Chicago Marathon boss still amazed by sport's growth

Posted October 08, 2009 11:00 pm

By Brian Pitts Daily Herald Correspondent

Irina Mikitenko is the women's favorite for Sunday's Chicago Marathon ECKEHARD SCHULZ

In his 20th year as executive race director of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, Carey Pinkowski has seen a lot of changes.

For instance, the winning times have come way down. In 1990, Pinkowski's first year at the helm, the men's winner finished in 2:09:41. Last year, the men's winner finished the 26.2-mile course in 2:06:25. The current Chicago record is 2:05:42, set by Khalid Khannouchi in 1999.

The participation numbers also have grown dramatically. For the 32nd running of the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, 45,000 runners have registered for the race. In 1990, the field was only 7,957 runners.

Perhaps one of the most significant changes Pinkowski has seen in the last five years is that the field of top runners continues to get more athletic and these top athletes get into marathon competition earlier in their careers.

The headliners for Sunday are two top athletes in their running prime: 2008 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya and reigning World Marathon Majors champion Irina Mikitenko from Germany.

Coming off a victory at the London Marathon in April with a personal-best time (2:05:10), the 22-year-old Wanjiru also won the Tokyo Marathon in 2007. As for Mikitenko, she is on a nice roll as well, having won the last three marathons she has run in - London in 2009 and 2008 and Berlin in 2008.

"What we have seen are athletes who have come to the marathon who are in their late 20s and early 30s after they have competed on the track," Pinkowski said. "We are seeing much more athletic runners earlier in their career who are much more aggressive. The world record has come down. It is much more exciting."

Pinkowski and his team have done their usual stellar job of assembling a top field for both the men's and women's competition. If the conditions are just right, the expected crowd of more than 1.5 million spectators who will pack the streets and neighborhoods of Chicago could witness another world record.

A world record has been established four times in Chicago. The last one came in 2002 when Great Britain's Paula Radcliff blazed through the course in 2:17:18.

The odds-on favorite to win the race and possibly challenge the world record is Wanjiru, who is on quite a hot streak. In 2005, he made a name for himself by setting a world record in the half marathon. Wanjiru then lowered that top mark in 2007. To date, he has won three of the four marathons he has run in.

At the Beijing Summer Games last year, he became the first Kenyan to win the Olympic Marathon.

"My plan is to lower my personal record and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon course offers the best opportunity for me to achieve that this year," Wanjiru said.

He won't have to deal with two past Chicago Marathon champs. Last year's Chicago Marathon winner, Evans Cheruiyot, withdrew from the race because of an injury, and the 2007 champion, Patrick Ivuti, has signed on as a pacer.

Wanjiru will face stiff competition. Fellow Kenyan Vincent Kipruto, only 21 years old, made his mark on marathon running when he set a course record (2:05:47) in his 2009 Paris Marathon victory, only his second marathon appearance. Another Kenyan, Issac Macharia, turned in a strong performance in the Dubai Marathon in 2008.

Moroccan Abderrahim Goumri, who has the second fastest marathon time (2:05:30 in London in 2008) for the men, looks to continue the strong Moroccan tradition of top finishes in Chicago. Khannouchi won four Chicago Marathons (2002, 2000, 1999 and 1997). The last two came after he became an American citizen in 2000.

"Abderrahim is a very exciting athlete," Pinkowski said. "He follows in the tradition going back to Khannouchi. We have had a great history of Moroccan athletes running well."

As for top American male runners, most of them will be vying for the 2009 USA men's marathon championship, which will be run in New York on Sunday, Nov. 1.

One American runner to watch, according to Pinkowski, is Seth Pilkington, who is making his debut. Seth is the son of Paul Pilkington, an accomplished marathon runner. The elder Pilkington won the USA Track and Field Marathon National Championship in 1994 as well as the Los Angeles Marathon.

In the women's competition, there will be a strong group of challengers to give Mikitenko a run for her money. Defending champion Lidiya Grigoryeva of Russia is back as is American standout Deena Kastor, who won the Chicago Marathon in 2005. This will be Kastor's first appearance in the marathon distance since injury forced her to withdraw in the third mile of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Marathon.

"I'm coming back into the marathon distance with the expectation of running a personal best," said Kastor, who currently owns the American women's marathon record (2:19:36 set in London in 2006. "If training goes well, I would love to run sub 2:18. Chicago holds a special place in my heart and my greatest hope is to run a personal best there."

Another runner Pinkowski believes can challenge the women's field is Russian Liliya Shobukhova. She posted a 2:24:24 in her debut performance, which earned her third place among a strong 2009 London Marathon field.

"She is very athletic and has some great track credentials," Pinkowski said. "If the chemistry of the competition meshes well and you get a good day, you can get some fast times."

Carey Pinkowski Victah Sailer

Kenya's Sammy Wanjiru displays his trophy after winning the men's race, at the London Marathon in April. He's the favorite heading into Sunday's race in Chicago. Associated Press photo

Bank of America Chicago Marathon What: 32nd running of Chicago's 26.2 mile event When: Sunday, Oct. 10, 7:30 a.m. Who: Athletes from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, with 45,000 registered runners. About 31,000 expected to finish. Where: Race begins in Grant Park near Monroe Street and Columbus Drive, with the finish line just north of Roosevelt Road and Columbus Drive. TV: NBC 5 beginning at 6 a.m., with live race broadcast from 7-11 a.m. Radio: WSCR AM-670 from 7 to 11 a.m. On the Web: Streaming coverage online at nbcchicago.com for Chicago area viewers only. Runner reunite area: At Butler Field, northeast corner of Columbus Drive and Jackson Boulevard Race results: Searchable results at <a href="http://chicagomarathon.com" target="new">chicagomarathon.com</a>

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