Fast Women: Tigst Assefa wins London, sets women's-only world record
Faith Kipyegon to attempt a sub-4:00 mile on June 26.
Issue 348, sponsored by PUMA
After a close second in the Olympic Marathon, Tigst Assefa takes a turn back on top of the podium
On a day when many women struggled, Ethiopia’s Tigst Assefa did not. She broke away from Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei around 38K into the London Marathon and dominated in the closing stages, winning in a women’s-only world record of 2:15:50. Assefa shaved 26 seconds off of the record that Kenya’s Peres Jepchirchir set at last year’s race. Jepchirchir was originally scheduled to return this year, but she withdrew due to an ankle injury.
The race went out quickly from the start, with the lead group on 2:11:22 pace at 5K and not much slower at 10K. The hot early pace caught up to Jepkosgei, who was clearly struggling in the closing stages. She ran the last 2.195K at 6:38/mile, a relative jog for her, but she held on well enough to finish second in 2:18:44, 2:54 behind Assefa and 16 seconds ahead of Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, who took third in 2:19:00.
Assefa and Jepkosgei broke away for good around 20K. Hassan is known for letting the leaders go and reeling them back in, and she did that a couple of times. I’m sure knowing she was back there helped Assefa and Jepkosgei keep their feet on the gas, but in the second half of the race, the gap between Assefa and Hassan only grew.
“I’ve worked really hard for this,” Assefa said after her win. “I was pleased with my silver [in Paris], but today means so much to me to win here in London and break the [women’s-only] world record.” As you might remember, Assefa finished second to Hassan in the Olympic marathon after a dramatic sprint finish. After the Games, Hassan stepped away from training for almost four months, to recover and catch up with friends and family.
Assefa had a huge pay day, winning a total of $305,000. She earned $55,000 for the win, $125,000 for breaking the women’s-only world record, $25,000 for breaking the women’s-only course record, and $100,000 for breaking 2:16. (Paula Radcliffe ran 2:15:25 in London in 2003, but that was when it was a mixed-gender race.)
Most of the pros struggled a bit in the second half, and the weather—63 degrees at the finish, though my weather app indicated that it felt like 67—did not help. And with only 13 finishers in the women’s elite field, it must have gotten lonely out there for some.
Fourth-place finisher Haven Hailu Desse of Ethiopia ran a smart race, going through halfway in 1:09:56, negative splitting, and finishing in 2:19:17. Kenya’s Vivian Cheruiyot, 41, finished fifth in 2:22:32 and won the masters race, and Uganda’s Stella Chesang was sixth (2:22:42).
Italy’s Sofiia Yaremchuk finished seventh in a national record of 2:23:14. And in her much-awaited debut at the distance, Eilish McColgan finished eighth in a Scottish record of 2:24:25.
Susanna Sullivan (10th, 2:29:30) and Molly Bookmyer (12th, 2:32:31) were the only Americans in the elite field. Sullivan said in an Instagram post that her training went well, but she got sick a few weeks before the race. She felt off very early in the race and struggled for the last 23 miles.
Only six days after finishing second at the Boston Marathon, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner earned her third victory in the wheelchair race, in 1:34:18. She missed her own world record by only two seconds. Boston champion Susannah Scaroni finished second in 1:38:08.
Great Britain’s Lucy Jones was the top finisher from the mass start, running 2:30:23. She was also the fastest woman who participated in Puma’s Project3. Jennifer Pope was the top American in the mass race, running a PR of 2:36:11. And Jenny Grimshaw, who I profiled two weeks ago, was right behind her, running an impressive 2:36:14 and taking 2:59 off of her PR. Both were also part of Project3. In all, despite the warm conditions, 41 Project3 athletes PRed in London and 23 of them did so by 3:00 or more.
The following women won their age groups: Lauren Reed (40–44, 2:40:50, London apparently doesn’t include the pros in their age-group awards), Helen Gaunt (45–49, 2:36:25), Elisoa Crawford (50–54, 2:50:14), Karima Harris (55–59, 2:52:17), Treena Johnson (60–64, 3:10:05), Sandy Masters (65–69, 3:29:17), Penny Jarvis (70–74, 3:58:34), Jane Ashby (75–79, 4:44:58), and Gina Little (80+, 5:25:27). (Results)
Coming soon: Faith Kipyegon vs. the 4-minute mile
In February, Royal Society Open Science published a study in which the authors speculated about whether Kenya’s Faith Kipyegon could run a sub-4:00 mile with improved aerodynamic drafting. Rodger Kram, one of the researchers, sent a copy of the paper to Kipyegon, her coaches, and Nike, proposing the idea of a Breaking2-like event. Last week, Nike announced that Breaking4 is a go. Kipyegon will attempt to run a sub-4:00 mile at the Stade Charléty in Paris in June.
