Last October, the following two paragraphs were published in an Athletics Illustrated Magazine opinion piece.
Ruth Chepngetich’s performance at the 2024 Chicago Marathon was paradigm-shifting. For anyone who knows anything about marathon running, it took a second upon first seeing the time to absorb the gravity of it.
The AIU has provisionally suspended Ruth Chepng'etich (Kenya) for the Presence and Use of a Prohibited Substance (Hydrochlorothiazide). ⁰⁰Details here: https://t.co/lWC8sVtgCJ pic.twitter.com/PXh6pCGkh3
— Athletics Integrity Unit (@aiu_athletics) July 17, 2025
The Kenyan finished in two hours, nine minutes 57 seconds, taking nearly two minutes off Ethiopian Tigst Assefa’s world record. Last year at the Berlin Marathon, when Assefa ran 2:11:53, the reaction was the same: “No way.” Chepngetich’s performance is difficult to explain.
It has come to pass that she has been caught cheating.
Chepngetich has been provisionally suspended by the Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU). She tested positive for the presence and use of the prohibited substance hydrochlorothiazide.
Hydrochlorothiazide is a diuretic and is prohibited for use in athletics. It was detected in a sample collected from the Kenyan on March 14, 2025.
The AIU announced on Thursday, July 17.
“Chepngetich was not provisionally suspended by the AIU at the time of notification; however, on 19 April, she opted for a voluntary provisional suspension while the AIU’s investigation was ongoing. In the intervening months, the AIU continued its investigation and today issued a notice of charge and imposed its own provisional suspension,” said the AIU’s Brett Clothier.
The substance is used clinically to treat fluid retention and hypertension. Diuretics are commonly used to mask the presence of other drugs. She was likely on something else. By the results and her progression, the protocol could have included a steroid and a red blood cell booster like CERA or EPO.
