Kenyan top guns to light up Chicago
Kirui, Chumba and Kipkemoi to take on strong line up in America’s Windy City.
Kenya’s top marathoners will headline the 41st Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday.
Abel Kirui and Dickson Chumba, who are former winners, will lead the men’s charge alongside 2017 runner-up Brigid Kosgei and two-time podium finisher Birhane Dibaba of Ethiopia.
Britain’s multiple world champion Mo Farah Mo Farah, Yuki Kawauchi and Suguru Osako are also in the mix. The men’s field has 11 men who have run 2:07 or faster and nine women who have run 2:25 or faster.
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Chumba set his personal best of 2:04:32set in Chicago in 2014 when he finished third on a historic day that witnessed three of the top five times ever run in Chicago. He won in 2015 and while he tried to retain his title in 2016, he came up three seconds short, finishing second to Kirui.
He opened 2018 with his second win at the Tokyo Marathon, clocking 2:05:30, the second-fastest winning time in Tokyo’s history.
Kirui won the 2016 Chicago Marathon and finished second 12 months later. Earlier this year he finished fourth in London in 2:07:07, just two minutes shy of his personal best of 2:05:04.
Reigning world champion and 2017 Boston Marathon winner Geoffrey Kirui is also in the line up. “I have prepared well. I expect a tough race. I know Chumba, Kirui and Choge (Augustine) are experienced athletes. But I will give my best,” Kirui said yesterday.
Ethiopian duo Mosinet Geremew and Birhanu Legese will lend youth and speed to a competitive field. Geremew, who finished third in Berlin last year, started 2018 with a bang by breaking the course record in Dubai with 2:04:00. Legese, the youngest athlete in this year’s elite field, opened the year by making his marathon debut in Dubai, clocking 2:04:15.
Rotterdam Marathon champion Kenneth Kipkemoi, 2017 Paris Marathon champion Paul Lonyangata, 2016 world half marathon silver medallist Bedan Karoki and fellow Kenyan Stephen Sambu will also be on the start line.
Two-time world indoor medallist Augustine Choge will be making his marathon debut. The 31-year-old has represented Kenya on numerous occasions, indoors, outdoors, on the track and at cross country. The 2003 world U18 champion and 2006 Commonwealth 5000m champion has moved up in distance in recent years, clocking 59:26 for the half marathon in 2017.
Brigid Kosgei finished second in Chicago last year, setting a big personal best of 2:20:22.
Nine weeks later, she won the Honolulu Marathon in 2:22:15, taking more than five minutes off the course record, and she finished second in London earlier this year in a personal best time of 2:20:13.
