times.
Both her marathon and half marathon times indicate a general progression/trend of faster and faster times.
Again not defending her, but Chepngetich did not come out of nowhere and she generally lowered her half and full marathon times as she became more experienced.
It seems likely that she was targeting world records in both those distances as she went on and it took her a few attempts to get there. Note how she ran the four Chicago Marathons in 2021-2024 below which indicated that she was likely targeting the world record in those races. Her splits during the 2024 races were not much of an outlier based on her approach to the three prior years.
Every world record can be viewed as an outlier to a certain extent.
Her major race history:
2018 won Istanbul Marathon in 2:18
2022 2nd Paris Marathon 2:22
2019 won Dubai Marathon in 2:17:08
2019 won World Championship Marathon in 2:32. This was in Doha and run in incredibly hot and humid conditions
2020 third in London Marathon in 2:22
2021 won Istanbul Half Marathon in new world record time of 1:04:02. She had run 15 half marathons in the 5 years before this. She won 7 of those other half marathons and her times indicated a normal progression of improvement until she ran 1:04. She broke 1:07 six times.
2021 won Chicago Marathon in 2:22, but she did so by going out really fast (67 min at half marathon) before fading.
2022 won Nagoya Women only Marathon in 2:22. Ran negative splits.
2022 won Chicago Marathon in 2:14:18. This was a personal best by 2:50 and only 14 seconds slower than the world record. She went out incredibly fast and well under world record pace (49:49 at 10 miles, 65 at the half) before slowing.
2023 won Nagoya Women only Marathon in 2:18
2023 2nd in Chicago Marathon in 2:15:37. She again started incredibly fast (31:05 at 10k, 65 at the half) before slowing and being passed by eventual winner Sifan Hassan.
2024 won Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56 a personal best by 4:22. She started faster ( 30:14 at 10k and 64 at the half) and slowed less.
Yes it was a major outlier. At age 30 you do not go out 1 minute faster at half and slow not just less but barely at all without mechanical/doping assistance. She attributed it to Maurten and shoes (which were barely changed). A non-outlier performance actually would’ve been a 2:15 as she’d overcooked the race based on her past attempts.
ADDENDUM: 17 July 2025 Today, the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) provisionally suspended marathon world record holder Ruth Chepngetich due to a doping violation. Ms. Chepngetich…
I can't stand AROD. I think it's a DISGRACE fox employs him. I wouldn't say he's beloved. I don't think the fans of any time loved him even when he played for them. The Yankees were always Jeter's team. AROD was the slimy superstar they tolerated knowhing they shouldn't.
He’s in the process of buying the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. I can’t believe the league approved that s$&t.
I can't stand AROD. I think it's a DISGRACE fox employs him. I wouldn't say he's beloved. I don't think the fans of any time loved him even when he played for them. The Yankees were always Jeter's team. AROD was the slimy superstar they tolerated knowhing they shouldn't.
He’s in the process of buying the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx. I can’t believe the league approved that s####_embed0_####amp;t.
Not sure what you mean? Why wouldn't they?? Lance is doing Tour de France commentary. Pete Rose has been reinstated. And our POTUS is a criminal.
Good piece. Interesting to bring up the shoe companies. If you’re Nike shouldn’t you seriously hold Rosa’s feet to the fire over his Kenyan operation at this point? I know people would say drop him entirely, but that’s a non-starter with him repping Tebogo/Chebet. At least those athletes are in camps…
Rojo - please, plese, please do not let this thread get "rekrunnered". He stated his opinion and that should be enough. We don't need dozens of posts on it. Please do not let him hijack this thread which is what inevitably happens once he starts posting. And yes, nobody should be engaging with him either.
Thank you!
Seconded! This is a huge deal, the most ridiculous of all world records, and it would be nice to read the thread without rekrunners nonsense and the inevitable 8 pages of the same people having the same discussion that they've been having for literal years.
Kenya is long overdue for a Russia-style suspension for state-sponsored doping. This is just absurd.
Dopers steal money, fame, and glory from clean athletes. State-sponsored doping makes it extremely difficult for clean Kenyans to qualify for international teams. State-sponsored doping endangers the health of the athletes who feel forced to take drugs. Etc.
It's time to save our sport. Sanction Kenya!
Lets also take a look at the times that marathoners have to hit for the Olympics now. That number, which should be a 2:08 or 2:09 is now 2:06 ( doing this from memory) not because you have 300+ 2:06 marathoners from all over the world vying to compete. No, its because Kenya and Ethiopia have deformed the time standards of what we think of as "world class marathoning times".
In classroom analogy, they've wrecked the curve, making the Oly standard faster than something like 6 country's national records. Its stupid, and then makes the subjective world rankings more important since the time standard is simply to far out of reach.
So its not just stealing money and the glory from clean athletes in their prime, Kenya's doping problem bleeds over into all the areas of the sport. Ban the Italian agents.
And why did Adan get off scott free? Why was the evidence destroyed years later by the court?
I would just ban Rosa for life from the sport and make him serve serious time in prison or a labor camp. We need to get tough here to clean out the source of problem. Race organizers should not accept any athlete trained or managed by Rosa from this day on.
You would put an 80+ year old in a labor camp for doping athletes in track and field? Like for real?
