Marathon year rankings
The following table shows the yearly rankings in the marathon since 1921 (men) and 1980 (women), based on the best performance in the classic distance race of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards).
Unless otherwise noted, all data is complied from the Association of Road Racing Statisticians.[1]
Men's year rankings
Key:
Current world record
| Year | Time | Athlete | Date | Place |
|---|
| 1921 | 2:47:29.8 | .svg.png) Florestano Benedetti (ITA) | 1921-09-20 | Bologna, Italy |
| 1922 | 2:46:26 |  Gabriel Ruotsalainen (FIN) | 1922-09-10 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 1923 | 2:40:47 |  Aksel Jensen (DEN) | 1923-06-16 | Windsor, England |
| 1924 | 2:36:10 |  Shizo Kanaguri (JPN) | 1924-04-12 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1925 | 2:35:59 |  Sam Ferris (ENG) | 1925-05-30 | Windsor, England |
| 1926 | 2:34:25 | Iivari Rötkö (FIN) | 1926-09-12 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 1927 | 2:35:21.4 | Verner Laaksonen (FIN) | 1927-09-11 | Helsinki, Finland |
| 1928 | 2:32:57 |  Boughera El Ouafi (FRA) | 1928-08-05 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 1929 | 2:30:57.6 |  Harry Payne (GBR) | 1929-07-05 | Stamford Bridge, England |
| 1930 | 2:36:33 | Fukutaro Shibui (JPN) | 1930-05-28 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1931 | 2:33:19 |  Juan Zabala (ARG) | 1931-10-28 | Košice, SVK |
| 1932 | 2:31:31 | Tanji Yahagi (JPN) | 1932-04-30 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1933 | 2:31:10 | Kozo Kusunoki (JPN) | 1933-11-03 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1934 | 2:32:56 | Tamao Shiaku (JPN) | 1934-11-23 | Osaka, Japan |
| 1935 | 2:26:14 |  Sohn Kee-Jung (KOR) | 1935-03-21 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1936 | 2:28:32 | Sohn Kee-Jung (KOR) | 1936-04-18 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1937 | 2:30:38 |  Manuel Dias (POR) | 1937-03-28 | Lisbon, Portugal |
| 1938 | 2:30:27.6 |  Pat Dengis (USA) | 1938-05-30 | Salisbury, Massachusetts, USA |
| 1939 | 2:31:26 | Toyu Ko (KOR) | 1939-11-03 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1940 | 2:33:42 | Shoichiro Takenaka (JPN) | 1940-11-01 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1941 | 2:31:27 | Les Pawson (USA) | 1941-05-30 | Salisbury, Massachusetts, USA |
| 1942 | 2:31:38 | Zaiten Kimoto (JPN) | 1942-11-02 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1943 | 2:38:35.3 |  Gérard Côté (CAN) | 1943-11-07 | Yonkers, New York, USA |
| 1944 | 2:40:48.6 | Charles Robbins (USA) | 1944-11-12 | Yonkers, New York, USA |
| 1945 | 2:36:37.6 |  Sven Håkansson (SWE) | 1945-10-28 | Gothenburg, Sweden |
| 1946 | 2:31:37 | Mikko Hietanen (FIN) | 1946-07-11 | Imatra, Finland |
| 1947 | 2:30:58 | Mikko Hietanen (FIN) | 1947-08-23 | Loughborough, England |
| 1948 | 2:31:02 | Mikko Hietanen (FIN) | 1948-09-07 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 1949 | 2:28:39.4 | Salomon Könönen (FIN) | 1949-10-02 | Turku, Finland |
| 1950 | 2:29:09.4 |  Feodosiy Vanin (URS) | 1950-07-12 | Moscow, Russia |
| 1951 | 2:28:07.4 | Veikko Karvonen (FIN) | 1951-08-03 | Tampere, Finland |
| 1952 | 2:20:42.2 | Jim Peters (ENG) | 1952-06-14 | Windsor, England |
| 1953 | 2:18:34.8 | Jim Peters (ENG) | 1953-10-04 | Turku, Finland |
| 1954 | 2:17:39.4 | Jim Peters (ENG) | 1954-06-26 | Chiswick, England |
| 1955 | 2:21:21.6 | Veikko Karvonen (FIN) | 1955-09-04 | Copenhagen, Denmark |
| 1956 | 2:18:04.8 | Paavo Kotila (FIN) | 1956-08-12 | Pieksämäki, Finland |
| 1957 | 2:19:50 | Sergei Popov (URS) | 1957-09-01 | Moscow, Russia |
| 1958 | 2:15:17.6 | Sergei Popov (URS) | 1958-08-24 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 1959 | 2:17:45.2 | Sergei Popov (URS) | 1959-11-11 | Košice, Slovakia |
| 1960 | 2:15:16.2 | .svg.png) Abebe Bikila (ETH) | 1960-09-10 | Rome, Italy |
