Olympic runner Hall drops out of Chicago Marathon

U.S. Olympian Ryan Hall has withdrawn from the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon citing fatigue.

Hall finished 14th at the Philadelphia Half Marathon on Sept 19, nearly four minutes outside of his American record. After a series of subpar workouts, Hall made the decision to formally withdraw from the competition.

In April, Hall had targeted the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as his best opportunity to challenge the American record of 2:05:38.

"Perhaps I was a bit too eager to capitalize on the lightning fast course, atmosphere, and history of the event in my race preparations, causing me to over-train and suffer from perpetual fatigue. I am committed to excellence, and if I am not fully ready to run, I owe it to myself, my fans and the Bank of America Chicago Marathon organizers to not show up with less than my very best. I will instead save my Chicago debut for another day, which will hopefully come soon.

Hall's absence leaves the door wide open for a host of others to finish as the top American male. Despite the loss of Hall, who has a personal best of 2:06:17, there are five men in the field with sub-2:06 personal records, setting the stage for the most competitive men's field in Bank of America Chicago Marathon history.