Kosgei Smashes Marathon World Record in Chicago
Completing a sensational weekend of road running, Brigid Kosgei broke the world record* at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon today, winning the IAAF Gold Label road race in 2:14:04.
Lawrence Cherono, winner of this year’s Boston Marathon, won a close men’s contest in 2:05:45 to complete a Kenyan double in the Windy City.
Kosgei’s run came little more than 24 hours after fellow Kenyan Eliud Kipchoge became the first man to cover 26.2 miles within two hours, clocking 1:59:41 in Vienna. Unlike Kipchoge’s performance, though, Kosgei’s mark was set in an official race on a record-eligible course.
Kosgei, who won in Chicago last year in 2:18:35 and improved her PB to 2:18:20 to win in London earlier this year, set out at a blisteringly fast pace, covering the first 5km in 15:28. Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh was dragged through the section in a swift 15:36 with Gelete Burka a further 27 seconds in arrears.
“I’m happy and I feel good,” said Kosgei. “I ran here last year so I knew it was a good course. There was a little bit of wind but it was okay. People were cheering all along the course, which gave me more energy.”
“We always knew the time would come when the record would be broken,” said Radcliffe, who was in Chicago and congratulated Kosgei when she finished. “When I saw how fast Brigid was running in the first half of the race, I knew she had a good chance of getting the record.
“I’ve always said 17 is my lucky number and it was exactly 17 years ago to the day that I set my first world record here in Chicago.”
Yeshaneh was a distant second, holding off a fast-finishing Burka as the Ethiopian duo crossed the line in 2:20:51 and 2:20:55 respectively. USA’s Emma Bates, contesting just her second marathon, was fourth in a PB of 2:25:27.
LEADING RESULTS
MEN
1 Lawrence Cherono (KEN) 2:05:45
2 Dejene Debela (ETH) 2:05:46
3 Asefa Mengstu (ETH) 2:05:48
4 Bedan Karoki (KEN) 2:05:53
5 Bashir Abdi (BEL) 2:06:14
6 Seifu Tura (ETH) 2:08:35
7 Dickson Chumba (KEN) 2:09:11
8 Mo Farah (GBR) 2:09:58
9 Jacob Riley (USA) 2:10:36
10 Jerrell Mock (USA) 2:10:37
WOMEN
1 Brigid Kosgei (KEN) 2:14:04
2 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:51
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:20:55
4 Emma Bates (USA) 2:25:27
5 Fionnuala McCormack (IRL) 2:26:47
6 Stephanie Bruce (USA) 2:27:47
7 Lindsay Flanagan (USA) 2:28:08
8 Laura Thweatt (USA) 2:29:06
9 Lisa Weightman (AUS) 2:29:45
10 Taylor Ward (USA) 2:30:14
Read more at: IAAF
