Below you'll find tables listing the fastest courses for men and women, as well as the 10 fastest marathoners in history on record-eligible courses, and the progression of the world records over the last 28 years.
Eagle-eyed readers might notice that Boston Marathon course record holder Geoffrey Mutai is listed as the eighth-fastest man in history, rather than the second, even though his 2:03:03 at Boston in 2011 is the second-fastest time in history. That's because in the fastest-performers tables we're considering times only from record-eligible courses. Because of its point-to-point layout and too-great net elevation drop, Boston's course doesn't count for record purposes. (Times from it are included in the fastest-courses tables.)
Each marathoner appears on the list only once, even if he or she has multiple performances that would fall within the 10 fastest in history.