Fast conditions on the streets of Chicago produced personal bests, a course record and a world record on Sunday, October 11. Kenya’s Amos Kipruto and Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa won the open races of the Chicago Marathon, while Switzerland’s wheelchair stars Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug added to their long lists of titles.
Men’s race
- 1. Amos Kipruto (Kenya) 2:01:09, personal best
- 2. Tadese Bikila 2:02:56
- 4. Jacob Kiplimo (Uganda), the defending champion, 2:04:18
Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, had long been chasing a Chicago title. He finished nearly two minutes clear of Bikila, a margin rarely seen at this level. Kiplimo, who had been one of the pre-race favourites, faded in the closing kilometres.
Women’s race
- 1. Hawi Feysa (Ethiopia) 2:13:33, personal best
- 2. Sharon Lokedi (Kenya) 2:14:07
- 3. Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) 2:14:55
Feysa beat a strong field that included Kosgei, a former world record holder who won Chicago in 2019, and Lokedi, a winner in New York and Boston.
Wheelchair races
- Women: Catherine Debrunner won in 1:33:16, a world record, nearly nine minutes ahead of Tatyana McFadden.
- Men: Marcel Hug won in 1:21:34, breaking his own course record of 1:22:37 from 2023. It was his fifth straight Chicago title and seventh overall.
Both athletes said the weather played a big part in the fast times. “Weather plays a really big role,” Debrunner said after her record run.
What it means
Chicago’s flat course has a history of fast times, and this year’s results confirm it as one of the best places in the world to chase a record. For Kipruto, a time of 2:01:09 puts him among the fastest marathoners in history and makes him a contender for any major race he enters next spring. The marathon season continues with New York on November 1.