L’athlète kényane, qui avait largement battu le meilleur temps sur 42,195 kilomètres en 2024, a subi un contrôle antidopage positif à l’hydrochlorothiazide, un diurétique.
She's facing a 2 year ban. According to the article, in 'Le Monde' - in mid April she voluntarily accepted to cease all sporting activities while the legal process goes on to determine what her punishment will entail. No talk of appeal, yet, so one can assume she accepts she commited advantageous use of prohibited substances, which we don't yet know the details of.
Even if she ceases athletics now, she will have amassed big paydays for her numerous victories over the past several years in half marathons and full marathons. She will lose some friends in Kenya, but some will remain loyal, just as was the case with Asbel Kiprop, who btw, was promoted to a higher rank in the Kenyan police. Not saying all of this is positive, just commenting.
If given a 2 year ban, it would be challenging to come back and run at her previous high level.
Theoretically, without doping, Chepngetich might be a 31:00-31:20/1:07:00-1:08:00/2:18:00-2:20:00 type runner. Still elite, but not among the very best. What many don't understand is that doping or no doping the hard training still goes on, and improvements are logical. How far back did she commit infractions? She was world champion in Doha, 2019.
People stating that "all Kenyans should be banned" is as ludicrous as stating "all Nigerians are scammers and fraudsters"....while the silent, innocent majority go about their business, legally.
She's facing a 2 year ban. According to the article, in 'Le Monde' - in mid April she voluntarily accepted to cease all sporting activities while the legal process goes on to determine what her punishment will entail. No talk of appeal, yet, so one can assume she accepts she commited advantageous use of prohibited substances, which we don't yet know the details of.
Even if she ceases athletics now, she will have amassed big paydays for her numerous victories over the past several years in half marathons and full marathons. She will lose some friends in Kenya, but some will remain loyal, just as was the case with Asbel Kiprop, who btw, was promoted to a higher rank in the Kenyan police. Not saying all of this is positive, just commenting.
If given a 2 year ban, it would be challenging to come back and run at her previous high level.
Theoretically, without doping, Chepngetich might be a 31:00-31:20/1:07:00-1:08:00/2:18:00-2:20:00 type runner. Still elite, but not among the very best. What many don't understand is that doping or no doping the hard training still goes on, and improvements are logical. How far back did she commit infractions? She was world champion in Doha, 2019.
People stating that "all Kenyans should be banned" is as ludicrous as stating "all Nigerians are scammers and fraudsters"....while the silent, innocent majority go about their business, legally.
Let's wait and what happens in this sad case.
#1 question: Will her record stand?
No, it will not. She will continue training with Rosa, and continue being supplied her peds. She won hundreds of thousands in the past couple years. Easily enough to live off of, even with no income for 2 years.
No, it will not. She will continue training with Rosa, and continue being supplied her peds. She won hundreds of thousands in the past couple years. Easily enough to live off of, even with no income for 2 years.
The challenge will be that she won’t be invited to prominent races. Nagoya, Chicago and London are off the table. I’d say the same for any prominent American/European races. So obscure lower label marathons in Asia/Africa with probably no appearance fees. I’m sure enough to justify keeping her career alive, but for her sake, best if she saved over the years.
She's facing a 2 year ban. According to the article, in 'Le Monde' - in mid April she voluntarily accepted to cease all sporting activities while the legal process goes on to determine what her punishment will entail. No talk of appeal, yet, so one can assume she accepts she commited advantageous use of prohibited substances, which we don't yet know the details of.
Even if she ceases athletics now, she will have amassed big paydays for her numerous victories over the past several years in half marathons and full marathons. She will lose some friends in Kenya, but some will remain loyal, just as was the case with Asbel Kiprop, who btw, was promoted to a higher rank in the Kenyan police. Not saying all of this is positive, just commenting.
If given a 2 year ban, it would be challenging to come back and run at her previous high level.
Theoretically, without doping, Chepngetich might be a 31:00-31:20/1:07:00-1:08:00/2:18:00-2:20:00 type runner. Still elite, but not among the very best. What many don't understand is that doping or no doping the hard training still goes on, and improvements are logical. How far back did she commit infractions? She was world champion in Doha, 2019.
People stating that "all Kenyans should be banned" is as ludicrous as stating "all Nigerians are scammers and fraudsters"....while the silent, innocent majority go about their business, legally.
Let's wait and what happens in this sad case.
#1 question: Will her record stand?
No, it will not. She will continue training with Rosa, and continue being supplied her peds. She won hundreds of thousands in the past couple years. Easily enough to live off of, even with no income for 2 years.
I don't think the motivation to come back after 2 years will be there. To run marathons in 2:20:00-2:27:00. Not worth it.
She's a wealthy Kenyan woman now, move on. She has a family. She'll have to live with a certain stigma for the rest of her life though. If that happened to a Japanese, they might top themselves (end their life). Sad times.
And the record will still stand for all of eternity.
No it wont, The 2nd best is 2:11 (and 53 Seconds I Think) So just got to chip away and eventually they will get there, though it may take 50-100 Years, All Records are made to be broken, but FloJo, Koch, Kratochvilova, Yuri Syedikh, Mike Phillips, Joe Dimaggio (Baseball 56 Game Hitting Streak) Wilt Chamberlain (100 Points in NBA Game) Etc seems to last a While, Some of the Records I Mentioned Might be broken by people who were not born when they were set though.
