Wanjiru wins Chicago Marathon in dramatic fashion
Like two heavyweight boxers trading blows in the late rounds, Sammy Wanjiru and Tsegaye Kebede put on a battle for the ages down the stretch in Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
After disposing of a pack of other runners around the 20-mile mark and then Feyisa Lilesa with two miles left, Wanjiru the defending Chicago Marathon champion and Kebede decided to make this their own personal showdown.
The stakes were high.
Not only was the Chicago Marathon title on the line, so was a lead in the competition for the World Marathon Majors crown and the $500,000 first prize. Wanjiru and Kebede traded multiple surges for the lead in the final mile before Wanjiru used his speed to deliver the knockout punch right before the 26-mile mark.
The Kenyan outkicked his Ethiopian riva for good coming up the incline on Roosevelt Road, crossing the finish line in dramatic fashion in 2:06:24 to capture the 33rd running of the Chicago Marathon on a warm October day. His time was 19 seconds ahead of Kebede.
“Bring champions together and hope they fight, said Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski about assembling the fastest men's field in race history. “Sammy proved his heart.
At 23 years old, Wanjiru is the youngest athlete ever to win four major marathons, including the 2008 Olympic gold medal at the Summer Games in Beijing and London in 2009.
With a sub-2:06:30 finish, Wanjiru takes home $115,000 in Chicago Marathon money $75,000 for the win and a $40,000 time bonus. He also has a virtual lock for the World Marathon Majors crown with a 10-point lead in the standings, 75-65 over Kebede, with one event left the New York City Marathon on Nov. 7.
Kebede said he may consider running in New York where he would have to finish first or second in order to usurp Wanjiru in the rankings, but that seems unlikely given the typical recovery time needed after running 26.2 miles.
Rounding out the top five men's finishers were Lilesa (2:08:10), Kenyan Wesley Korir (2:08:44) and Vincent Kipruto (2:09:09) of Ethiopia.
The top American male finisher was Jason Hartmann, a Grand Rapids, Mich., native, who placed eighth in 2:11:06.
For Wanjiru, Sunday's win was a major achievement considering some setbacks he had been dealing with. Fighting a right knee problem, Wanjiru was forced to drop out of the 2010 London Marathon in April around the 27-kilometer mark. Also, just a few weeks ago, he dealt with a stomach problem that forced him to miss some key training time.
That didn't matter as his experience as a champion shined despite abnormally warm weather conditions. The temperate at the start of the race was 67 degrees.
“I like hot weather, Wanjiru said. “Today was a big day. It was for leader points. The last 5K, I get the power. I don't know where the power came from.
Kebede was not disappointed in a second-place finish.
“I tried to break him several times, Kebede siad. “I tried and tried to win. It's a chance, you know? Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
Added Lilsea, a 20-year-old with tons of potential: “The two athletes (Wanjiru and Kebede) are very strong. They were stronger than me for today.