CHICAGO: Kenya’s Rita Jeptoo (pictured), coming off an April victory at the Boston Marathon, will defend her Chicago Marathon crown on October 12, race organisers announced yesterday.
Jeptoo produced the fastest women’s marathon time in the world last year with her career-best clocking of 2hr 19min 57sec to win at Chicago.
She began her 2014 season by smashing the course record at the Boston Marathon and lowering her personal best to 2:18:57 with that triumph.
Jeptoo could become only the third woman in marathon history to have three sub-2:20 marathons, a feat not seen since former Chicago champions and world record-holdes Paula Radcliffe of Britain and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya exchanged world records at London and Chicago in 2002 and 2003.
In 2012, Jeptoo finished second at Chicago by a second to Ethiopia’s Atsede Baysa, being edged at the final stride.
But last year, Jeptoo won the Boston Marathon and followed by becoming the first Kenyan winner at Chicago since Ndereba in 2001.
Also back to defend her crown will be US wheelchair racer Tatyana McFadden, who has won four Chicago titles in a row and five of the past six.
McFadden won this year’s women’s wheelchair titles at London and Boston after also taking a silver medal in cross-country skiing at the Sochi 2014 Winter Paralympics.
“Rita Jeptoo and Tatyana McFadden are among two of the fastest and most exciting athletes competing in the world today,” race executive director Carey Pinkowski said. “To have them come back to defend their titles sets the stage for another year of sensational racing in Chicago.”
AFP
