Ruth Chepngetich leads Chicago Marathon elite line-ups

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The Kenyan will be targeting her third victory in Chicago whilst Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese leads the men’s field

This weekend, all eyes will be on Chicago as the city hosts the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday (October 13), promising a thrilling showdown amongst top-tier athletes.

In the women’s competition, Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, a former Chicago Marathon winner in 2021 and 2022 and the fourth-fastest woman in marathon history, is set to return to the challenging course, which winds through 29 neighbourhoods.

The 30-year-old enters as the fastest woman in this year’s line-up after winning the title in 2022 by running her fastest time of 2:14:18. At the time, she was 14 seconds short of Brigid Kosgei’s world record of 2:14:04, before Tigist Assefa (2:11:53) and Sifan Hassan (2:13:44) went quicker in 2023.

The 2019 world champion secured a second-place finish in Chicago last year behind Sifan Hassan.

Yet, it will not be an easy run to victory for Chepngetich. Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede, fresh off her Tokyo Marathon win, arrives with the fastest marathon time of 2024, having ran 2:15:55 in Tokyo.

Kebede has had a stellar year, setting a record time of 64:37 at the Aramco Houston Half Marathon – the fastest-ever women’s half marathon time on US soil.

Chepngetich and Kebede will be joined by Kenya’s Joyciline Jepkosgei, who has previously taken titles at the New York City Marathon in 2019 and London Marathon in 2021. Jepkosgei finished third this year in London where she clocked her personal best of 2:16:24.

American athletes Keira D’Amato (2:19:12) and Betsy Saina (2:19:17) join the list of athletes. D’Amato, a former American record holder in the marathon, is making a comeback as a competitor after working as a commentator. Meanwhile, Saina, who had to withdraw from the Chicago Marathon in 2019 due to illness, returns to make her mark.

The men’s race will also feature a highly competitive field with Ethiopia’s Birhanu Legese leading the charge. Legese, who recorded an impressive 2:02:48 at the 2019 Berlin Marathon is the fastest on paper.

A two-time Tokyo marathon champion, this will be his second time tackling the Chicago course after finishing 10th in 2018 with a time of 2:08:41. Most recently, Legese took third place at the 2024 Rotterdam Marathon.

Legese will be up against strong competition, particularly from Kenya’s Amos Kipruto and Vincent Ngetich, who both hold personal bests of 2:03:13.

Kipruto, a bronze medallist at the World Championships in Doha 2019, claimed victory at the 2022 London Marathon. Ngetich won bronze in the Tokyo marathon earlier this year.

Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde is another contender to watch, having set a personal best of 2:03:48 at the 2023 Valencia Marathon, where he placed third. Wolde also secured a win in Prague in 2019, further proving his marathon capabilities.

Japan is well-represented in this year’s race with Kyohei Hosoya and Toshiki Sadakata joining the field, holding personal bests of 2:06:35 and 2:07:05, respectively.

The American team includes Zach Panning, with a best time of 2:09:28, and Brian Shrader, who has run 2:09:46, adding even more depth to an already stacked competition.

While no British athletes are entered in the elite men’s or women’s fields, the wheelchair races will see some strong British talent.

Eden Rainbow-Cooper, who claimed victory at the Boston Marathon in April, is gearing up for another big performance in Chicago.

On the men’s side, British racers Johnboy Smith, Simon Lawson, and Rob Smith will battle it out with a strong field, including Switzerland’s world record holder, Marcel Hug.

The Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30am (12:30pm GMT) on Sunday, October 13.

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