Kipruto wins Chicago Marathon at third attempt as Feysa defends women's title

Amos Kipruto had finished third in Chicago in 2024 and second last year. On Sunday he finally won it, running 2:01:09 to beat a strong field by almost two minutes at the 48th Chicago Marathon.

The 34-year-old Kenyan’s time is a personal best and puts him joint-fifth on the all-time list. Only Kelvin Kiptum’s course record of 2:00:35, set in 2023, has been faster in Chicago.

In the women’s race Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa defended her title in a personal best of 2:13:33 after a long duel with Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, the Boston champion this year.

How the men’s race was won

The leaders went out fast. A six-man group passed 5km in 14:18, eight seconds inside course-record pace, and reached halfway in 1:00:21. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the defending champion and the pre-race favourite, then pushed on, and by 30km only Kipruto was still with him.

Kipruto made his move between 30km and 35km, running the stretch in 14:30 and covering one mile in 4:33. Kiplimo had no answer and faded to fourth in 2:04:18. Ethiopia’s Tadese Takele Bikila, the Tokyo champion, finished strongly in his first marathon in the United States to take second in 2:02:56, with his compatriot Milkesa Mengesha third in 2:03:46.

“The marathon begins at 30 kilometres,” Kipruto said afterwards. “I was here to fight.”

The 2022 London champion had come close too often in Chicago. “Now 2026 it was either win or die for me,” he said, adding: “Everything is all about a mindset.”

Feysa holds off Lokedi

Feysa led early and went through 10km in 31:04 with Brigid Kosgei, the 2019 winner here and Tokyo champion this year. Lokedi joined them before halfway, reached in 1:06:06, and the pacemaker dropped out at around 33km.

Feysa and Lokedi then broke away, leaving Kosgei behind, and were level at 40km in 2:06:43. Feysa kicked over the last 2.2km to win by 34 seconds. Lokedi was second in 2:14:07, also a personal best, and Kosgei third in 2:14:55. Feysa’s time moves her to fourth on the women’s all-time list.

It’s true it was a very hard-fought battle. At around 35-K I knew I was going to win.

“It means everything to come here and win again,” she said. Each winner took home $100,000.

Records in the wheelchair races

Conditions suited the wheelchair racers best. Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner won the women’s race in 1:33:16, a world record by a full minute, finishing 8 minutes 45 seconds ahead of Tatyana McFadden. “I can’t believe I did the world record in Chicago,” she said.

Her compatriot Marcel Hug won the men’s race for the seventh time, in a course record of 1:21:34. “I’d say today was one of the best performances in my career,” he said.

More than 55,000 runners took part. Chicago was the penultimate race of this year’s seven Abbott World Marathon Majors.