This is a list of marathoners who are athletes notable for their achievements in the

marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...

. For a list of people notable in other fields who have also run marathons, see List of marathoners who are non-running specialists.

Legend

Men

Women

, , , , , 2:14:04 , Current marathon world record holder (2019) , , - ,

Salina Kosgei Salina Jebet Kosgei (born 16 November 1976 in Simotwo, Keiyo District) is a long distance runner from Kenya. She is a Commonwealth Games gold medalist, has competed at the Olympics and has won various marathons, including the 2009 Boston Mara ...

, , , , 2009/2010 , , 2:23:22 , , , - ,

Ingrid Kristiansen Ingrid Kristiansen (née Christensen on 21 March 1956) is a Norwegian former athlete. She was one of the best female long-distance runners during the 1980s. She is a former world record holder in the 5000 metres, 10,000 metres and the maratho ...

, , , 1987
(7) 1991 , , 15 , 2:21:06 , One of the best female distance runners in the 1980s , , - ,

Véronique Marot Marie-Véronique Antoinette Colette Jeannine Marot (born 16 September 1955) is a French-born British marathon runner. She twice broke the British record for the marathon, with 2:28:04 at the 1985 Chicago Marathon and 2:25:56 when winning the ...

, , (16) 1992 , (22) 1987 , , 4 , 2:25:56 , , , - , Lisa Martin , , 1988 , , , 5 , 2:23:51 , , , - ,

Catherina McKiernan Catherina McKiernan (born 30 November 1969 in Cornafean, County Cavan) is a former long-distance runner from Ireland, who competed in the marathon, 10,000 metres and cross country running. Biography McKiernan has held the Women's national ...

, , , , , 3 , 2:22:23 , Multiple medalist at the

World Cross Country Championships World Athletics Cross Country Championships is the most important competition in international cross country running. Formerly held annually and organised by World Athletics (formerly the IAAF), it was inaugurated in 1973, when it replaced the In ...

. , , - ,

Irina Mikitenko Irina Mikitenko, ''née'' Volynskaya (; born 23 August 1972 in Bakanas, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union), is a retired German long-distance runner who competed in marathons. She won the Berlin Marathon in 2008 and is a two-time winner of the London ...

, , , , 2007/2008
2008/2009
2009/2010 , , 2:19:19 , , , - ,

Lorraine Moller Lorraine Mary Moller (born 1 June 1955) in Putāruru is a former athlete from New Zealand, who competed in track athletics and later specialised in the marathon. Moller's international career lasted over 20 years and included winning a silver m ...

, , (5) 1984
(33) 1988
1992
(46) 1992 , , , 9 , 2:28:17 , , , - ,

Rosa Mota Rosa Maria Correia dos Santos Mota, GCIH, GCM (; born 29 June 1958) is a Portuguese former marathon runner, one of her country's foremost athletes, being the first sportswoman from Portugal to win Olympic gold. Mota was the first woman to win ...

, , 1984
1988 , 1987 , , 6 , 2:23:29 , Awarded 1988

Abebe Bikila Award The Abebe Bikila Award is an annual prize given by the New York Road Runners club (NYRR) to honour individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sport of long-distance running. The first recipient of the award was Ted Corbitt, a foun ...

, , - ,

Catherine Ndereba Catherine Nyambura Ndereba (born 21 July 1972) is a retired Kenyan marathon runner. Between 2003 and 2008, she finished in the top two in five successive global championship marathons. Ndereba has twice won the marathon at the World Championshi ...

, , 2004
2008 , 2003
2005
2007 , , 7 , 2:18:47 , , , - ,

Mizuki Noguchi is a Japanese professional long-distance runner who specialises in the marathon event. She is an Olympic champion over the distance. Initially starting out as a track and cross country athlete, her first major success was becoming the Asi ...

, , 2004 , 2003 , , 5 , 2:19:12 , Asia Record holder, Course Record holder of Berlin Marathon , , - ,

Yoshimi Ozaki is a Japanese long-distance runner, who specializes in the marathon. She won the 2008 Tokyo Women's Marathon in a personal best time of 2:23:30 hours. A year later she took the silver medal in the event at the 2009 World Championships in Athletic ...

, , , 2009 , , 2 , 2:23:130 , , , - , Tatyana Petrova Arkhipova , , 2012 , , , , 2:23:29 , , , - ,

Uta Pippig Uta Pippig (born 7 September 1965) is a retired German long-distance runner, and the first woman to officially win the Boston Marathon three consecutive times (1994–1996). She also won the Berlin Marathon three times (1990, 1992 and 1995); the ...

