John Korir and Megertu Alemu to lead Chicago Marathon elite fields
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 09.10.25. | 22:00
A new champion will be crowned in the women’s race, though several athletes return to Chicago seeking better results
John Korir and Megertu Alemu will headline the Chicago Marathon elite fields when the World Athletics Platinum Label road race takes place on Sunday, 12 October.
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Kenya's Korir, who won last year in 2:02:44—the second-fastest time in the race’s history—proved his Chicago triumph was no fluke with a convincing victory at the Boston Marathon earlier this year.
He aims to run under 2:01, a mark only officially achieved by the late Kelvin Kiptum, who set the world record of 2:00:35 in Chicago in 2023.
“I am confident I can retain my title at the 2025 Chicago Marathon this October,” said Korir, the eighth-fastest man in history. “My training is going well, and I am focused on achieving another personal best.”
Korir will be joined by five other men who have broken 2:04. Kenya’s Timothy Kiplagat, second at last year’s Tokyo Marathon, is the second-fastest in the field with a personal best of 2:02:55.
Fellow Kenyans Amos Kipruto, third in Chicago last year, and Cybrian Kotut, third in Boston, will also vie for the podium, alongside two-time Olympic marathon medalist Bashir Abdi of Belgium.
Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the world half-marathon record holder, will run his second marathon after finishing runner-up in London in 2:03:37 earlier this year.
Two-time New York champion Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya makes his Chicago debut, having narrowly missed his personal best by 10 seconds when winning the Rotterdam Marathon in April with 2:04:33.
Conner Mantz leads the US contingent. After running 2:05:08 earlier this year in Boston, where the course is not record-eligible, Mantz will target the US (2:05:38) and North American (2:05:36) records.
Canada’s Rory Linkletter will also aim for the North American mark, while the USA’s 2017 Chicago champion, Galen Rupp, is among the entrants.
A new champion will be crowned in the women’s race, though several athletes return to Chicago seeking better results.
Ethiopia’s Alemu, 2023 Valencia Marathon champion, finished third in Chicago last year, her second Marathon Majors podium that year after a runner-up finish in London. She clocked a personal best of 2:16:34 in London, then won Valencia in 2:16:49.
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She will be joined by compatriot Hawi Feysa, Frankfurt Marathon champion and third in Tokyo earlier this year, with a PB of 2:17:00.
Other contenders include Ethiopians Bedatu Hirpa, Haven Hailu Desse, and marathon debutante Ejgayehu Taye, the 2023 world 10,000m bronze medallist.
Joining Alemu, Feysa, Hirpa, and Desse—four runners under 2:20—are Kenya's Mary Ngugi-Cooper (PB 2:20:22), Great Britain’s Calli Hauger-Thackery, and USA’s Natosha Rogers.
Leading entries—women
(Megertu Alemu, ETH), (Hawi Feysa, ETH), (Bedatu Hirpa, ETH), (Haven Hailu Desse, ETH), (Mary Ngugi-Cooper, KEN), (Calli Hauger-Thackery, GBR), (Natosha Rogers, USA), (Florencia Borelli, ARG), (Gabi Rooker, USA), (Dakotah Popehn, USA), (Melody Julien, FRA), (Makenna Myler, USA), (Marta Galimany, ESP), (Aubrey Frentheway, USA), (Maggie Montoya, USA), (Loice Chemnung, KEN, debut), (Ejgayehu Taye, ETH, debut), (Emily Venters, USA, debut)
Leading entries—men:
(John Korir, KEN), (Timothy Kiplagat, KEN), (Amos Kipruto, KEN), (CyBrian Kotut, KEN), (Bashir Abdi, BEL), (Jacob Kiplimo, UGA), (Philemon Kiplimo, KEN), (Geoffrey Kamworor, KEN), (Seifu Tura, ETH), (Huseydin Mohamed Esa, ETH), (Daniel Ebenyo, KEN), (Galen Rupp, USA), (Hiroto Inoue, JPN), (Zouhair Talbi, MAR), (Conner Mantz, USA), (Rory Linkletter, CAN), (Alex Masai, KEN), (CJ Albertson, USA), (Jia Erenjia, CHN), (Haftu Knight, USA), (Andrew Colley, USA)
