Runners will once again take off from the starting line on Columbus Dr. for the 2023 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will see multiple champions returning to the starting line as they look to defend their titles, but they'll face tough competition as a number of record holders and elite standouts race to dethrone them.
Organizers announced Thursday that Ruth Chepngetich and Seifu Tura will headline the men's and women's fields while Tatyana McFadden and Daniel Romanchuk will look to continue their dominance in the men's and women's wheelchair races.
“We’re thrilled to welcome our defending champions back to Grant Park this fall,” Carey Pinkowski, executive race director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, said in a statement. “Chicago has a storied history of head-to-head competitions, world records and some of the best elite racing in marathon running. This year’s competition, which also includes American half marathon record holder Emily Sisson and American half marathon champion Conner Mantz making his debut, is going to bring much energy and enthusiasm to fans and spectators. We are ready for October 9.”
Chepngetich, the fourth fastest woman in the history of marathon running, took the crown in the 2021 event with a time of 2:22:31. The self-coached elite athlete has started 2022 off strong with a win and course record at the Nagoya Marathon, but dropped out of the World Championships Women's Marathon for health issues.
Tura pulled ahead in the 2021 race to win what organizers said was the biggest race of his career, and a near-personal best. He noted after the race that he wasn't prepared for the warmer temperatures was “determined to fight to the very
end.”
If he wins the 2022 event, it would make him only the fifth man in Chicago's history to win the event back-to-back.
McFadden, meanwhile, is the most decorated athlete in Bank of America Chicago Marathon history, looking for her 10th win in the women's wheelchair event. She has 20 Paralympic medals, 24 World Marathon Major wins, including four consecutive Grand Slams - or first-place finishes in Boston, Chicago, New York City and London in the same year - and she's broken six world records in track and field.
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On the men's side, Romanchuk earned a Chicago Marathon hat trick with his first-place finish last fall and will now be seeking his fourth title in the Windy City. He began his road racing dominance in 2018 and went on to win gold and bronze medals in the 2020 Paralympic Games.
Outside of the returning champions, a strong field of American runners will look to take over the crown. Among them are Sisson, the American half marathon record holder looking to challenge the American marathon record, and Mantz, considered an exciting newcomer in the marathon distance who could make his mark on the American marathon debut record, which was last set at 2:07:56 in 2019. Laura Thweatt, Sarah Sellers, Sara Vaughn, Diane Nukuri, Carrie Verdon and local favorite Kristen Heckert round out the prominent group of American women.
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In addition to the exciting American challengers, the elite lineup will include several powerhouse female runners looking to prevent Chepngetich from a repeat. They include Kenya's Celestine Chepchirchir and Vivian Kiplagat and Ethiopia's Haven Hailu.
On the men's side, Ethiopia's Herpasa Negasa, Dawit Wolde and Asrar Abderehman, along with Ugandan Olympian Stephen Kissa and Kenyan Benson Kipruto will also look to compete for their shot at a victory. They'll be joined by local elite Colin Mickow, Japan's Hiroto Fujimagari, Kenya's John Korir, American standout Frank Lara and Australian Patrick Tiernan.
In the wheelchair events, McFadden will face her repeated challengers Susannah Scaroni and Manuela Schär while Romanchuk will be challenged by Chicago marathon veterans Marcel Hug and Aaron Pike. Hug stands out as the biggest threat to Romanchuk having won the Chicago Marathon in 2016 and 2017.
The 2022 Chicago Marathon takes place on Oct. 9, bringing thousands of runners on a tour of the city unlike any other.
