Greatest Marathon Runners
Name↕ | Country↕ | Years Active↕ | Marathon PB↕ | Major Wins↕ | Known For↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya | 2002-present | 2:01:09 | 11 | Two-time Olympic marathon champion, first human to run a sub-2-hour marathon (unofficial, INEOS 1:59) |
Kelvin Kiptum | Kenya | 2018-2024 | 2:00:35 | 3 | World marathon record holder (Chicago 2023), died in a car crash at age 24 in 2024 |
Paula Radcliffe | United Kingdom | 1992-2015 | 2:15:25 | 7 | Women's marathon world record holder from 2003 to 2019, three London and three New York titles |
Haile Gebrselassie | Ethiopia | 1992-2015 | 2:03:59 | 4 | Two-time Olympic 10,000m champion, four-time Berlin Marathon winner, former marathon world record holder |
Kenenisa Bekele | Ethiopia | 2001-present | 2:01:41 | 4 | Three-time Olympic track champion, Berlin Marathon winner two seconds off world record in 2019 |
Abebe Bikila | Ethiopia | 1956-1969 | 2:12:12 | 2 | Won Rome 1960 Olympic marathon barefoot, first African Olympic gold medalist, repeated in Tokyo 1964 |
Brigid Kosgei | Kenya | 2015-present | 2:14:04 | 4 | Broke Radcliffe's long-standing women's marathon world record in Chicago 2019 |
Mary Keitany | Kenya | 2006-2022 | 2:17:01 | 7 | Four-time New York City and three-time London Marathon champion, women's only marathon record holder |
Catherine Ndereba | Kenya | 1992-2011 | 2:18:47 | 6 | Two-time world marathon champion and four-time Boston Marathon winner, Catherine the Great |
Tegla Loroupe | Kenya | 1989-2010 | 2:20:43 | 5 | First African woman to win a major marathon (NYC 1994), former women's marathon world record holder |
Wilson Kipsang | Kenya | 2005-2019 | 2:03:13 | 4 | Former marathon world record holder, winner of London, Berlin, New York and Tokyo Marathons |
Dennis Kimetto | Kenya | 2011-2018 | 2:02:57 | 3 | First man under 2:03 in the marathon (Berlin 2014), world record holder until 2018 |
Khalid Khannouchi | Morocco/United States | 1993-2008 | 2:05:38 | 4 | Two-time marathon world record holder, four-time Chicago Marathon champion |
Naoko Takahashi | Japan | 1992-2008 | 2:19:46 | 2 | 2000 Sydney Olympic marathon champion, first woman under 2:20 in the marathon |
Tirunesh Dibaba | Ethiopia | 2001-2019 | 2:17:56 | 1 | Three-time Olympic track champion who made a successful transition to marathon with London win in 2017 |
Stefano Baldini | Italy | 1991-2011 | 2:07:22 | 1 | 2004 Athens Olympic marathon champion on the original Marathon to Athens course |
Frank Shorter | United States | 1969-1984 | 2:10:30 | 1 | 1972 Olympic marathon champion, sparked the American running boom of the 1970s |
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Frequently asked questions
How is the Greatest Marathon Runners list ranked?
The Greatest Marathon Runners list is currently sorted by the source data's default ordering. Community voting is not enabled on this dataset.
How many entries are in this Greatest Marathon Runners dataset?
This dataset contains 17 entries, each with multiple sortable, filterable columns. The full table is visible on this page and can be downloaded as a CSV, JSON, or Excel file.
Can I download the Greatest Marathon Runners data?
Yes. The download buttons at the top of the page give you the full 17-row dataset as CSV, JSON, or Excel. Use of the data is permitted under a Creative Commons Attribution license — credit dtbse.com when you republish.
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