Ruth Chepngetich wins the Chicago Marathon (© AFP / Getty Images)
This year’s London Marathon champions Sifan Hassan and Kelvin Kiptum will head to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday (8) to take on Ruth Chepngetich and Benson Kipruto, the defending champions of the World Athletics Platinum Label road race.
Chepngetich won last year’s race in 2:14:18 – which, at the time, was the second-fastest performance in history and just 14 seconds shy of the then world record. The 2019 world champion from Kenya returns to Chicago on the hunt for her third consecutive victory in the Windy City.
She won the Nagoya Marathon earlier this year in 2:18:08, and more recently she clocked 1:06:18 at the Buenos Aires Half Marathon.
Victory this weekend would make Chepngetich the first woman to win the Chicago Marathon three times. But in order to do that, she will have to defeat Hassan, the double Olympic gold medallist.
Hassan made her marathon debut in London in April when, despite stopping to stretch twice, she closed a 25-second gap on the leaders to win and set a national record of 2:18:33.
She took a break from her marathon training to race on the track at the World Championships in Budapest, where she contested three distances and came away with two medals, taking silver in the 5000m and bronze in the 1500m.
“As most people know, I like to be challenged,” said Hassan. “I have the experience from London so I'm looking forward to see what the marathon can teach me this time.”
It will be more than just a two-woman race, though.
Joyciline Jepkosgei, winner of the 2021 London Marathon and 2019 New York City Marathon, will make her Chicago debut. She started the year off well with a 1:04:46 half marathon PB in Barcelona, but she had a disappointing run at the Boston Marathon, where she finished 12th.
Tadu Teshome is the second-fastest woman in the field. The Ethiopian set her PB of 2:17:36 at last year’s Valencia Marathon, having won in Barcelona and Riyadh in her previous races over the distance.
Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia – who broke several world records on the track, indoors and out – made her marathon debut in Amsterdam last year, clocking 2:18:05. She started this year’s London Marathon but did not finish, so she’ll be out for redemption in Chicago.
Compatriot Sutume Kebede was another non-finisher in London, but she is a 2:18:12 performer at her best, and has made it on to several marathon podiums in the past, so cannot be discounted.
Other notable Ethiopian competitors include this year’s London Marathon runner-up Megertu Alemu and 2019 Chicago runner-up Ababel Yesheneh.
Emily Sisson finished runner-up last year in 2:18:29, demolishing the North American record by 43 seconds. She went on to set a continental half marathon record of 1:06:52 in Houston earlier this year.
The US contingency also features Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel, 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden and 2021 Chicago runner-up Emma Bates.
Kiptum takes on Kipruto
A regular podium finisher in major marathons over the past two years, Kipruto won the men’s race last year in 2:04:24, the fourth fastest time ever in Chicago. He contested the Boston Marathon earlier this year and achieved another podium finish, placing third in 2:06:06. He returned to Boston two months later and raced over 10km, setting a PB of 28:39.
Fellow Kenyan Kiptum will be making his US marathon debut in Chicago. After running 2:01:53 on his debut at the distance in Valencia last year, Kiptum won this year’s London Marathon in 2:01:25, the second-fastest time in history and just 16 seconds shy of the world record.
Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura – winner in Chicago in 2021 and runner-up last year – will return for the third consecutive year, looking for another podium finish. His last race was at the London Marathon where he finished fifth in 2:06:38. His PB of 2:04:29, set at the 2021 Milan Marathon, makes him the sixth-fastest man in the field.
Belgium’s world and Olympic bronze medallist Bashir Abdi – winner of this year’s Rotterdam Marathon – is also in the line-up and is the second-fastest entrant on PBs. He warmed up for Chicago by racing the Great South Run, where he finished second in 1:01:20.
Ethiopian duo Dawit Wolde and Kinde Atanaw will line up in Chicago with something of a point to prove. Wolde started in Chicago last year but failed to finish. Atanaw, meanwhile, was a DNF in his most recent race, the London Marathon.
Kenya’s John Korir was third in Chicago last year in a PB of 2:05:01, and he’ll be looking to at least match that performance, if not improve on it.
Conner Mantz and Galen Rupp lead the US elite entries. Mantz will be chasing the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:08:10, just six seconds faster than his finishing time last year. Rupp – the 2017 Chicago Marathon champion and 2021 runner-up – last raced in March, clocking 1:04:57 at the New York Half Marathon.
Elite fields
Women
Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18
Tadu Teshome (ETH) 2:17:36
Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:17:43
Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05
Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:18:12
Emily Sisson (USA) 2:18:29
Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:18:32
Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:18:33
Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:51
Des Linden (USA) 2:22:38
Emma Bates (USA) 2:23:18
Molly Seidel (USA) 2:24:42
Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 2:25:01
Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:26:23
Andrea Ramirez (MEX) 2:26:34
Tristin van Ord (USA) 2:27:07
Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:27:20
Gabriella Rooker (USA) 2:27:38
Diane Nukuri (USA) 2:27:50
Maggie Montoya (USA) 2:28:07
Dominique Scott (RSA) 2:19:19
Men
Kelvin Kiptum (KEN) 2:01:25
Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:03:36
Kinde Atenaw (ETH) 2:03:51
Benson Kipruto (KEN) 2:04:24
Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:04:27
Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:04:29
John Korir (KEN) 2:05:01
Huseydin Mohamed (ETH) 2:05:05
Galen Rupp (USA) 2:06:07
Leonard Korir (USA) 2:07:56
Conner Mantz (USA) 2:08:16
Yuki Matsumura (JPN) 2:09:01
Takashi Ichida (JPN) 2:09:15
Matt McDonald (USA) 2:09:49
Mick Iacofano (USA) 2:09:55
Masashi Nonaka (JPN) 2:09:57
Daniel Mateiko (KEN) debut
Wesley Kiptoo (KEN) debut