The press release states, “Kipyegon will make one attempt at the milestone on June 26,” which doesn’t actually make it clear whether they mean one attempt only or one attempt and then there could be more.
Nike did a good job of spreading the word about this, and many non-running outlets covered the announcement. The idea of a woman breaking 4:00 in the mile is certainly compelling. This National Geographic piece from Christopher Solomon is the best coverage I’ve seen, and I appreciate that it includes more of an inside look at her training setup in Kenya.
Solomon wrote that Nike will be using “a phalanx” of pacers, which will make it ineligible for ratification. That alone wouldn’t necessarily make it ineligible, but most of the articles about the attempt indicated that it would not be world record eligible.
Kipyegon set the mile world record of 4:07.64 in 2023. But because the mile isn’t run all that often at the highest levels, it’s a bit of a weak record, equivalently speaking. According to World Athletics’ scoring tables, the 1500m world record she set last year, 3:49.04, is worth about 4:06.50 in the mile. Because she has already proven herself capable of that, in my mind, she “only” has to shave off 6.51 seconds or more.
If I coached a 4:06 miler who had already been trying to get the most out of herself for years, I would not propose breaking 4:00 as the next logical step. When Kipyegon broke her own 1500m record last year, she did so by 0.07 seconds. It took 27 years for the record to improve by 4.92 seconds. (It’s impossible to know what role, if any, doping might have played in the record progression. And in recent years, shoe technology and other advances have certainly sped things along.)
It’s also impossible to imagine what Kipyegon is capable of without knowing how many rules Nike intends to break. This comment on Bluesky, “I hope it’s just an industrial fan on a dolly behind her on the track,” made me laugh.
A lot of the publicity around this so far seems to center on the idea that if one just has strong enough belief anything is possible. And if you want to know who is currently supported by Nike, just look at the list of athletes who commented, “I’ve got Faith,” on Nike’s post about the project. I think believing something is possible only goes so far, maybe that’s why I haven’t gone further.
Agent Ray Flynn, who broke 4:00 in the mile 89 times during his pro career, was asked about the idea of Kipyegon breaking 4:00 back in February. He told The New York Times (gift link), “It’s romantic to think about but let’s be real.” And though some might read that as him being a wet blanket for not having enough Faith, he’s someone who understands how big the gulf between a 4:06 and a 3:59 mile is.
I definitely think Kipyegon can run faster than 4:06.50 in the mile, even without breaking any rules. And then who knows how much more time she can shave off with drafting, magic shoes, or whatever else Nike has up its sleeve. If she can run anywhere in the 4:02–4:05 range, that would be huge. There are a range of successful outcomes here that don’t involve breaking 4:00.
I’m glad to see Nike putting resources into helping a woman break barriers. I wish they had picked a barrier that was a little more in reach at this point in time. Unless Nike is breaking rules in a very dramatic way, I would be shocked to see Kipyegon run a 3:59 mile. But I’d be happy to be proven wrong. Regardless of how it goes, I will be watching this with great interest. And I appreciate that this has already led to Kipyegon getting more coverage than usual.
She opened her season with a 1,000m race at the Xiamen Diamond League meet on Saturday. She won the race in 2:29.21 (replay here), just 0.06 seconds off her own PR and 0.23 seconds off of Svetlana Masterkova’s world record from 1996. She’s very fit. But keeping that pace up for 609 more meters seems like a tall order.
World Athletics cancels the World Road Running Championships
San Diego was originally selected to host this year’s World Athletics Road Running Championships at the end of September. Many U.S. athletes were enthusiastic about racing for spots on a team that would compete on home soil, and organizations bid to host selection events in the half marathon, mile, and 5K.
On March 2, the Atlanta Track Club hosted the selection event for the half marathon, putting $110,000 into prize money alone. Taylor Roe, Emma Grace Hurley, and Amanda Vestri took the top three spots in a fantastic race, and qualified for the team. Three days later, World Athletics announced that it was pulling the event from San Diego, but they expected to announce a new location shortly. It was a blow, but at least the athletes would still have the opportunity to compete, even if it wasn’t in the U.S.
