World Athletics Federation has ratified three world records in the 50 km. Their authors are Desiree Linden (USA), Ketema Negasa (Ethiopia) and Irvette van Zyl (South Africa).
The first achievement in the non-traditional discipline was the American Desiree Linden from 2:59:54, registered on April 13 in the United States. She set a world record in the 50km medley.
On May 23 in Port Elizabeth, two world records were set for 50 km for men and women. Ketema Negasa scored 2:42:07 in the men’s race, and in an all-women’s race, South African Irvette van Zyl stopped the time trial at 3:04:24.
Desiree Linden represented the United States in the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics women’s marathon. In 2018, she won the Boston Marathon, becoming the first American in 33 years to win the woman’s category in the event.
Irvette van Zyl is a South African long-distance runner and women’s 50km ultramarathon world record holder. She competed in the marathon at the 2012 Summer Olympics but did not finish the race. She has twice participated in the London Marathon and set her previous best time of 2:31:26 hours there in 2013.
