Chicago Marathon: Kenyan Amos Kipruto wins in 2:01:09, dethroning Jacob Kiplimo

Kenyan Amos Kipruto won the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11, 2026, in 2:01:09, a time reported as unofficial, finishing ahead of Ethiopian Tadese Bikila (2:02:56) and another Ethiopian, Milkesa Mengesha (2:03:46), according to Bleacher Report and the Chicago Sun-Times. The three podium spots, just as in the women's race a few minutes earlier, went to runners from the continent.

Kiplimo dethroned, fourth in 2:04:18

The defending champion, Ugandan Jacob Kiplimo, crossed the finish line in fourth place in 2:04:18, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. He had won the 2025 edition in 2:02:23 and remains, with the 2:00:28 he clocked in London in April 2026, the third-fastest man in history over the distance, according to World Athletics. The Chicago course record of 2:00:35 was therefore not threatened.

For Kipruto, it is a form of revenge: after finishing second in Chicago last year behind Kiplimo and second in London in April 2026 in 2:01:39—his previous personal best according to World Athletics—he secures his second major marathon title following London in 2022. NBC Sports ranks his time as the fifth-fastest in marathon history.

In the women's race, Hawi Feysa retains her title

Ethiopian Hawi Feysa kept her crown in 2:13:33, finishing ahead of Kenyans Sharon Lokedi (2:14:07) and Brigid Kosgei (2:14:55), according to Bleacher Report. Feysa had won in 2025 in 2:14:57, meaning she significantly improved her personal best. Lokedi, a two-time Boston winner in 2025 and 2026, was running Chicago for the first time, with her previous known best time being 2:17:22, according to World Athletics.

Kosgei's return to this course had a special significance: it was in Chicago in 2019 that she ran 2:14:04, a world record that shaved 81 seconds off Paula Radcliffe's mark, World Athletics recalls. At 32, she had not raced there since.

Americans in the wake

Behind them, the top Americans took advantage of the pace set: Clayton Young took seventh place in 2:05:23, the second-best American performance in history on a certified course, and Emma Grace Hurley clocked 2:20:47, the fastest debut ever run by an American woman, according to NBC Sports.

Race after race, the top of the global marathon hierarchy remains unchanged: from Lisbon to Chicago, athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Uganda occupy the top spots in the rankings, and the major world athletics awards will be presented on November 29, 2026, in Monaco, where several of them are among the twenty nominees, according to World Athletics.