Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

Amos Kipruto hopes to achieve his personal best when he features at the Chicago Marathon on October 13, 2024, while Ruth Chepng’etich hopes to register a hattrick.

The 2019 world bronze medallist, who won the London Marathon in 2022 and trains with that year’s Chicago winner Benson Kipruto, said as he also hopes to celebrate Kelvin Kiptum.

“My goal is to try to run a personal best. I want to show the world that I am still the kind of athlete who is capable of winning a major like Chicago,” Kipruto told World Athletics.

Kipruto will face off with Vincent Ng’etich, who placed second at the 2023 Berlin Marathon, five places in front of Kipruto, and he was third at this year’s Tokyo Marathon.

Daniel Ebenyo, who will not be part of the Olympic Games contingent, will be making his Chicago Marathon debut.

John Korir ran his personal best of 2:05:01 when finishing third in Chicago in 2022, and will be in contention for the Chicago crown.

Two other athletes with personal bests under 2:05 are in action: Ethiopia’s Dawit Wolde and Amedework Walelegn will take part in the October competition.

Chepng’etich eyes history

In the women’s race, Chepng’etich will be hoping to win a Chicago Marathon hattrick, after winning in 2021 and 2022.

Joyciline Jepkosgei and Ethiopia’s Sutume Kebede will be Chepng’etich’s rivals. Jepkosgei, winner of the 2021 London Marathon and the 2019 New York City Marathon, finished fourth in Chicago last year. 

Kebede, on the other hand, is the fastest women’s marathon runner in the world so far this year, after running a personal best of 2:15:55 set to win the Tokyo Marathon in March. That puts her at number eight on the women’s world marathon all-time list, four places behind Chepngetich with the 2:14:18 she ran to win in Chicago in 2022.

Three more sub-2:18 runners; Ethiopia’s Degitu Azimeraw, Ashete Bekere, and Hiwot Gebrekidan – plus the second and third fastest US women’s marathon runners, Keira D’Amato and Betsy Saina, are the other expected contestants.

“I am extremely happy to come back to Chicago and run on a course that has proven to be very fast. After seeing what my teammate Kelvin Kiptum did last year, I want to come to Chicago to do something great,” Kebede said.

For these and more credible stories, join our revamped Telegram and WhatsApp channels.

Telegram: https://t.me/peopledailydigital

WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va698juDOQIToHyu1p2z