Defending champions Seifu Tura and Ruth Chepngetich lead this year’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon field, joined by some of the world’s best athletes who will be vying to dethrone them at the World Athletics Elite Platinum Label road race on October 9, 2022.
Unlike the fast pace set by his fellow champion last year, Ethiopia’s Tura waited until 38km to pull ahead and win the biggest race of his career so far. With a 2:04:29 personal best, Tura clocked 2:06:12 to win in 2021 and was sixth in the World Championships marathon in Oregon.
Kenya’s 2019 world marathon champion Chepngetich started on world record pace in last year’s race and although she slowed over the second half of the course, she had enough to take the crown in 2:22:31. Her PB of 2:17:08 set in Dubai in 2019 makes her the fourth-fastest ever women’s marathon runner but she was unable to finish when racing in last month’s World Championships marathon in Oregon.
Kenya’s Celestine Chepchirchir and Vivian Kiplagat plus Ethiopia’s Haven Hailu Desse are among some of this year’s elite women hoping to prevent a repeat victory from Chepngetich.
Chepchirchir, winner of the 2019 Sanlam Cape Town Marathon, enters this year’s race fresh off a personal best of 2:20:10 set at the Seoul International Marathon. Kiplagat, winner of this year’s Milan Marathon in a 2:20:18 PB, attempted to stay on Chepngetich’s heels during last year’s Chicago Marathon before fading to fifth place.
Haven, meanwhile, made her marathon debut in 2020 and set a personal best of 2:20:19 in 2021 to finish third in Amsterdam, before claiming her first marathon victory in Rotterdam in April.
In the men’s competition, Tura will clash with his compatriots Herpasa Negasa, Dawit Wolde and Asrar Abderehman, plus Uganda’s Stephen Kissa and Kenya’s Benson Kipruto.
Herpasa had a breakthrough in 2019 when he shaved almost six minutes from his PB in Dubai to run 2:03:40. He heads to Chicago after a second place performance in Seoul, clocking 2:04:49.
Dawit boasts a marathon personal best of 2:04:27, set in 2021 to finish third in Rotterdam, while Asrar made headlines in February when he broke the course record at the Zurich Seville Marathon, taking three minutes off his PB to run 2:04:43.
(WA)
