Chepngetich chasing Chicago marathon hat-trick

This year’s London Marathon champions Sifan Hassan and Kelvin Kiptum will head to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday 8 October to take on Ruth Chepngetich and Benson Kipruto, the defending champions of the World Athletics Platinum Label road race.

Chepngetich won last year’s race in 2:14:18 – which, at the time, was the second-fastest performance in history and just 14 seconds shy of the then world record.

The 2019 world champion from Kenya returns to Chicago on the hunt for her third consecutive victory in the Windy City.

All eyes on Kiptum in fierce Chicago marathon battle

She won the Nagoya Marathon earlier this year in 2:18:08, and more recently she clocked 1:06:18 at the Buenos Aires Half Marathon.

Victory this weekend would make Chepngetich the first woman to win the Chicago Marathon three times. But in order to do that, she will have to defeat Hassan, the double Olympic gold medalist.

Hassan made her marathon debut in London in April when, despite stopping to stretch twice, she closed a 25-second gap on the leaders to win and set a national record of 2:18:33.

She took a break from her marathon training to race on the track at the World Championships in Budapest, where she contested three distances and came away with two medals, taking silver in the 5000m and bronze in the 1500m.

“As most people know, I like to be challenged,” said Hassan. “I have the experience from London so I'm looking forward to see what the marathon can teach me this time.”

It will be more than just a two-woman race, though. Joyciline Jepkosgei, winner of the 2021 London Marathon and 2019 New York City Marathon, will make her Chicago debut. She started the year off well with a 1:04:46 half marathon PB in Barcelona, but she had a disappointing run at the Boston Marathon, where she finished 12th.

Tadu Teshome is the second-fastest woman in the field. The Ethiopian set her PB of 2:17:36 at last year’s Valencia Marathon, having won in Barcelona and Riyadh in her previous races over the distance.

Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia – who broke several world records on the track, indoors and out – made her marathon debut in Amsterdam last year, clocking 2:18:05. She started this year’s London Marathon but did not finish, so she’ll be out for redemption in Chicago.

Compatriot Sutume Kebede was another non-finisher in London, but she is a 2:18:12 performer at her best, and has made it on to several marathon podiums in the past, so cannot be discounted.

Other notable Ethiopian competitors include this year’s London Marathon runner-up Megertu Alemu and 2019 Chicago runner-up Ababel Yesheneh.

Emily Sisson finished runner-up last year in 2:18:29, demolishing the North American record by 43 seconds. She went on to set a continental half marathon record of 1:06:52 in Houston earlier this year.

The US contingency also features Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel, 2018 Boston Marathon champion Des Linden and 2021 Chicago runner-up Emma Bates.

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Elite fields

Women

Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18

Tadu Teshome (ETH) 2:17:36

Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:17:43

Genzebe Dibaba (ETH) 2:18:05

Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:18:12

Emily Sisson (USA) 2:18:29

Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:18:32

Sifan Hassan (NED) 2:18:33

Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:51

Des Linden (USA) 2:22:38

Emma Bates (USA) 2:23:18

Molly Seidel (USA) 2:24:42

Dakotah Lindwurm (USA) 2:25:01

Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:26:23

Andrea Ramirez (MEX) 2:26:34

Tristin van Ord (USA) 2:27:07

Rose Harvey (GBR) 2:27:20

Gabriella Rooker (USA) 2:27:38

Diane Nukuri (USA) 2:27:50

Maggie Montoya (USA) 2:28:07

Dominique Scott (RSA) 2:19:19

By World Athletics