Feysa and Kipruto triumph in swift Chicago races

Hawi Feysa retained her Bank of America Chicago Marathon title in 2:13:33 and Amos Kipruto won the men’s race in 2:01:09 as both athletes moved up the world all-time lists at the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday (11).

Feysa produced a decisive late surge to defeat two-time Boston Marathon champion Sharon Lokedi, improving her PB by 84 seconds to move to fourth on the world all-time list. Lokedi followed in 2:14:07, moving to eighth all time, while former world record-holder Brigid Kosgei was third in 2:14:55. It was the first marathon in history in which three women finished inside 2:15.

Kipruto, meanwhile, completed his progression through the Chicago podium positions. Third in 2024 and second last year, the Kenyan broke away from pre-race favourite Jacob Kiplimo in the second half and held on for a 2:01:09 victory – a 30-second PB that moves him to equal fifth on the world all-time list alongside Eliud Kipchoge.

The women set off aggressively from the start. A lead group of seven – Feysa, Kosgei, Lokedi, Joan Kilimo, Brillian Kipkoech, Sutume Asefa Kebede and Loice Chemnung – reached 5km in 15:36, equivalent to 2:11:39 marathon pace.

By about 7km, Feysa and Kosgei had started to pull away. They reached 10km in 31:04, nine seconds ahead of a chase group containing Lokedi, Kilimo, Kipkoech and Chemnung.

Feysa was a stride ahead of Kosgei as they passed 15km in 46:41, still operating at 2:11 pace. Behind them, the chase group had been reduced to Lokedi, Kilimo and Chemnung, who trailed by 12 seconds.

But the leaders were not able to make the break stick. Lokedi and Chemnung gradually closed the gap and by halfway four women were together at the front. They had passed 20km in 1:02:31 before reaching the half-way point in 1:06:06.

The quartet remained intact through 25km, but the complexion of the race began to change over the next five kilometres. Lokedi led Feysa through 30km in 1:34:16, while Kosgei had slipped 11 seconds behind and Chemnung was a further 30 seconds back. By 21 miles, Feysa and Lokedi were together with a 35-second advantage over Kosgei.

Neither could shake the other. They reached 35km in 1:50:23 and were still side by side through 22 miles in 1:51:43. Kosgei remained within striking distance, 39 seconds behind, but the contest for victory had developed into a duel between Feysa and Lokedi.

They passed 24 miles in 2:02:16 and mile 25 in 2:07:27. Even with little more than a kilometre remaining, there was nothing between them. Then, with about 2:10 on the clock, Feysa made her move.

The Ethiopian suddenly opened daylight and, after more than an hour of close racing with Lokedi, the gap grew remarkably quickly. Feysa covered the final mile strongly enough to put 34 seconds into her rival, breaking the tape in 2:13:33.

The performance took 84 seconds off the PB of 2:14:57 she set when winning in Chicago last year and lifted her to fourth on the world all-time list. It was the third major marathon victory of Feysa’s career, following her wins in Frankfurt in 2024 and Chicago in 2025.

Lokedi was rewarded with a huge PB of 2:14:07 in second, moving her to eighth on the world all-time list. Kosgei completed an exceptional podium in 2:14:55, making it the first marathon in history to produce three sub-2:15 finishers.

Mary Ngugi-Cooper was fourth in 2:17:23 and Kilimo fifth in 2:18:39.

Kipruto takes control after Kiplimo surge

The men’s race was similarly ambitious from the outset. A six-man group comprising Kipruto, Kiplimo, Tadese Bikila, Milkesa Mengesha, Boki Diriba and Daniel Mateiko passed 5km in 14:18. A chase pack led by Vincent Mauri reached 5km in 14:53, and by 10km – which the leaders passed in 28:37 – they were about a minute adrift.

The leading six remained together through 15km in 42:55 and 20km in 57:13 before reaching halfway in 1:00:21, eight seconds quicker than Sabastian Sawe’s halfway split during his 1:59:30 world record run in London earlier this year.

Behind them, Mauri was producing an eye-catching run of his own. The self-coached US athlete, who does much of his training on a treadmill and ran 2:05:54 on his marathon debut in Ohio earlier this year, began to break away from the second group. He reached halfway in 1:02:15, 17 seconds clear of his nearest pursuers and on course for a time well inside 2:05.

Up front, the six-man group finally started to fracture after halfway. Kiplimo led through 25km in 1:11:19, alongside Mateiko, Kipruto and Bikila. Mengesha and Diriba had started to lose ground and the leaders were now operating at course record pace.

Soon afterwards Kiplimo increased the tempo again. His move, with about 1:17:30 on the clock, broke apart the group, with Kipruto the only athlete initially able to respond. The pair then covered the five kilometres to 30km in 13:58, reaching that checkpoint in 1:25:28 – a projected finishing time of 2:00:12.

Kiplimo and Kipruto remained together through mile 20 in 1:31:51, but the balance then began to shift. Kipruto edged a second ahead by mile 21 and had stretched that advantage to 12 seconds by 35km, which he passed in 1:39:58.

Kiplimo’s challenge faded rapidly from that point. Kipruto was 17 seconds clear at 22 miles and 47 seconds ahead by 23 miles, while Bikila and Mengesha began to close on the Ugandan. By mile 24, Kipruto’s advantage over Kiplimo had grown to 1:32. He reached 40km in 1:54:31 with Bikila now up into second.

Kipruto continued on to win in 2:01:09. The performance took 30 seconds off the PB he set when finishing fourth in London in April and moves him alongside Kipchoge at equal fifth on the world all-time list. When Kipchoge ran 2:01:09 in Berlin four years ago, it was a world record.

For Kipruto, the 2019 world bronze medallist, it was a second World Marathon Majors victory following his triumph in London in 2022.

Bikila finished strongly to take second in a PB of 2:02:56. Mengesha also came through in the closing stages to claim third in 2:03:46, passing Kiplimo, who finished fourth in 2:04:18. Diriba and Mateiko were fifth and sixth, both timed at 2:05:01.

Clayton Young was the leading US finisher in seventh, improving his PB to 2:05:23 and moving to second on the North American all-time list. Charles Hicks followed in 2:05:35, with Akira Akasaki ninth in 2:05:47.

Mauri, whose early pace had put him on course for a significant breakthrough, was forced to stop briefly with what appeared to be cramp shortly after 21 miles. He nevertheless recovered to finish 10th in 2:06:45.

Leading results

Women
1 Hawi Feysa (ETH) 2:13:33
2 Sharon Lokedi (KEN) 2:14:07
3 Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:55
4 Mary Ngugi-Cooper (KEN) 2:17:23
5 Joan Kilimo (KEN) 2:18:39
6 Isobel Batt-Doyle (AUS) 2:20:38
7 Emma Grace Hurley (USA) 2:20:47
8 Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:20:59
9 Magdalyne Masai (KEN) 2:21:11
10 Loice Chemnung (KEN) 2:21:18

Men
1 Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:01:09
2 Tadese Bikila (ETH) 2:02:56
3 Milkesa Mengesha (ETH) 2:03:46
4 Jacob Kiplimo (UGA) 2:04:18
5 Boki Diriba (ETH) 2:05:01
6 Daniel Mateiko (KEN) 2:05:01
7 Clayton Young (USA) 2:05:23
8 Charles Hicks (USA) 2:05:35
9 Akira Akasaki (JPN) 2:05:47
10 Vincent Mauri (USA) 2:06:45