Just hours after defending his Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday, Kenyan John Korir is now eyeing Chicago Marathon on October 9 in the United States.
Korir, who won the race for the second time in a row, said Chicago will be his next stop.
He won the men’s title in 2:09.08 to improve his time from the 2:12.48 set last year. He beat compatriot Edwin Kimutai (2:10.440 to second place in a repeat of the 2021 edition as Ethiopian Bekele Berga completed the podium in 2:15.11. John's elder brother Wesley Korir won the Los Angeles title twice in 2009 and 2010.
“For now, my target is Chicago Marathon and my aim is to run well on American soil,” said Korir.
He said he will be seeking to lower his time in Chicago and he will immediately start working towards that. “I want to run 2:05 or 2:06 in Chicago. It has always been my dream and I hope it will come to pass,” said Korir.
“Despite the win, I really struggled to finish in the last 5km. At 40km, my legs became heavy. I could hardly move faster than I had anticipated, but I thank God for the win,” he said.
The Cherangany-based runner finished the race in the second position in 2019 while the 2020 event was postponed.
He made his maiden win in the race after dominating many half marathons across the world. He placed second in Ottawa in 2019 and finished in the same position in the Kentucky race.
Delvine Meringor won the women's marathon on her debut in 2:25:04 with compatriot Antonina Kwambai (2:30:13) placing second. Ethiopian Biruktayit Eshetu Degefa (2:31:29) finished third.
In an interview, Kwambai said it was a difficult race after training for one-and-half months. “I have been battling a groin injury since November and had little time to prepare. Second place finish is good for me,” said Kwambai.
