By Clay Shaw and Karen Mitchell
Chicago Marathon: Go Fast!
Kelvin Kiptum put Chicago front and center in 2023 with his blazing 2:00:35 world record. Sadly, Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana tragically died in a car accident in Kenya on February 11, 2024.
The 2024 marathon will have new champions. It is the 40th anniversary of the 2:08:05 world record set in 1984 by Steve Jones of Great Britain. Six world records have been set in Chicago. And this year the Abbott World Majors Event has another record of 50,000 entrants from all 50 states and 137 different countries.
The women’s elite field features Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya who won Chicago twice, 2021 and 2022. Her 2:14:18 PB set in Chicago 2022 is second on the all-time list. At the pre-race press conference Ruth said, “Chicago is like home and I want to run a beautiful race.”
Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia has a 2:15:55 PB from Tokyo 2024 in her 1st place finish. Joycline Jedkosgei of Kenya earned a PB of 2:16:54 in Tokyo 2024. She has been training with American Betsy Saina who also had a PB in 2024 Tokyo with a 2:19:17.
The band is back together again. The three USA women who all placed in the top ten of the World Championships in 2022 Eugene are running Chicago. Keira D’Amato moved her family to Utah this summer for altitude training and great coaching by Ed Eyestone. Keira’s PB of 2:19:12 was a world record at the time, set in Houston 2022. Sara Hall has a PB of 2:20:32 set in Chandler, AZ in 2020. Hall also ran a 1:07:15 in the Houston Half Marathon in 2022, an American record at the time. Emma Bates has a PB of 2:22:10 set in Boston 2023.
The men’s field is wide open with five men who have run sub 2:05 and 16 who have run sub 2:10.
Birhanu Legese of Ethiopia, who ran a personal best of 2:02:48 in Berlin 2019, has the fastest time in the field. Amos Kipruto of Kenya has a 2:03:13 PB from Tokyo 2022. Vincent Ngetich of Kenya shares the same time, his set in Berlin 2023. John Korir of Kenya has been winning USA road races this summer with wins in Utica and Falmouth road races. His PB is 2:05:01 set in Chicago 2022 when he finished third. He won Los Angeles twice in 2021 and 2022.
The USA triad of Zach Panning, PB 2:09:28, Chicago 2022; Brian Schrader, PB 2:09:46 Chicago 2023; and CJ Albertson, PB 2:09:53 Boston 2024 all figure to be in the mix.
Finally, making his marathon debut, Daniel Ebenyo of Kenya has a standout resume. He won the World Cross Country Championships in 2023 in Bathurst, Australia. He was second in the 2023 World Road Championships in Riga, Latvia. On the track, he earned a silver medal in the 10,000-meter race at the 2023 Budapest World Championships.
Categories: Race Coverage
Runner's Gazette 
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