It’s Canadian Thanksgiving weekend, and that implies something to marathon fanatics: it’s time for the 2023 Financial institution of The united states Chicago Marathon. This 12 months’s elite box shall be one to bear in mind, with the good Sifan Hassan competing in her moment profession marathon in opposition to the 2019 global champion and the third-fastest marathoner in historical past, Ruth Chepngetich. The lads’s facet is solely as thrilling, with the rather unknown Kelvin Kiptum at the verge of greatness, concentrated on Eliud Kipchoge’s global document of two:01:09 on Sunday.
The younger big name
At 23 and with handiest two profession marathons to his identify, Kiptum has briefly established himself as one of the vital perfect distance runners on the planet. Even if, in spite of his achievements in London, he stays rather unknown at the main marathon scene. Kiptum is self-coached and didn’t input marathoning from a prolific monitor profession like Kipchoge, Mo Farah, or Ethiopia’s Kenenisa Bekele.
Kiptum made his marathon debut ultimate December on the 2022 Valencia Marathon, taking a commanding victory in 2:01:53, the quickest debut in historical past. He persisted his dominance on the 2023 London Marathon, the place he shattered Kipchoge’s route document and got here inside of 16 seconds of the sector document, with a 2:01:25 end.
In June, Kiptum was once decided on for Staff Kenya within the 2023 International Athletics Championships marathon. On the other hand, he declined the invitation to concentrate on a fall marathon as an alternative. He settled on Chicago, which is broadly thought to be the quickest marathon main in North The united states.
In a pre-race interview with Olympics.com, Kiptum mentioned he’s well-trained for the Chicago route and believes he can transform the primary guy in historical past to run a 2:00 flat on Sunday. Kiptum’s collection of Chicago over the opposite fall majors, Berlin and NYC, signifies his eagerness to chase the sector document. Chicago’s basically flat route, with handiest 70 meters of elevation acquire, makes it an excellent surroundings.
Kiptum’s festival
If Kiptum intends to hit the midway mark round 60 mins, there aren’t many within the box who can stay alongside of him. The 2020 Olympic marathon bronze medallist, Bashir Abdi, is indexed as the second one quickest athlete in Chicago with a non-public perfect of two:03:36. Abdi completed 5th right here in 2019 and shall be taking a look to make stronger on his time of two:06:14.
Kiptum can even face off in opposition to one of the vital perfect tactical marathoners on the planet and the reigning champion, Benson Kipruto. Kipruto comes off a second-place end on the 2023 Boston Marathon, the place he was once runner-up to his coaching spouse, Evans Chebet. Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura is aware of the Chicago route nicely, having received the race in 2021 and completed as runner-up to Kipruto ultimate fall. If the race turns into a tactical affair, it’s onerous to seem previous those two because the favourites however they don’t slightly have the sub-2:02 velocity to hold with Kiptum early.
American males chase Olympic usual
Any other entertaining race inside the race to look at would be the struggle between most sensible American citizens Galen Rupp, Conner Mantz and Leonard Korir as they target to succeed in the 2024 Olympic marathon usual of two:08:10. The one American to wreck that mark since 2020 is Rupp, who did so on the 2021 Chicago Marathon the place he completed moment. Lately, no American males have met the Olympic qualifying mark for Paris, and the U.S. Marathon Trials are simply 4 months away in February 2024.
There aren’t any Canadian males within the elite box this 12 months. Even if Canada’s Rory Linkletter would be the ladies’s elite box.
The best way to watch
The 2023 Chicago Marathon shall be streamed on FloTrack, starting at 8:30 a.m. E.T. Sunday; you’ll join a FloTrack account right here.