Oct 13, 2019

Kenya's Brigid Kosgei breaks women's marathon world record

Jacob Knutson

Brigid Kosgei winning a marathon in 2019 in Newcastle, Great Britain. Photo: Richard Sellers/PA Images/Getty Images

Kenya's Brigid Kosgei retained her title at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, breaking the women's marathon world record with a recorded time of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 4 seconds, the BBC reports.

The big picture: The 16-year-old record was previously held by the U.K.'s Paula Radcliffe, who set a mark of 2:15:25 at the London Marathon in 2003. On Saturday, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya smashed the 2-hour barrier for a marathon, but he didn't technically break the world record — which he holds — because it wasn't an open event.

Go deeper ... In photos: Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge breaks 2-hour marathon record

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Kendall Baker

Women won the weekend

Brigid Kosgei, Simone Biles and Coco Gauff. Photos: Kamil Krzaczynksi/AFP via Getty Images; Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images; Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images

Yesterday, Brigid Kosgei shattered the women's marathon world record, Simone Biles became the most decorated gymnast in world championship history and 15-year-old Coco Gauff won her first singles tennis title.

Running: A day after Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge's feat, his countrywoman Kosgei ran the Chicago Marathon in 2:14:04, besting the previous women's world record by more than a minute (2:15:25).

Go deeperArrowOct 14, 2019
Kendall Baker

In photos: Hawaii's Ironman World Championship

Al Tarkington, 80-years-old, of the United States was the final finisher at the Ironman World Championships. Photo: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images for IRONMAN

So, it seems the theme of the weekend was "let's see how incredible the human body is when discipline, effort and talent collide."

The big picture: In addition to a pair of staggering marathon feats by Kenyan runners Eliud Kipchoge and Brigid Kosgei, this weekend also saw some of the world's best athletes descend on Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, for the 2019 Ironman World Championship.

Go deeperArrowOct 14, 2019
Kendall Baker

Nike's magic running shoes ignite debate

The Nike ZoomX Vaporfly Next%. Screenshot: Nike.com

Last weekend, Eliud Kipchoge became the first human to run a marathon in under 2 hours and Brigid Kosgei shattered the women's marathon record.

Why it matters: "It appears that running, the original and most elemental of sports, now faces the same tradition vs. scientific innovation challenge that other sports have encountered," writes NYT's Amby Burfoot.

Go deeperArrowOct 18, 2019