On Tuesday evening, the Grand Blue Mile hosted the USATF 1 Mile Championships, and the top two were to be selected for the U.S. team. Krissy Gear came from behind to win a thrilling race, setting an American record of 4:23.98 and earning $10,000. In her season opener, Karissa Schweizer held on to take second in 4:24.40, earning $5,000. Gracie Morris was third (4:24.73) and Shelby Houlihan took fourth (4:25.05). (Results)
Three days after that, World Athletics announced they were canceling the 2025 World Road Running Championships altogether. They never explained why they moved the event from San Diego. This article by Ken Stone, from back in March, had the most clues. The article never states outright that the reasons were financial ones, but the comments imply that was at least part of it. Tracy Sundlun, who was to be the San Diego event CEO, told Stone that as far as he knew, it had nothing to do with who is in the White House. The U.S. is still slated to host the World Cross Country Championships on January 10, 2026.
The USATF 5K Championships, which were to be the selection event for the 5K, take place on Saturday in Indianapolis. The event is still a national championship, with the winner getting $7,000 and the runner-up earning $6,000, but now there’s no team to make. It will be interesting to see if any athletes change their racing plans as a result. As of now, Josette Andrews, Amanda Vestri, Abby Nichols, Courtney Frerichs, Emily Venters, Annie Rodenfels, Dani Jones, Bethany Hasz, Katie Izzo, Katie Wasserman, and Bailey Hertenstein are among the entrants.
But based on the available information, it does not appear that World Athletics handled this well. They were betting on the fact that they could find a host city that could do a better job than San Diego on short notice, and they were wrong. I’m curious what they thought was unsalvageable. What a blow to the athletes who made the team and had planned their years around these events.
Other News and Links
Race director Hugh Brasher noted during a pre-race press conference that the London Marathon has left Twitter. “There are some social media channels that are particularly vitriolic and are descending into a gutter,” he said. Kudos to them for that.
Des Linden told iRunFar that while she is indeed entered in the Tunnel Hill 50 Mile, she hasn’t decided whether that’s what she wants to focus on this fall.
Last week, Kenya’s John Korir won the Boston Marathon (after falling at the start) and joined his brother Wesley Korir as a champion of the race. Now they’ve launched Bingwa (Swahili for champion) Coffee, with a special Boston blend. There’s a limited quantity of the special edition brew, and 100 percent of the proceeds will support Transcend Talent Academy in Kenya, which Wesley founded with the mission of empowering young people and helping end generational poverty. If you’re interested, you can preorder the coffee here.
Nina Caron, who won the 65–69 age group at the Boston Marathon, got some local news coverage. She’s a 2004 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials qualifier, and she just moved up an age group. She ran 3:22:01 this year, 11 minutes faster than last year.
Olympic heptathlete Chari Hawkins really does do all the events. She completed her first marathon yesterday, running 4:14:30 in London.
Additional Results
Kenya’s Agnes Ngetich set a women’s-only 10K world record of 29:27 at the Adizero Road to Records event in Herzogenaurach, Germany, on Saturday. I was a little sad to see this record go down because the late Agnes Tirop set the previous record, 30:01, at this event in 2021, shortly before she was murdered. This was a stellar performance, but it’s not a surprise considering that Ngetich also holds the outright 10K world record of 28:46, which she ran in a mixed-gender race. (Results) Kenya’s Nelly Chepchirchir won the mile in 4:23.99, and Addy Wiley finished third in 4:31.49. (Results) Ethiopia’s Medina Eisa won the 5K in 14:48. Katie Izzo, the lone American in the race, finished eighth in 15:27. (Results)
Kenya’s Beatrice Chebet looked fantastic in her season opener as she dropped a 26.6-second final 200m to win the 5,000m at the Xiamen Diamond League meet in 14:27.12. (Results)
New Mexico’s Pamela Kosgei had already run 31:02.73 for 10,000m at The Ten last month, but on Friday, she ran a solo 31:58.51 on her home track, 5,120 feet above sea level. According to the NCAA’s conversion tables, that’s worth 30:55.37 at sea level. (Results)
