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Five Reasons to Get Excited for the Chicago Marathon

DyeStatPRO.com
Oct 7th 2014, 9:17pm
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Eliud Kipchoge | Kenya Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Speed is the Name of the Game in Chicago

By Scott Bush

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon takes place Sunday. As usual, fast fields define the professional race heading into the second-to-last World Marathon Major of the season. As the race approaches, here are five reasons to get excited. Let the countdown begin!

Bekele Ready to Roll

Kenenisa Bekele ran 2:05:04, winning the Paris Marathon by 1:46, back in early April. The 5k and 10k world record holder showed his transition from track to roads was perfectly timed. Bekele not only proved to be the class of the field in Paris, but showed he’ll be a force in the event for the next few years.

The thing about Paris is that it was a race set up for him. The organizers brought in fellow Ethiopians, set the pace around his goal time and made sure the greatest runner of all-time had the easiest possible transition to the 26.2 mile difference. That all changes on Sunday in Chicago.

Bekele is a competitor, so it’s not as if he’ll fold against his fierce competition. His marathon PR ranks fourth best in the field, behind Eliud Kipchoge, Tadese Tola and Bernard Koech, all guys still running in their prime. Chicago is a faster course than Paris, and Bekele has stated his desire to go after Dennis Kimetto’s course record of 2:03:45. Yes, the same Kimetto who just set the world record.

Sunday isn’t a clear-cut win for Bekele, but he has his sights set on doing something special in Chicago and if the past is any indicator, when Bekele sets his mind to something, more often than not he achieves it.

Jeptoo v. Kiplagat

Defending champion Rita Jeptoo is the best female marathoner in the world. She won Boston and Chicago in 2013, only to come back this past spring to not only win the Boston Marathon for the third time, but set a course record in the process with her 2:18:57 winning mark. While other top competitors won’t come out and say it directly, you have to know they’ll be keying off her on the streets of Chicago.

One competitor who clearly has her eyes set on Jeptoo is fellow Kenyan Florence Kiplagat. Over the weekend, Kipligat came out stating her desire to run 2:18. That time not only bests Jeptoo’s winning time in Chicago last year, but would take off over a minute from her personal best. When a veteran talks with such confidence, you know she’s ready to roll.

Kiplagat’s personal best of 2:19:44 was set back in 2011. Jeptoo’s PR was set this past spring. Clearly Jeptoo is the favorite, but Kiplagat is dreaming big and it should be quite the race between these two fearless women.

Sub-2:03?

Before the Berlin Marathon less than two weeks ago, the Chicago frontrunners were hoping to break Dennis Kimetto’s 2:03:45 course record. Now, after Kimetto set the world record of 2:02:57, you have to wonder if their goals have shifted. The Berlin Marathon is proven to be the fastest course in the world for the past decade, but Chicago has its own history of being the world’s fastest marathon.

There are three men who’ve run faster than 2:05, including 2:04:05 marathoner Eliud Kipchoge. Then, there are three more men who own personal bests under 2:05:45, including Bekele and half marathon standout Sammy Kitwara. Six men, all capable of dipping under 2:05, means something special should be produced on Sunday.

The last 10k of any marathon is the telling portion of the event. We saw it last weekend in the men’s USA Marathon Championships, as Tyler Pennel pulled away from the field, showing he was firing on all cylinders when it mattered most. Kimetto did it on September 28 in Berlin. It’s how deep and talented marathon fields work. There’s been plenty of discussion of how the world record won’t go down Sunday, but do not discount it as a possibility.

Expect a Breakthrough With U.S. Men

Nine American men enter Sunday’s action with PRs under 2:16. Three more debut, all fully capable of breaking that mark. While the American men won’t be among the leaders in Chicago, the race for first American male is certainly intriguing. With Ryan Hall struggling to regain his tremendous form of a few years prior, and Dathan Ritzenhein continuing to struggle with injury, its only a matter of time before a few American men take the next step, challenge the 2:10 barrier and put themselves in the “favorites” category for the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials. Sure, Meb Keflezighi and Ryan Vail are key contenders, but the rest of the top contenders are far from certain.

Similar to the top men in Chicago, the depth of the American contingent bodes well for a few breakout performances. Guys like Patrick Rizzo, Craig Leon, Mike Morgan and Luke Humphrey are all incredibly experiences. Young talent in Matt Llano and Jake Riley have tons of potential and no American has been more dominant on the roads in 2014 than Christo Landry. Throw in Hansons-Brooks teammates Brendan Gregg and Bobby Curtis, along with Tim Young, Fidele Jefferson and Jameson Mora, and take your pick of guys all primed and ready to lower their personal bests significantly.

Can a U.S. Woman Crack the Top Five?

Four athletes are clearly superior in the women’s field, as Rita Jeptoo, Florence Kiplagat, Mare Dibaba and Birhane Dibaba have at least three and a half minutes on their nearest competition. With that said, this leaves a wide open fifth for an American to claim.

Ethiopian Gelete Burka is next in line with her personal best of 2:26:03, which came at the Houston Marathon back in January. After that, Americans claim the next eight spots, with Amy Hastings and Clara Santucci owning bests under 2:30 and Becky Wade sub-2:31. Those three, along with Lindsey Scherf and possibly Lisa Uhl, give hope that a few Americans can challenge for top five in one of the premier races in the world.

Hastings is coming off a solid track season and would love to take down her 2:27:03 best from the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials back in January of 2012. Same goes for Santucci, who ran 2:29 in Boston in 2011 and 2:30 in Houston in 2012. Needless to say, both athletes are due for a new best.

Scherf and Uhl both debut in the marathon distance Sunday. While Scherf has been pretty quiet in 2014, thus hard to suggest what type of shape she’s in, Uhl has had a tough time recapturing her magic of 2012, when she made the U.S. Olympic Team. If either is feeling good on the day though, do not be surprised for a sub-2:30 performance.

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2 comment(s)
Kevin
I'm hearing Joe Moore will rabbit. Any idea who and how far? I'm assuming the Americans. Anyone else?
Scott Bush
Kevin, the most known rabbit is Tiriku Bekele, Kenenisa's brother. Moore is rabbiting the Americans. I believe there are three rabbits for the top men and women (at least two men are rabbiting the top women) and then one or two rabbits each for the rest of the pros.
 
 
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