Experience doesn’t portend success in marathon racing.
The 47th Chicago Marathon was an example of that, as Jacob Kiplimo won with an unofficial time of 2:02:23, which is good for seventh on the all-time list and is an Ugandan national record.
Kiplimo, competing in just his second marathon, was on a world-record pace before succumbing to some fatigue.
He was on track early to break the world standard set in 2023 by Kelvin Kiptum, who died in 2024. But Kiplimo slowed on Mile 25, finishing it in 5:05, which effectively made breaking the world record out of reach.
Kiplimo said he was unaware that he was on pace for a world record, and that his goal was to finish strong as the miles got to his body. After Kiplimo finished the race, he collapsed onto the pavement before he was helped to his feet.
“It’s about how you prepare yourself,” Kiplimo said of what he learned. “I know it was not easy to prepare for this race. But [coming here] was just to run a good race.”
And though no world records were broken, a long-standing American mark was shattered when Conner Mantz finished with an unofficial time of 2:04:43, besting the time of Khalid Khannouchi’s 2:05:38, set in 2002 at the London Marathon. Khannouchi is also a four-time Chicago Marathon winner.
Mantz had made it known he wanted to break the record at Chicago, where its flat course afforded him the perfect chance to make history.
“What took you so long?” Khannouchi joked on the NBC broadcast.
Mantz said he felt the pressure to break the record after publicly stating his goal.
“I don’t like to put my goals out there because it’s being vulnerable,” Mantz said. ‘‘Fortunately, the build went really well.
“I met with a sports psychologist a few weeks ago, and he’s like, ‘Look, maybe your goals for time are limiting you on what you can do. You’re setting these outcome-based goals, and think you’re limiting yourself because you got to think about the process when you’re in the race.’ ”
In the women’s division, Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia won with an unofficial time of 2:14:56, a personal best. Sunday was her first major marathon win. Megertu Alemu finished second (2:17:18) and Magdalena Shauri was third (2:18:03).
Natosha Rogers was the top American woman with an unofficial time of 2:23:28.
The key for Kiplimo to separate was to slow down. He noticed other runners racing too fast, so he eased up and maintained his pace. Whereas Kiplimo was strategizing how to get ahead of his challengers, Feysa was comfortably in front. Shauri was keeping pace with Feysa for the first part of the race, until Shauri dropped out at around mile 18.
Marcel Hug won his sixth Chicago Marathon in the wheelchair division, sporting an unofficial time of 1:23:20. Susannah Scaroni won the women’s wheelchair division with an unofficial time of 1:38:12, narrowly missing the record of one hour and 38 minutes.