Skip to main content

Past Champions Kirui and Chumba and '17 Runner-Up Kosgei Join 41st Bank of America Chicago Marathon Elite Field

A Bank of America Chicago Marathon press release.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced today that several international running stars are joining the 41st annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon elite athlete competition. Past champions Abel Kirui (KEN) and Dickson Chumba (KEN) lead the charge on the men’s side, and 2017 runner-up Brigid Kosgei (KEN) and two-time podium finisher Birhane Dibaba (ETH) stand out among the women. They will join previously announced global sensations Mo Farah (GBR), Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) and Suguru Osako (JPN).

Note: The previously-announced Chihiro Miyawaki (Japan) is no longer listed in the men's field.

41st Bank of America Chicago Marathon Elite Field Highlights

Chicago, U.S.A., 10/7/18
times listed are best in last three years except where noted
complete elite fields

Women
Roza Dereje Bekele (Ethiopia) - 2:19:17 (Dubai 2018)
Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia) - 2:19:51 (Tokyo 2018)
Brigid Kosgei (Kenya) - 2:20:13 (London 2018)
Jordan Hasay (U.S.A.) - 2:20:57 (Chicago 2017)
Yuka Ando (Japan) - 2:21:36 (Nagoya 2017)
Amy Cragg (U.S.A.) - 2:21:42 (Tokyo 2018)
Shure Demise Ware (Ethiopia) - 2:22:07 (Tokyo 2018)
Madai Perez (Mexico) - 2:24:44 (Chicago 2017)
Laura Thweatt (U.S.A.) - 2:25:38 (London 2017)
Jessica Draskau Petersson (Denmark) - 2:30:07 (Chicago 2015)
Vianey De La Rosa Rojas (Mexico) - 2:32:01 (Houston 2015)
Alexi Pappas (Greece) - debut - 1:21:53 (San Francisco Half 2015)

Men
Mosinet Geremew (Ethiopia) - 2:04:00 (Dubai 2018)
Birhanu Legese (Ethiopia) - 2:04:15 (Dubai 2018)
Dickson Chumba (Kenya) - 2:05:30 (Tokyo 2018)
Kenneth Kiprop Kipkemoi (Kenya) - 2:05:44 (Rotterdam 2018)
Galen Rupp (U.S.A.) - 2:06:07 (Prague 2018)
Paul Lonyangata (Kenya) - 2:06:10 (Paris 2017)
Mo Farah (Great Britain) - 2:06:21 (London 2018)
Geoffrey Kirui (Kenya) - 2:06:27 (Amsterdam 2016)
Abel Kirui (Kenya) - 2:07:07 (London 2018)
Suguru Osako (Japan) - 2:07:19 (Fukuoka Int'l 2017)
Bedan Karoki (Kenya) - 2:07:41 (London 2017)
Ryo Kiname (Japan) - 2:08:08 (Tokyo 2018)
Yuki Kawauchi (Japan) - 2:09:01 (Gold Coast 2016)
Mohamed Reda El Araby (Morocco) - 2:09:18 (Tokyo 2018)
Stephen Sambu (Kenya) - 2:11:07 (Chicago 2017)
Tsukasa Koyama (Japan) - 2:11:20 (Beppu-Oita 2018)
Yohei Suzuki (Japan) - 2:14:56 (Ehime 2017)
Taku Fujimoto (Japan) - 2:15:30 (Lake Biwa 2018)
Augustine Choge (Kenya) - debut - 59:26 (RAK Half 2017)

Comments

Unknown said…
So excited to see this awesome list of elites for this year's Chicago Marathon! Brett, please let us know if there is anything we can do to help support you and/or your runners. I'm Japanese (speak Japanese too) and live here in Chicago.

Most-Read This Week

Komazawa University One Step Away From Perfect Season With Hakone Ekiden Day One Win

Already the course record-breaker at the Izumo Ekiden and National University Ekiden this season, 2021 Hakone Ekiden champion Komazawa University came one step away from its first-ever triple crown of single-season ekiden wins as it won a highly competitive 2023 Hakone Ekiden Day One over defending champ Aoyama Gakuin University and last year's 6th placer Chuo University . Things got off to an unexpected start when Select Team runner Hayate Nitta of non-qualifier Ikuei University decided to take his one and only Hakone shot and run it up to his ability on the 21.3 km 1st leg even though the rest of the field opted to jog. At one point Nitta had a lead of almost a minute and a half, but as beautiful as it would have been for him to pull it off, Meiji University 's Shunpei Tomita and Komazawa's Kensuke Tsubura still managed to run him down in the final kilometer. Tomita took the stage win in 1:02:44, 1:02:08 half marathon pace vs. his 1:02:10 PB despite the slow s...

"Hell Running" - Chinese Site Calls Japanese Women's Distance Running Too Cruel

http://www.yukawanet.com/archives/5166613.html translated by Brett Larner High schooler Yumika Nagahama leading the Jan. 15 National Women's Ekiden for the Kanagawa team. Since the start of the month it's been cold in Japan.  A record-breaking kind of cold that has seen snow piling up even on the Pacific side of the country, and for better or worse that word "snow" has been generating buzz around the world.  Yes, it has been a cold winter, and now that fact has become a hot topic in China.  Particularly in relation to women's distance running. The picture above is from the " National Women's Ekiden " that took place in Kyoto on Jan. 15.  Kyoto experienced a blizzard, even "whiteout" conditions.  Far too harsh to go ahead with staging a running race in conditions like that.  It's natural to wonder why the race wasn't cancelled, but it seems likely that they weren't expecting the snow to escalate to the point that it wo...

Hachioji Long Distance Meet Postponed to March

The organizers of the Hachioji Long Distance meet traditionally held in late November at Hachioji's Kamiyugi Field announced this week that the meet's 2026 edition has been postponed until March 6, 2027. Explaining the move, organizers said, "Various circumstances make it difficult to meet the conditions necessary to stage the meet, making it difficult to organize it at its usual time." Using pacers and Wavelight technology to help deliver reliably fast 10000 m times, the meet is a favorite for collegiate and corporate league runners. It occupies a solid place in Japanese long distance history, capped by Mebuki Suzuki 's 27:05.92 national record there last year. By moving the meet to Mar. 6, organizers said, "We are preparing to make this a high-profile event, a place where our best domestic athletes can aim for strong performances and a stage for record-breaking attempts in the lead-up to the 2027 Beijing World Championships." This year's 10000 m Na...