,
, , (6) 1991 , , , 2:21:45 , First woman to win the

Boston Marathon The Boston Marathon is an annual marathon race hosted by eight cities and towns in greater Boston in eastern Massachusetts, United States. It is traditionally held on Patriots' Day, the third Monday of April. Begun in 1897, the event was ins ...

three consecutive times , , - ,

Jeļena Prokopčuka Jeļena Prokopčuka (née Čelnova; born 21 September 1976 in Riga, Latvia) is a retired Latvian long-distance runner, best known for winning the New York City Marathon in 2005 and 2006. Biography She holds six outdoor and one indoor Latvia ...

, , , 2 , , 3 , 2:24:41 2:25:05 , , , - ,

Paula Radcliffe Paula Jane Radcliffe Order of the British Empire, MBE (born 17 December 1973) is a British former long-distance runner. She is a three-time winner of the London Marathon (2002, 2003, 2005), three-time New York Marathon champion (2004, 2007, 200 ...

, , , 2005 , , 8 , 2:15:25 , Holder of several long-distance world records , , - ,

Fatuma Roba Fatuma Roba (; born 18 December 1973) is an Ethiopian long-distance runner, best known for being the first African woman to win a gold medal in the women's Olympic marathon race, at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, and for winning three successive B ...

, , 1996
(9) 2000 , (19) 1995
(13) 2001 , , 5 , 2:23:21 , , , - ,

Allison Roe Allison Pamela Roe (née Deed; born 30 May 1956) is a New Zealand politician and former long-distance athlete. Athletics career Roe was born in Auckland in 1956. In 1981, she won both the Boston Marathon and New York City Marathon, becoming ...

, , , , , 2 , 2:25:29 , , , - ,

Yoko Shibui is a long-distance runner from Japan, who is competing in the 5000 and 10,000 metres as well as the marathon race. She holds the Japanese record over 10,000 m with her best time of 30:48.89 minutes. Shibui is one of only a handful of wom ...

, , , , , 4 , 2:19:41 , , , - ,

Liliya Shobukhova Liliya Bulatovna Shobukhova, née Shagbalova, Divorced name Volkova, (; born 13 November 1977) is a Russian long-distance runner who competed in marathon races. She previously specialized in the 3000 and 5000 metres track events. She served a d ...

, , , , 2009/2010
2010/2011 , , 2:18:20 , , , - ,

Lidia Șimon Lidia Slăvuțeanu-Șimon (born 4 September 1973) is a Romanian long-distance runner. She competed in the Olympic marathon five times (1996–2012), winning a silver medal at the 2000 Olympics. She is also a former marathon world champion. Care ...

, , 2000 , , , , 2:22:54 , , , - , Hiromi Suzuki , , , 1997 , , 2 , 2:26:27 , , , - ,

Kathrine Switzer Kathrine Virginia Switzer (born January 5, 1947) is an American marathon runner, author, and television commentator. In 1967, she became the first woman to run the Boston Marathon as an officially registered competitor. During her run, the race ...

, , , , , 1 , 2:51:37 , First woman to run the

as a numbered entry , , - ,

Naoko Takahashi is a retired Japanese long-distance runner and Olympic gold medal-winning marathoner. She won the gold medal in the marathon at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and at the 2001 Berlin Marathon she became the first woman to complete a marathon in un ...

, , 2000 , , , 7 , 2:19:46 , , , - , Reiko Tosa , , , 2001
2007 , , 3 , 2:22:46 , , , - ,

Grete Waitz Grete Waitz (, 1 October 195319 April 2011) was a Norwegian marathon runner and former world record holder. In 1979, at the New York City Marathon, she became the first woman in history to run the marathon in under two and a half hours. Waitz ...

, , 1984 , 1983 , , 13 , 2:24:54 , , , - ,

Gete Wami Getenesh "Gete" Wami Degife (Amharic: ጌጤነሽ 'ጌጤ' ዋሚ ደግፌ born January 28th 1974 in Debre Berhan) is an Ethiopian former long-distance runner who competed in cross country, track, and road events. Her brother, Mulugeta Wa ...

, , , , 2006/2007
2007/2008 , 4 , 2:21:34 , , , - ,

Sachiko Yamashita is a Japanese former long-distance runner, who won the silver medal in the women's marathon at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics in Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in ...

, , (4) 1992 , 1991 , , , 2:29:57 , , , - ,

Valentina Yegorova Valentina Mikhailovna Yegorova (, born 16 February 1964) is a long-distance runner from Russia. She was born in Cheboksary. Her first medal in the marathon came at the 1990 European Athletics Championships, where she was the silver medallist. Ca ...

, , 1992
1996 , , , 1 , 2:23:33 , ,

References

{{Marathon * Marathon running Marathoners