Kenya’s John Korir won Sunday’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a blazing 2:02:44–a two-and-a-half-minute personal best and the second-fastest time ever run at Chicago. It is also the fastest marathon time run in 2024 so far, and Korir’s first Abbott World Marathon Majors win.
Korir made his move around the 32-km mark; he ran mile 22 in a blazing 4:22–that’s 2:42 per kilometre from 32K-33K. He slowed to 4:30 for the next couple of kilometres, then quickened the pace again, putting an insurmountable lead between him and those chasing him. Huseydin Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia finished second, in 2:04:39, and multiple world-major winner Amos Kipruto of Kenya was third, in 2:04:50. (Kipruto was injured in 2023 and had not raced in 2024 previous to today’s marathon.)
Korir was fourth here last year, running 2:05:09, and third in 2022 (2:05:01). He won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2021 and 2022; he made his debut at the Ottawa Marathon in 2018, finishing second.
Korir’s time was a little more than two minutes off the course record, which, of course, was set last year by the late Kelvin Kiptum last year, whose 2:00:35 was the fastest marathon time ever run in the history of the event.
Canada’s Phil Parrot-Migas finished in the top 25 with a personal best time of 2:15:32. He set his previous personal best of 2:15:53 earlier this year at the 2024 Hamburg Marathon. He won this year’s Around the Bay 30K in Hamilton.
Albertson top American
CJ Albertson was the fastest American Sunday, crossing the line in 2:08:17, a personal best by more than a minute and a seventh-place finish. Zach Panning was the second American, finishing in 2:09:16 (a 12-second PB) and Reed Fischer was third, in 2:10:14.
Albertson narrowly missed a spot on the 2024 U.S. Olympic team, finishing fourth at the Olympic trials in Atlanta in February.
Top 10 men
1. John Korir KEN 2:02:43
2. Huseydin Mohamed Esa ETH 02:04:39
3. Amos Kipruto KEN 02:04:50
4. Vincent Ngetich KEN 02:05:16
5. Daniel Ebenyo KEN 02:06:04
6. Kyohei Hosoya JPN 02:07:20
7. CJ Albertson USA 02:08:17
8. Toshiki Sadakata JPN 02:08:22
9. Zach Panning USA 02:09:16
10. Yuichi Yasui JPN 02:10:11
Swiss athletes dominate wheelchair race
Two Swiss athletes successfully defended their titles in the wheelchair race. Catherine Debrunner won by a wide margin and in a course record of 1:36:12. This was just a few weeks after she won no fewer than five gold medals at the Paralympics in Paris, on the track and in the marathon. Manuela Shär, also of Switzerland, finished about two and a half minutes back in 1:39:03, with the U.S.’s Tatyana McFadden third in 1:41:59.
Debrunner won her debut marathon at Berlin in 2022 and is a two-time World Para Athletics Championships medallist. Last year she received the 2023 Laureus World Sportsperson of the Year with a Disability award.
Marcel Hug, also of Switzerland, won his fifth victory at Chicago on Sunday (and third consecutive win), finishing in 1:25:54 and holding off persistent attacks by American rival Daniel Romanczuk (who finished four seconds behind Hug, in 1:25:58, and who has two victories on this course) and Tomoki Suzuki of Japan (who finished third, in 1:26:05). Romanczuk won gold in the 5,000m wheelchair race at the Paralympics in Paris earlier this year.
Canada’s Josh Cassidy finished 10th.
Ruth Chepngetich smashes world record
It was a spectacular day in the Windy City, with Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich lowering Tigst Assefa’s world record to 2:09:57–the first time a woman has ever gone sub-2:10 in the marathon. For that story, click here.