| 1961 | 2:18:54 | Takayuki Nakao (JPN) | 1961-03-21 | Nagoya, Japan |
| 1962 | 2:16:09.6 |  Yu Mang-Hyang (PRK) | 1962-10-24 | Pyongyang, North Korea |
| 1963 | 2:14:28 |  Leonard Edelen (USA) | 1963-06-15 | Chiswick, England |
| 1964 | 2:12:11.2 | Abebe Bikila (ETH) | 1964-10-21 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1965 | 2:12:00 | Morio Shigematsu (JPN) | 1965-06-12 | Chiswick, England |
| 1966 | 2:14:04.8 |  Michael Ryan (NZL) | 1966-11-27 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1967 | 2:09:36.4 |  Derek Clayton (AUS) | 1967-12-03 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1968 | 2:10:47.8 | Bill Adcocks (ENG) | 1968-12-08 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1969 | 2:08:33.6 | Derek Clayton (AUS) | 1969-05-30 | Antwerp, Belgium |
| 1970 | 2:09:28.8 | Ron Hill (ENG) | 1970-07-23 | Edinburgh, Scotland |
| 1971 | 2:11:08.8 | Derek Clayton (AUS) | 1971-09-25 | Hobart, Australia |
| 1972 | 2:10:30 | Frank Shorter (USA) | 1972-12-03 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1973 | 2:11:12.6 | John Farrington (AUS) | 1973-07-14 | Sydney, Australia |
| 1974 | 2:09:12.0 | Ian Thompson (ENG) | 1974-01-31 | Christchurch, New Zealand |
| 1975 | 2:09:56 | Bill Rodgers (USA) | 1975-04-21 | Boston, USA |
| 1976 | 2:09:55.0 |  Waldemar Cierpinski (GDR) | 1976-07-31 | Montreal, Canada |
| 1977 | 2:10:55.3 | Bill Rodgers (USA) | 1977-12-04 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1978 | 2:09:05.6 | Shigeru So (JPN) | 1978-02-05 | Beppu, Japan |
| 1979 | 2:09:28 | Bill Rodgers (USA) | 1979-04-16 | Boston, USA |
| 1980 | 2:09:01 |  Gerard Nijboer (NED) | 1980-04-26 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 1981 | 2:08:18 | Robert de Castella (AUS) | 1981-12-06 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1982 | 2:08:52 | Alberto Salazar (USA) | 1982-04-19 | Boston, USA |
| 1983 | 2:08:37 | Robert de Castella (AUS) | 1983-04-09 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 1984 | 2:08:05 |  Steve Jones (WAL) | 1984-10-21 | Chicago, USA |
| 1985 | 2:07:12 | Carlos Lopes (POR) | 1985-04-20 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 1986 | 2:07:51 | Robert de Castella (AUS) | 1986-04-21 | Boston, USA |
| 1987 | 2:08:18 | Takeyuki Nakayama (JPN) | 1987-12-06 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1988 | 2:06:50 | .svg.png) Belayneh Dinsamo (ETH) | 1988-04-17 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 1989 | 2:08:01 |  Juma Ikangaa (TAN) | 1989-11-05 | New York, USA |
| 1990 | 2:08:16 | Steve Moneghetti (AUS) | 1990-09-30 | Berlin, Germany |
| 1991 | 2:08:53 | Koichi Morishita (JPN) | 1991-02-03 | Beppu, Japan |
| 1992 | 2:08:07 | .svg.png) David Tsebe (RSA) | 1992-09-27 | Berlin, Germany |
| 1993 | 2:08:51 |  Dionicio Ceron (MEX) | 1993-12-05 | Fukuoka, Japan |
| 1994 | 2:07:15 |  Cosmas Ndeti (KEN) | 1994-04-18 | Boston, USA |
| 1995 | 2:07:02 | Sammy Lelei (KEN) | 1995-09-24 | Berlin, Germany |
| 1996 | 2:08:25 |  Martín Fiz (ESP) | 1996-03-24 | Kyong-Ju, South Korea |
| 1997 | 2:07:10 |  Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) | 1997-10-19 | Chicago, USA |
| 1998 | 2:06:05 |  Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) | 1998-09-20 | Berlin, Germany |
| 1999 | 2:05:42 | Khalid Khannouchi (MAR) | 1999-10-24 | Chicago, USA |
| 2000 | 2:06:36 | António Pinto (POR) | 2000-04-16 | London, UK |
| 2001 | 2:06:50 | Josephat Kiprono (KEN) | 2001-04-22 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 2002 | 2:05:37.8 | Khalid Khannouchi (USA) | 2002-04-14 | London, UK |
| 2003 | 2:04:55 | Paul Tergat (KEN) | 2003-09-28 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2004 | 2:06:16 | Evans Rutto (KEN) | 2004-10-10 | Chicago, USA |
