2 min readHere’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:
- Ruth Chepngetich, the marathon world record-holder, tested positive for the banned diuretic HCTZ in a urine sample collected on March 14, 2025.
- After an internal investigation, Chepngetich voluntarily accepted a provisional suspension on April 19 while the Athletics Integrity Unit continued its case.
- On July 17, the AIU formally issued a Notice of Charge and imposed its own suspension, citing HCTZ levels nearly 200 times the reporting threshold.
The Athletics Integrity Unit (AIU), the organization that enforces anti-doping for World Athletics, announced on Thursday that Ruth Chepngetich, the current women’s world record in the marathon (2:09:56), has been provisionally suspended for the presence of Hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic that is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
A sample taken on March 14, 2025 triggered the positive test. The head of the AIU, Brett Clothier, said in a press release that Chepngetich, 30, was notified of the result on April 16 and cooperated with the investigation.
He explained further:
“When there is a positive test for diuretics and masking agents, a provisional suspension is not mandatory under the World Anti-Doping Code. 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,” Clothier continued.
Chepngetich will be allowed to have her case heard before a Disciplinary Tribunal.
Hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) is classified under “diuretics and masking agents” by WADA and is prohibited “at all times.” The minimum reporting concentration is 20 ng/ml. Chepngetich’s urine test reported an estimated level of 3800 ng/ml—190 times the allowed limit.
The standard sanction for a “specified substance” violation is two years.
Chepngetich, who is Kenyan, set the marathon world record at the 2024 Chicago Marathon in October, running 2:09:56 to break Tigist Assefa’s previous mark—2:11:53 from the 2023 Berlin Marathon—by nearly two minutes. Chepngetich won the 2019 World Championships marathon and is a three-time winner of the Chicago Marathon. She also competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics in the marathon, but did not finish.
Chepngetich has raced once in 2025, according to World Athletics. She ran 1:06:20 at the Lisbon Half Marathon on March 9—five days before her positive sample was taken.
She was announced for the 2025 London Marathon elite field, but did not compete at the April 27 race. At the time, she told the BBC, “I’m not in the right place mentally or physically to race my best in London and I am therefore withdrawing.”
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
