Thousands of marathoners have flocked to the Windy City for what promises to be an emotional 2024 Chicago Marathon. Just a year ago, Kelvin Kiptum shocked the world by running the fastest marathon in history, clocking 2:00:35. Tragically, the 24-year-old died in a car accident four months later, alongside his coach, Gervais Hakizimana.
To honour Kiptum, there will be a moment of silence at the starting line, and all 50,000 participants will wear memorial stickers on their bibs. The men’s elite runners will aim to push the limits on Chicago’s famously fast and flat course, chasing Kiptum’s historic mark.
Who’s next?
The men’s elite field may lack some big names, but 33 runners will attempt to inch closer to Kiptum’s record. Leading the charge is Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese, who boasts a blistering personal best of 2:02:48 from the 2019 Berlin Marathon. However, Legese hasn’t replicated that sub-2:03 performance since. Amos Kipruto and Vincent Ngetich of Kenya look to challenge Legese, both eager to follow in Kiptum’s footsteps. Kipruto, the 2022 London Marathon champion, is looking to rebound from a disappointing 2023 season that saw him drop out of London and finish seventh in Berlin. Though Chicago’s course doesn’t necessarily favour his tactical running style, if the race comes down to a close finish, Kipruto could be tough to beat.
Ngetich, who trains alongside Kipruto with 2 Running Club in Kenya, is chasing his first World Marathon Major victory. He posted a personal best of 2:03:13 last year in Berlin and will be one to watch. Another exciting prospect is Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo, a standout on the track with a major championship medal and Diamond League title in 10,000m. Ebenyo also won silver at the 2023 World Road Running Championships in Riga, Latvia over the half marathon distance. With his incredible speed and talent, Chicago could mark Ebenyo’s breakout in the marathon scene, and a sub-2:05 debut isn’t out of the question.
On the American front, CJ Albertson leads the charge, having narrowly missed a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team by placing fourth at the trials. The other American marathoners in the field are Zach Panning, Brian Shrader and Reed Fischer.
Canada’s sole representative in the elite men’s field is Phil Parrot-Migas from London, Ont. Parrot-Migas set a personal best of 2:15:53 earlier this year at the 2024 Hamburg Marathon and will hope to improve on the mark in Chicago.
Ruth Chepngetich chases three
When it comes to Chicago, Ruth Chepngetich has been nothing short of dominant over the last five years. The Kenyan has won the marathon twice, in 2021 and 2022, and finished runner-up to newly-minted Olympic champion Sifan Hassan in 2023. Given her experience and success on this course, it would be surprising not to see the fourth-fastest woman in history battling for the win again on Sunday. Challenging her will be 2024 Tokyo Marathon champion, Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia. Kebede won Tokyo with a world-leading time of 2:15:55, which remains the fastest marathon time of the year. After a 15th-place finish in Chicago last fall, she will be aiming to improve and secure her second major marathon victory of 2024.
Also in contention is Joyciline Jepkosgei, who finished fourth in Chicago last year and set a personal best of 2:16:24 at the 2024 London Marathon. The 30-year-old Kenyan brings a wealth of experience with this race being the 10th marathon of her career. She’ll be joined by fellow sub-2:18 runners from Ethiopia: Degitu Azimeraw, Hiwot Gebrekidan and 2019 Berlin Marathon champion Ashete Bekere.
On the American side, Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina will look to break the host nation’s long drought. The last American woman to win in Chicago was Deena Kastor in 2005. D’Amato, who now trains in Utah under U.S. marathon coach Ed Eyestone, could threaten Emily Sisson’s American record of 2:18:29, set at the 2022 Chicago Marathon. With a stacked U.S. women’s field, expect some fireworks on the shores of Lake Michigan.
There are no Canadian women in this year’s elite field.
How to watch
To watch the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon live, you can tune into one of the several live streaming options: NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago or FloTrack (with subscription): These streams will provide complete live coverage of the marathon from 8 a.m. to noon. ET.
