Bekele to make his Chicago Marathon debut
Carey Pinkowski has had his eye on Kenenisa Bekele for some time now.
According to Pinkowski, the executive race director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, the Ethiopian athlete is arguably the greatest track and cross country runner of all time. And Pinkowski has been trying to convince the current world record holder (5,000 and 10,000 meters) to give the Chicago Marathon a try.
Pinkowski finally got his man, and Bekele will headline a talented field of athletes in Sunday's 37th running of the Chicago Marathon (7-11 a.m., NBC), With $550,000 in purse money in the race, the men's and women's winners each pocket $100,000 and there are time bonuses as well.
"He personifies what Chicago is all about," Pinkowski said. "This guy is amazing and is best athlete I have ever seen.
"The fact that he has decided to come to Chicago is amazing."
The women's elite field is led by defending champion Rita Jeptoo, who ran her first career sub 2:20 in last year's race. She returns with momentum after smashing the Boston Marathon course record in April, running 2:18:57 to win that race.
"She has some real aggressive goals," Pinkowski said.
For Bekele, this will be his second marathon. He ran a 2:05:04 in his marathon debut in Paris in April and won. The three-time Olympic gold medalist set a course record and his winning time is the sixth-fastest marathon debut in history. Pinkowski called his effort in Paris "conservative" as he ran the final 30K solo and had a sore hamstring.
He will be challenged by four men with personal records of under 2:05. Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge has battled Bekele over the past decade. His PR in the marathon is 2:04:05. This will be their first showdown in this distance.
"I am looking forward to coming to Chicago and competing with Kenenisa on the road this time," Kipchoge said. "I chose Chicago because it has a fast course and I want to better my personal best. It's also one of the best races in the world."
Other top challengers are Tadese Tola (2:04:49), Feyisa Lilesa (2:04:52) and Bernard Koech (2:04:53). The men will be looking to challenge the course record, 2:03:45, set last year by Kenya's Dennis Kimetto, who will not defend his crown. He ran the Berlin Marathon on Sept. 28 and set a world record (2:02:57).
The Chicago course record has dropped significantly the last 30 years. Steve Jones' winning time in 1984 was 2:08:05. Kimetto's time was 4:20 faster. Pinkowski attributes the drop to elite distance track runners turning to the marathon earlier in their careers.
The American men's fortunes will be led by former track star-turned-distance runner Bobby Curtis (2:13:24), who is making his Chicago debut. Pinkowski also said Christo Landry, who set a 25K American record, is poised for a breakthrough performance. His marathon best is 2:14:44. Schaumburg's Patrick Rizzo returns to the race as well.
On the women's front, Kenya's Florence Kiplagat, the 2010 IAAF World Half Marathon champion and the 2011 and 2013 Berlin Marathon champion, will challenge Jeptoo. A young runner to watch is 20-year-old Birhane Dibaba, who has a strong finishing kick. At the 2014 Suja Rock 'n' Roll San Diego Half Marathon, Dibaba outsprinted Jeptoo with 50 meters to go, winning in 1:09:34. Although Dibaba is the youngest competitor in the elite field, she has run six marathons. Her PR is 2:19:51.
"Running the Chicago Marathon has been my dream since I started running, and it will be my first big race," Dibaba said. "My goal is to win and run 2 hours, 20 minutes or faster."
Amy Hastings leads a talented field of American women. Hastings made her marathon debut in 2011 in convincing fashion, finishing second in the Los Angeles Marathon in 2:27:03.
"The course will compliment her and I expect to see a great improvement," Pinkowski said.
"I can't wait to be racing through the streets of Chicago," Hastings said. "As a notoriously fast course, I am out there to run a PR and compete with some of the world's best until the very end."
Other American women to watch are Clara Santucci, Lisa Uhl and Melissa White.