Chepngetich, Kebede, and Jepkosgei Set for Showdown in Chicago Marathon

Published By Whitney Okore For The Statesman Digital
5 months ago

Ruth Chepngetich will be on the hunt for a Bank of America Chicago Marathon hattrick when she returns to the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on 13 October.

The 2019 world champion won in Chicago in 2021 and 2022, and followed that with a runner-up finish to Sifan Hassan last year.

She will want to return to winning ways in October, but faces a formidable field featuring the likes of her Kenyan compatriot Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede.

Jepkosgei, winner of the 2021 London Marathon and 2019 New York City Marathon, finished fourth in Chicago last year. Her PB of 2:16:24 was set in London in April.

Kebede is the fastest women’s marathon runner in the world so far this year, thanks to the PB of 2:15:55 she set to win the Tokyo Marathon in March. That puts her at No.8 on the women’s world marathon all-time list, four places behind Chepngetich with the 2:14:18 she ran to win in Chicago in 2022.

Joining them in the field are three more sub-2:18 runners – Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw, Ashete Bekere and Hiwot Gebrekidan – plus the second and third fastest US women’s marathon runners, Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina.

“I'm extremely happy to come back to Chicago and run on a course that has proven to be very fast,” said Kebede, who finished 15th in last year’s race.

“After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great.”

Kiptum, who was part of Kebede’s training group, died in a road traffic accident in February, just four months after he set a world marathon record of 2:00:35 in Chicago. Among the athletes in the men’s field this year is Kenya’s Amos Kipruto who, like Kebede, says he will run in honour of Kiptum.

“My goal is to try to run a personal best,” said Kipruto, the 2019 world bronze medallist who won the London Marathon in 2022 and trains with that year’s Chicago winner Benson Kipruto. “I want to show the world that I am still the kind of athlete who is capable of winning a major like Chicago.”

Kipruto will have to fend off Vincent Ngetich, who has an identical personal best of 2:03:13 and is seeking his first major victory. Ngetich placed second at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, five places in front of Kipruto, and he was third at this year’s Tokyo Marathon.

The race also marks the marathon debut of their Kenyan compatriot Daniel Ebenyo, the world 10,000m and half marathon silver medallist.

Two other athletes with PBs under 2:05 are in action: Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde and Amedework Walelegn. Kenya’s John Korir ran his PB of 2:05:01 when finishing third in Chicago in 2022, while CJ Albertson and Zach Panning are among the US athletes who will be racing on home soil.

Elite field

Women

Ruth Chepngetich (KEN) 2:14:18
Sutume Kebede (ETH) 2:15:55
Joyciline Jepkosgei (KEN) 2:16:24
Degitu Azimeraw (ETH) 2:17:58
Ashete Bekere (ETH) 2:17:58
Hiwot Gebrekidan (ETH) 2:17:59
Irine Cheptai (KEN) 2:18:22
Keira D'Amato (USA) 2:19:12
Betsy Saina (USA) 2:19:17
Dorcas Tuitoek (KEN) 2:20:02
Mary Ngugi-Cooper (KEN) 2:20:22
Sara Hall (USA) 2:20:32
Emma Bates (USA) 2:22:10
Buze Diriba (ETH) 2:23:11
Sara Vaughn (USA) 2:23:24
Susanna Sullivan (USA) 2:24:27
Gabi Rooker (USA) 2:24:35
Lindsay Flanagan (USA) 2:24:43
Nell Rojas (USA) 2:24:51
Stacey Ndiwa (KEN) 2:25:29
Laura Thweatt (USA) 2:25:38
Lauren Hagans (USA) 2:25:56
Annie Frisbie (USA) 2:26:18
Jackie Gaughan (USA) 2:27:08
Dominique Scott (RSA) 2:27:31
Diane Nukuri (USA) 2:27:50
Makena Morley (USA) 2:30:25
Anne Marie Blaney (USA) 2:30:43
Andrea Pomaranski (USA) 2:31:06
Amy Davis-Green (USA) 2:33:09
Aubrey Frentheway (USA) debut

Men
Amos Kipruto (KEN) 2:03:13
Vincent Ngetich (KEN) 2:03:13
Dawit Wolde (ETH) 2:03:48
Amedework Walelegn (ETH) 2:04:50
John Korir (KEN) 2:05:01
Huseydin Mohamed Esa (ETH) 2:05:05
Jemal Yimer (ETH) 2:06:08
Tatsuya Maruyama (JPN) 2:07:50
Yuichi Yasui (JPN) 2:08:48
Jorge Castelblanco (PAN) 2:09:24
Zach Panning (USA) 2:09:28
Brian Shrader (USA) 2:09:46
CJ Albertson (USA) 2:09:53
Tomoki Yoshioka (JPN) 2:10:03
Reed Fischer (USA) 2:10:34
Nathan Martin (USA) 2:10:45
Colin Mickow (USA) 2:11:22
Kevin Salvano (USA) 2:11:26
Jacob Thomson (USA) 2:11:40
Turner Wiley (USA) 2:11:59
JP Flavin (USA) 2:13:27
Charlie Sweeney (USA) 2:13:41
Ben Kendell (USA) 2:15:49
Phil Migas (CAN) 2:15:53
Daniel Ebenyo (KEN) debut
Alex Maier (USA) debut
Isai Rodriguez (USA) debut