Chepngetich ditched the competition by the halfway mark and ran through a chorus of cheers through the final straight as she claimed her third title in Chicago and crushed Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s previous record of 2:11:53s, set last year in Berlin.

Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede crossed the line seven minutes and 36 seconds later while Kenyan Irine Cheptai (2:17:51s) was third.

“This is my dream that has come true,” said Chepngetich, whose time was originally recorded as 2:09:57s but was later adjusted.

Chepngetich set a blistering pace from the start, running the first 5km in 15 minutes flat and by the halfway mark she had built a 14-second cushion between herself and Kebede.

Television commentators were astonished as she grinded through the course, comparing her attempt at a sub-2:10 marathon to the moon landing, and she only seemed to gain momentum as she sprinted through the final two miles.

Chepngetich, the 2019 world champion, hunched over in utter exhaustion after breaking the tape and dedicated her performance to compatriot Kelvin Kiptum, who broke the men’s world record a year ago in Chicago and died in a car crash four months later.

“World record was in my mind,” she said in televised remarks.

“Chicago, as I said in the press, is like home.”