Josette Andrews won the 1500m at Penn Relays in 4:01.76. Dani Jones took second in 4:03.21. Racing at her alma mater, Nia Akins dominated the 800m, winning in 2:00.49. (She pointed out after that she got out kind of hot, splitting 56.35 for 400m, but this is the time of the year to experiment with such things.) Sammy Watson won the 600m in 1:28.30. In the distance medley relay, Virginia’s Margot Appleton ran a stellar 4:21.46 1600m anchor leg to bring her team from fifth to first. She edged out Providence’s Kimberley May and Virginia won, 10:42.16 to 10:42.57. The following day, Providence got its own win, taking the 4x1500m in 16:59.65. NC State’s Grace Hartman won the college 1500m in 4:07.19. Villanova’s Sadie Sigfstead won the 10,000m in 32:39.54. (Results)
After winning the USATF 1 Mile Championships four days earlier, Krissy Gear completed a great double, winning the Drake Relays mile in 4:23.69. (This is a nice article about her win.) Gear used a 63.56-second final lap to move from seventh to first, and edged out Shelby Houlihan (4:23.84). Most of the pre-event attention went toward native Iowans Houlihan and Karissa Schweizer, but underestimate Gear at your own risk. She broke the 50-year-old meet record, held by Francie Larrieu Smith. (This race is usually a 1500m, which is part of the reason the record has stood for so long.) Oregon’s Şilan Ayyildiz finished fourth in 4:25.50 and shattered the collegiate record. And again, because the mile isn’t run often outdoors, the previous record was Angela Chalmers’ 4:29.04 from 1987. Notre Dame redshirt Sophie Novak won the steeplechase in 9:28.98 (replay here), and Oregon’s Klaudia Kazimierska won the 800m in 2:02.03. In the 5,000m, Kaitlyn Bounds set a T20 (intellectual disability) world record of 17:10.74. (Results)
Paced by Courtney Wayment, BYU’s Lexy Halladay-Lowry dominated the steeplechase at the Payton Jordan Invitational, running 9:18.05. Arkansas’ Paityn Noe won the 5,000m in 15:28.04. Paralympian Sydney Barta became the first amputee to compete for Stanford track & field, running 27.75 in the 200m. (Results)
Ethiopia’s Workenesh Edesa pulled away after 30K and won the Hamburg Marathon in 2:17:55. Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei finished second in 2:18:26. (Results)
Kenya’s Leah Cheruto won the Dusseldorf Marathon in 2:25:23. Germany’s Miriam Dattke took third in 2:28:11, and her Puma Elite teammate, Fiona O’Keeffe, paced her for 35K. (Results | Replay)
Anna Kenig-Ziesler won the Eugene Marathon in 2:36:54, and Sarah Jackson was second in 2:38:04. (Results)
Zimbabwe’s Emily Hawgood won the Canyons 100K in 9:46:44 and you can read more about it here.
Podcast Highlights
Last week was a quieter one in running podcasting.
Ali Feller’s three live shows from Boston are now available. I particularly enjoyed the one with Heather MacLean. She also did shows at the expo with Jess McClain and Emma Bates, and Hellen Obiri, Dakotah Popehn, and Conner Mantz.
If you missed our Fast People podcast episode with Emily Infeld amidst all the Boston chaos, it’s available here. I thought it was funny that Infeld said she got the call to be part of Grand Slam Track on April Fools’ Day, so it took her a moment to establish that the offer was real. We’ll have another episode out very soon.
Additional Episodes: Nikki Hiltz on Good Game with Sarah Spain | Erika Kemp on Lactic Acid | Shalaya Kipp, part two, on Conversation Pace with FRE | Pro trail runner Allison Baca on Women of Distance | On I’ll Have Another, Charlotte Purdue said that after missing the Olympics due to injury, she got a puppy and named it Paris. Sadly, in London, Purdue got a bad calf cramp early on and had to stop at 12K. She said she is not injured, though.
I’m exhausted after a week of nearly nonstop newsletter writing, photo editing, podcast editing, and more. But I’m excited we’re getting into the busy part of the year. Grand Slam Track resumes on Friday, and the USATF 5K Championships and Save the 10,000 are both on Saturday.
Thanks again to PUMA for sponsoring Fast Women this month. And thank you to all of you help make Fast Women possible, with your support via Venmo and Patreon. I hope you all have the best week possible.
Alison
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCvFSoDEyoY there is a bit more about Lucy Jones here if anyone is interested