CHICAGO — Ethiopia’s Seifu Tura and Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya won the men’s and women’s 2021 Chicago Marathon race here on Sunday as fans packed the streets again to cheer on the runners who were back in action for the first time since 2019. Click here for results
Tura Takes Men’s Title
In the men’s race, Tura held it together to battle through warm and windy weather and broke away from the pack late in the race to win in 2:06:12.
It was the first major title for the Ethiopian, who looked nerves through the closing stages of the race as he kept checking his watch, but managed to win comfortably.
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American leading contender and 2017 champion Galen Rupp paced himself well but was unable to keep up with Tura and finish 23 seconds behind in second place with a time of 2:06:35.
Rupp, the fastest American in 2021, was recovering from an eighth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games in August.
Eric Kiptanui of Kenya crossed the finish line in 2:06:51for third place, while Japan’s Kengo Suzuki ran 2:08:50 for fourth and Ethiopia’s Shifera Tamru (2:09:39) in fifth.
Dominating Chepngetich Crowned Women’s Champion
The women’s race, meanwhile, went to pre-race favorite Chepngetich, who broke away from the women’s pack very early and even dropped her pacemaker during the early stages before holding on for the win.
Chepngetich, who dropped out of the women’s marathon at the Tokyo Games, got off to an aggressive start here on Sunday and was on world record pace, but as expected, the humidity didn’t allow for a fast race and she ended up finishing in 2:22:31.
American Emma Bates smashed her personal best to finish second in an impressive 2:24:20, while her compatriot Sara Hall was some three-minutes back in third in 2:27:19.
The Chicago Marathon made a return this year after being canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was the third world marathon major races in recent weeks, following the Berlin and London marathons earlier. On Monday several athletes will lineup for the Boston Marathon.
Wheelchair Champions
In the wheelchair competitions, American Daniel Romanchuk won the men’s race for the third successive season after he got the better of Paralympic champion Marcel Hug to cross the line in 1:29:07. Compatriot Tatyana McFadden dominated the women’s race in 1:48:57.
