2011 Chicago Marathon

34th Chicago Marathon

Amateur runners in the mass race
Venue Chicago, United States
Dates October 9
Medalists
 

The 2011 Chicago Marathon was the 34th edition of the annual marathon race in Chicago, Illinois which was held on Sunday, October 9. The men's race was won by Kenya's Moses Mosop in a time of 2:05:38 hours – a course record. Liliya Shobukhova, who recorded a time of 2:18:20 hours, was the women's winner. Some 37,400 runners started the event (a new high for the Chicago race) and the final total of 35,670 finishers was the second highest in its history.[1]

The pre-event favorite for the men's competition was Moses Mosop, who had run 2:03:06 for second place at the 2011 Boston Marathon and had broken two track world records at the Prefontaine Classic in July. His principal challengers were Bekana Daba, Ryan Hall, Bernard Kipyego, and the 2008 Chicago winner Evans Cheruiyot.[2][3] Inconsistent pace-making for the first half of the race reduced the chances of fast times for the elite men. A large number of runners remained at the half-way point, which was reached in just under 63 minutes. The leading pack was reduced to five at the 30 km mark with Ethiopia's Bekana Daba the sole non-Kenyan alongside Wesley Korir, Mosop, Kipyego and Cheruiyot. Mosop pulled away and increased his lead over the final 12 km to win in a course record time of 2:05:38 hours (four seconds faster than the late Samuel Wanjiru's time from 2009). Korir finished quickly to cross the line after 2:06:15 hours and Kipyego soon followed to complete the sixth Kenyan podium sweep of the race's history.[4][5]

In the women's section, Liliya Shobukhova (winner in 2009 and 2010) was expected to be the main protagonist and Askale Tafa, Belaynesh Zemedkun, and Kayoko Fukushi were the next fastest entrants.[2][3] From the beginning, Shobukhova set a fast starting pace, departing from her usual slower-starting tactics. Ejegayehu Dibaba, a former Olympic track medalist but marathon débutante, kept pace with her, as did Fukushi. The trio remained together up to the half-marathon point, where they all clocked a time of 69:25 minutes. After that point, Shobukhova sped away and remained unchallenged. She completed the second half of the race faster than the first and her time of 6:52 minutes over the final 2.195 km was the third fastest of anyone that day after elite men Wesley Korir and Ryan Hall. Shobukhova's winning time of 2:18:20 hours made her the second-fastest woman ever behind Paula Radcliffe and improved her Russian record by nearly two minutes. Dibaba and Fukushi completed the women's podium as they maintained their positions in the final half of the race, finishing in times of 2:22:09 and 2:24:38 hours, respectively.[4][5]

One person died during the running of the marathon: Will Caviness, a 35-year-old firefighter, collapsed 500 yards from the finish line.[6] Amateur runner Amber Miller from Westchester, Illinois, completed the race in a time of 6:25:50 hours. Miller garnered international attention as she ran while 38 weeks 5 days pregnant and gave birth to daughter June Audra Miller hours later.[7] Kurt Fearnley and Tatyana McFadden were the winners of the men's and women's wheelchair races, respectively.

Results

Elite races

Third placer Bernard Kipyego completed a Kenyan podium sweep.
Men
PlaceAthlete NationalityTime
1 Moses Mosop  Kenya 2:05:37
2 Wesley Korir  Kenya 2:06:15
3 Bernard Kipyego  Kenya 2:06:29
4 Bekana Daba  Ethiopia 2:07:59
5 Ryan Hall  United States 2:08:04
6 Evans Cheruiyot  Kenya 2:10:29
7 Koji Gokaya  Japan 2:12:15
8 Hironori Arai  Japan 2:13:17
9 Takashi Horiguchi  Japan 2:14:48
10 Masaki Shimoju  Japan 2:17:49
Women
Liliya Shobukhova (pictured at the 2011 London Marathon) became the second fastest woman ever in the marathon.
PlaceAthlete NationalityTime
1 Liliya Shobukhova  Russia 2:18:20 NR
2 Ejegayehu Dibaba  Ethiopia 2:22:09
3 Kayoko Fukushi  Japan 2:24:38
4 Belaynesh Zemedkun  Ethiopia 2:26:17
5 Christelle Daunay  France 2:26:41
6 Claire Hallissey  United Kingdom 2:29:27
7 Yue Chao  China 2:32:57
8 Askale Tafa  Ethiopia 2:33:35
9 Cruz Nonata da Silva  Brazil 2:35:35
10 Jeannette Faber  United States 2:36:58

Wheelchair

Men
PlaceAthlete NationalityTime
1 Kurt Fearnley  Australia 1:29:18
2 Heinz Frei   Switzerland 1:29:23
3 Joshua George  United States 1:29:23
Women
PlaceAthlete NationalityTime
1 Tatyana McFadden  United States 1:45:00
2 Christine Dawes  Australia 1:47:01
3 Diane Roy  Canada 1:47:11

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chicago Marathon.

References

  1. ↑ Chicago Marathon - Race Results. Marathon Guide. Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Ferstle, Jim (2011-10-08). The Evolution/Revolution in the Marathon on Display in Chicago - PREVIEW. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 2008 champion Cheruiyot returns to Chicago. IAAF (2011-09-15). Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 2011 Chicago Marathon Leaderboard. Chicago Marathon. Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Ferstle, Jim (2011-10-09).Mosop and Shobukova scorch to Chicago titles - UPDATED. IAAF. Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
  6. ↑ Janega, James (2011-10-09). 2011 Chicago Marathon, link to results and Chicago Tribune coverage. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
  7. ↑ Woman gives birth hours after running Chicago Marathon. BBC Sport (2011-10-11). Retrieved on 2011-10-16.
Race results

External links