| 2005 | 2:06:19.5 | .svg.png) Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 2005-10-16 | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| 2006 | 2:05:56 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 2006-09-24 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2007 | 2:04:26 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 2007-09-30 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2008 | 2:03:58.2 | Haile Gebrselassie (ETH) | 2008-09-28 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2009 | 2:04:26.3 | Duncan Kibet (KEN) | 2009-04-05 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 2010 | 2:04:48 | Patrick Makau Musyoki (KEN) | 2010-04-11 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 2011 | 2:03:38 | Patrick Makau Musyoki (KEN) | 2011-09-11 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2012 | 2:04:15 | Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) | 2012-09-09 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2013 | 2:03:23 | Wilson Kipsang Kiprotich (KEN) | 2013-09-28 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2014 | 2:02:57 | Dennis Kimetto (KEN) | 2014-09-28 | Berlin, Germany |
Women's year rankings
Key:
Current world record
| Year | Time | Athlete | Date | Place |
|---|
| 1980 | 2:30:27 | Joyce Smith (ENG) | 1980-11-16 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 1981 | 2:26:47 | Allison Roe (NZL) | 1981-04-20 | Boston, USA |
| 1982 | 2:26:12 | Joan Benoit (USA) | 1982-09-12 | Eugene, USA |
| 1983 | 2:22:43 | Joan Benoit (USA) | 1983-04-18 | Boston, USA |
| 1984 | 2:24:26 |  Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1984-05-13 | London, UK |
| 1985 | 2:21:06 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1985-04-21 | London, UK |
| 1986 | 2:24:54 | Grete Waitz (NOR) | 1987-04-20 | London, UK |
| 1987 | 2:22:48 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1987-05-10 | London, UK |
| 1988 | 2:23:51 | Lisa Martin (AUS) | 1988-01-31 | Osaka, Japan |
| 1989 | 2:24:33 | Ingrid Kristiansen (NOR) | 1989-04-17 | Boston, USA |
| 1990 | 2:25:24 | Rosa Mota (POR) | 1990-04-16 | Boston, USA |
| 1991 | 2:24:18 |  Wanda Panfil (POL) | 1991-04-15 | Boston, USA |
| 1992 | 2:23:43 |  Olga Markova (RUS) | 1992-04-20 | Boston, USA |
| 1993 | 2:24:07 |  Wang Junxia (CHN) | 1993-04-04 | Tianjin, PR China |
| 1994 | 2:21:45 |  Uta Pippig (GER) | 1994-04-18 | Boston, USA |
| 1995 | 2:25:11 | Uta Pippig (GER) | 1995-04-17 | Boston, USA |
| 1996 | 2:26:04 | Katrin Dörre (GER) | 1996-01-28 | Osaka, Japan |
| 1997 | 2:22:07 | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 1997-04-20 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 1998 | 2:20:47 | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 1998-04-19 | Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| 1999 | 2:20:43 | Tegla Loroupe (KEN) | 1999-09-26 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2000 | 2:21:33 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 2000-10-22 | Chicago, USA |
| 2001 | 2:18:47 | Catherine Ndereba (KEN) | 2001-10-07 | Chicago, USA |
| 2002 | 2:17:17.7 | Paula Radcliffe (ENG) | 2002-10-13 | Chicago, USA |
| 2003 | 2:15:24.6 | Paula Radcliffe (ENG) | 2003-04-13 | London, UK |
| 2004 | 2:19:41 | Yoko Shibui (JPN) | 2004-09-26 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2005 | 2:17:42 | Paula Radcliffe (ENG) | 2005-04-17 | London, UK |
| 2006 | 2:19:36 | Deena Kastor (USA) | 2006-04-23 | London, UK |
| 2007 | 2:20:38 | Zhou Chunxiu (CHN) | 2007-04-22 | London, UK |
| 2008 | 2:19:19 | Irina Mikitenko (GER) | 2008-09-28 | Berlin, Germany |
| 2009 | 2:22:11 | Irina Mikitenko (GER) | 2009-04-26 | London, UK |
| 2010 | 2:20:25 | Liliya Shobukhova (RUS) | 2010-10-10 | Chicago, USA |
| 2011 | 2:18:20 | Liliya Shobukhova (RUS) | 2011-10-09 | Chicago, USA |
| 2012 | 2:18:37 | Mary Keitany (KEN) | 2012-04-22 | London, UK |
| 2013 | 2:19:57 | Rita Jeptoo Sitienei (KEN) | 2013-10-15 | Chicago, USA |
| 2014 | 2:20:18 |  Tirfi Tsegaye (ETH) | 2014-09-28 | Berlin, Germany |
See also
References