Will World Records Fall at the 2023 Chicago Marathon?

Published October 4, 2023 03:20PM

With Tigst Assefa’s astonishing 2:11:53 world record at the September 23 Berlin Marathon still fresh in mind, the elite road racing circuit turns to Chicago this weekend for the next of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

Led by Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum, the second-fastest marathoner in history, the October 8 Chicago Marathon boasts a deep field of international and American talent are set to converge on the Windy City for a race that, should cool and cloudy pre-race weather conditions hold, could continue the record-setting pace established in Berlin. Five world records have been set at the Chicago Marathon.

Women’s Elite Race

Chepngetich ran the second-fastest marathon in history, 2:14:18, to win her second consecutive Chicago Marathon. She ran under world record pace through 40K and ultimately finished just 14 seconds slower than Brigid Kosgei’s mark of 2:14:04, which was also set in Chicago in 2019.

Could Chepngetich possibly challenge Assefa’s new world record? That would be a tall order, but one that is not completely out of bounds—Chepngetich did go out guns blazing in her Chicago win last year, cruising to an opening half of 65:44 before the wheels fell off. If she were to maintain that pace, she would have run a 2:11:28 full marathon. The 29-year-old is coming off a third-place, 1:06:18 half marathon in Buenos Aires in late August.

Not to be forgotten is challenger Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, the two-time Olympic champion on the track who can always be counted on to make things interesting. The 30-year-old Ethiopian-born runner won her debut over 26.2 miles at the London Marathon in April (2:18:33)— despite stopping multiple times to stretch—and beat a loaded field that included reigning Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir.

Hassan’s unorthodox racing schedule also included a triple at the World Athletics Championships in August, where she earned the bronze medal in the 1,500m, silver in the 5,000m and 11th place in the 10,000m—a race she led until falling in the final meters before the finish line. In between events, she was seen completing a workout on the track in Budapest—reportedly, to keep her mileage up in preparation for the Chicago Marathon. Track and field has certainly never seen an athlete like Hassan before, and it would be foolish to count her out.

On that note, fellow middle-distance-star-turned-marathoner Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia is also one of the top seeds, with her 2:18:05 personal best. Both Hassan and Dibaba have previously set the world record in the mile, which is now held by Faith Kipyegon of Kenya.

A total of eight women in the field have run 2:20 or faster, including Kenyan Joyciline Jepkosgei (2:17:43 PB), winner of the 2021 London Marathon and 2019 New York City Marathon, and Ethiopia’s Megertu Alemu (2:18:32 PB), who was second in this year’s London Marathon.

The domestic field will be loaded as well, with 2022 runner-up Emily Sisson returning to the venue where she set an American record of 2:18:29 last October. The 31-year-old who splits time between Flagstaff, Arizona, and Providence, Rhode Island, will have competition from Boulder, Colorado-based Emma Bates, 31, who declared she was in American record shape before placing fifth at the Boston Marathon in 2:22:10, a new personal best. Both women are considered to be top contenders to make the U.S. Olympic team on February 4 at the U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon in Orlando, Florida.

Other top Americans include Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel (2:24:42 PB), and Des Linden (2:22:38 PB), the 2018 Boston Marathon champion who is chasing the U.S. masters record of 2:27:47, set by Deena Kastor at the 2015 Chicago Marathon. Nell Rojas (2:24:51 PB), Dakotah Lindwurm (2:25:01) and Sara Vaughn (2:26:23).

Men’s Elite Race

If Kenya’s Kelvin Kiptum isn’t yet a household name among running fans, he should be soon. The 23-year-old’s 2:01:53 winning time at the 2022 Valencia Marathon was the fastest debut in world history, and his subsequent 2:01:25 to win this spring’s London Marathon is the second-fastest time in world history. Only three men in history have run under 2:02, and Kiptum is the only marathoner to do it under the age of 35.

The Chicago Marathon is Kiptum’s first marathon on U.S. soil, and he’ll face some experienced competition.

Fellow Kenyan Benson Kipruto returns to defend his title, which he won last year in 2:04:24, the fourth-fastest time in Chicago history. The 32-year-old Kipruto also won the 2021 Boston Marathon.

Bashir Abdi of Belgium (2:03:36 PB) could also play spoiler after earning bronze at the 2020 Olympics and 2022 World Championships, and Seifu Tura of Ethiopia (2:04:29 PB) returns to Chi-town after winning the title in 2021 and earning runner-up honors in 2022. Ethiopia’s Kinde Atanaw (2:03:51 PB), the fourth-place finisher at last fall’s London Marathon (2:05:27) was just added to the field, but is a bit of a wild card after dropping out of London this year.

On the domestic side, the top U.S. men will use the traditionally flat and fast Chicago Marathon course to chase the Olympic standard of 2:08:10. The qualifying procedures are somewhat convoluted, but if three American men can either earn a top 64 world ranking or the auto qualifier of 2:08:10, then the top three finishers at the U.S. Olympic Trials will earn a spot on the Olympic team. A high placing finish in Chicago would also earn the runner points for the world rankings.

Two-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp headlines the American field in Chicago, as the 37-year-old looks to make his fifth Olympic team next year. The 2012 and 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials champion (eighth in Tokyo) has a strong competitive record in Chicago, where he won the marathon in 2017 (2:09:20) and earned runner-up honors in 2021 (2:06:35). In 2022, he came back from injury to place 19th at the world championships (2:09:36), but dropped out of the New York City Marathon in November. He hasn’t raced this year since his lackluster 17th-place showing at the NYC Half Marathon (1:04:57) in March.

The heir-apparent to Rupp’s domestic crown could be Conner Mantz, 26-year-old Utah runner who was the top American finisher in Chicago last year in 2:08:16—the second-fastest U.S. debut ever, and just six seconds off the Olympic standard. After he had a good Boston Marathon in April (11th, 2:10:25), Mantz has been racing extremely well on the track and roads this year, including a high-altitude win at the Bolder Boulder 10K in May and his recent runner-up showings at the Beach to Beacon 10K in August and the U.S. 20K Championships in September.

Other top U.S. entrants include Leonard Korir (2:07:56 PB), Matt McDonald (2:09:49 PB) and Eritrean-born Daniel Mesfun (2:10:06 PB), who just received U.S. citizenship in May.