World marathon champion Ruth Chepeng'etich will be the star attraction during this weekend's Chicago Marathon.
Chepng'etich will be seeking to bounce back after a dismal showing at the Tokyo Olympics in August where she failed to finish in a race won by Peres Chepchirchir in the sweltering heat in Sapporo in Japan.
Chepngetich will be making her debut on United States soil and is excited
“I have never raced in the United States and making my debut in such a great race like the Chicago Marathon is more than a dream to me,” said Chepngetich. “I will give all myself as I trying to run as fast as possible. The presence of such a wonderful elite field will boost me,” she added.
Chepng'etich holds a personal best of marathon personal best of 2:17:08, making her the fourth fastest woman in history.
The 27-year-old will be up against Sara Hall of the USA, Emma Bates, Lindsay Flanagan and USA’s Keira D’Amato.
In the elite men's race, Kenya will be represented by among others Joel Kimurer, who has a personal best of 2:05:19 set at the Milano marathon in May this year
His best finish came at Abu Dhabi Marathon, where he finished second in 2:06:21 two years ago. Others are Eric Kiptanui and Laban Korir. Kiptanui made his marathon debut last year at the Dubai Marathon, where he clocked 2:06:17 to place second. Korir has personal best of 2:05:58 set at the Rotterdam Marathon in 2018.
The Kenyan trio face a stern test with two-time Olympic medallist Galen Rupp, 2019 Dubai Marathon champion Getaneh Molla,Valencia Marathon runner-up Hassan El Abbassi of Bahrain and fourth-place finisher at the 2021 Milan Marathon, Seifu Tura all in the mix .
2018 USATF Half Marathon champion, Chris Derrick (USA) from Naperville will join five local elites from the Second City Track Club, including Dan Kremske (USA), in the elite competition.
