By David Monti, @d9monti | (c)2024 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved; used with permission
CHICAGO (13-Oct) — Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, the 2019 world marathon champion, ran an astonishing time of 2:09:56 at this morning’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a pending World Athletics record by nearly two minutes. Guided by two male pacemakers, the 30 year-old ran consecutive half-marathons of 1:04:16 and 1:05:41. Amazingly, her first half split was the fastest-ever half-marathon run by a woman on U.S. soil.
“It’s just mind-boggling,” said two-time Olympian Ed Eyestone on the local television broadcast of the race.
Chepngetich, who was not selected for the 2024 Kenyan Olympic team, came out swinging today. Shadowed by Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede, she scooted through the first 5-K in 15-flat, and 10-K in 30:14. At that point she was on pace for a 2:07:34 finish, and Kebede was only two seconds back.
“This year the weather was perfect,” said Chepngetich, who had already won this race twice before, in 2021 and 2022. She added: “Like I say, I was well prepared. World record was on my mind.”
After the 10-K mark Chepngetich got into a sizzling and unprecedented rhythm. For the next four 5-K segments she clocked 15:18, 15:19, 15:26, and 15:32. Kebede faded back more and more with each passing kilometer (she would eventually finish second in 2:17:32), and at various points she ran with American elite men, including Nathan Martin and Shadrack Kipchirchir.
“When I looked over, I know we’re running 2:07 pace and she looked great,” said the top American man, C.J. Albertson, who ran close to Chepngetich during the first 10-K.
Her pace seemed unsustainable. Yet, after slowing slightly from 30 to 35-K (15:43), she picked it up again from 35 to 40-K (15:39). When she crested “Mount Roosevelt,” the small hill which begins with about 400 meters left in the race, she was able to summon a sprint to the finish and break 2:10. She collapsed into the arms of race director Cary Pinkowski just after crossing the finish line.
“Chicago is like a home,” said Chepngetich, who earned $150,000 in prize and bonus money from the race, and will surely earn more in undisclosed bonuses. She added: “This is my fourth year coming to Chicago. The fans are so motivating, pushing me.”
Irine Cheptai of Kenya (2:17:51), Buze Diriba of Ethiopia (2:20:22) and Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya (2:20:51) rounded out the top-5. The top American was Susanna Sullivan who finished seventh in 2:21:56, a huge personal best.
“This time a year ago I couldn’t walk; I had a fractured kneecap,” said Sullivan, a sixth grade math teacher from Virginia. She won $15,000 in prize money as the top American and said she might use it to do some work on the old house she and her husband recently bought in Maine.
“It will certainly come in handy because it’s definitely a fixer-upper,” she said.
Lindsay Flanagan was the second USA woman, finishing ninth in a personal best 2:23:31, and Emma Bates was the third American in 11th in 2:24:00.
Chepngetich’s performance overshadowed a fine victory for Kenya’s John Korir in the men’s race. Korir, 27, whose older brother Wesley was the 2012 Boston Marathon winner, ran a 4:37 20th mile then 14:01 from 30 to 35 km. That crippled the rest of the field, and allowed Korir to scamper to the finish alone and clock a personal best 2:02:44, the second-fastest winning time ever at this race.
“I was excited,” Korir told reporters after the race. “I knew I was in 2:02 shape.” He added: “I knew I wanted to close the season in a PB and I did it.”
Out of the group of six men Korir dropped in the 20th mile, Ethiopia’s Mohamed Esa did the best and finished second in 2:04:39. Kenya’s Amos Kipruto took third in 2:04:50, and two more Kenyans rounded out the top-5, Vincent Ngetich (2:05:16) and Daniel Ebenyo (2:06:04). Ebenyo, the 2023 World Athletics Championships 10,000m silver medalist, was making his marathon debut.
Albertson, the top American, ran a personal best 2:08:17, good for seventh place. He passed compatriot Zach Panning with about a mile and a half to go (Panning ended up ninth in 2:09:16). Albertson, who will also run the TCS New York City Marathon in three weeks, enjoyed the atmosphere of today’s race, but found the flat course oddly challenging.
“You just get no breaks,” said Albertson, who said that hilly courses allow him to change-up his muscle usage. He added: “The whole first 16 miles there’s no break. It’s just uncomfortable the whole time.”
In the wheelchair divisions the pre-race favorites Marcel Hug and Catherine Debrunner, both of Switzerland, prevailed. Hug won a close race over Daniel Romanchuk of the USA, 1:25:54 to 1:25:58. Japan’s Tomoki Suzuki was third in 1:26:05. It was Hug’s fifth victory in Chicago, and his third in a row.
“It was a big challenge today with Daniel,” he said. “He was very strong. I attacked many times.”
Debrunner caught a break when her top opponent, Susannah Scaroni of the United States, got a flat tire before the 5-K mark. Debrunner raced the clock instead and broke her own course record by more than two minutes. Her time of 1:36:12 generated earnings of $90,000: $40,000 for the win and $50,000 for a new course record.
“I was super excited to come back here to Chicago,” said Debrunner, who ended her 2024 season with today’s race. She added: “It was a really tough race, there was a lot of wind. It’s always tough when you’re by yourself. I struggled quite often.”
Scaroni finished 12th in 1:56:20.
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Today’s race was part of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is a World Athletics Platinum Label road race. Race officials expected about 51,000 finishers today, but the official total will not be known until tonight.
