Ruth Chepng'etich: Marathon world record holder accepts three-year ban after testing positive for prohibited substance

Marathon world record holder Ruth Chepng'etich has accepted a three-year ban by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU) after testing positive for the prohibited substance Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ), which she claimed was due to taking her housemaid's medication.

The 31-year-old, a former World Champion and three-time Chicago Marathon winner, admitted to violating the Anti-Doping Rule after initially denying any wrongdoing.

The AIU found an estimated concentration of 3800ng/mL of HCTZ in her sample — far above WADA’s reporting threshold of 20ng/mL. Chepng’etich claimed she unknowingly took her housemaid’s medication two days before the test, but the AIU ruled the act as indirect intent.

Her sanction was reduced from four to three years following early admission. Also, all her results before March 14, 2025 still stand, including her World Record of 2:09:56, while investigations into material found on her phone are ongoing.

In July 2025, the AIU released a press statement confirming the Kenyan runner had been provisionally suspended for testing positive to the substance Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) following a sample collected on March 14.

The release also stated that Chepng'etich's positive test reported to the AIU on April 3 this year had an estimated concentration of 3800 ng/mL in urine.

The 30-year-old runner broke the women's marathon WR in Chicago last year with a blistering time of 2:09.57 to surpass the previous record of 2:11.53 set by Ethiopian Tigst Assefa by nearly two minutes.

With her time, she became the first woman in history to break the two-hour and 10-minute mark, and it was her third victory at the Chicago Marathon, after successful outings in 2021 and 2022, and runner-up in 2023.