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2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – Men’s Preview
by Sharon Ekstrom

photo: Scott Winnier / MarathonGuide.com The front pack at the 2010 Chicago Marathon

An Historically Fast Marathon
The Chicago Marathon course is one of the fastest courses in the world and has been the source of four world records: two by men, Steve Jones (2:08:05 in 1984) and Khalid Khannouchi (2:05:42 in 1999); and two by women, Catherine Ndereba (2:18:47 in 2001) and Paula Radcliffe in 2:17:18. And in most years, the finishing times at the Chicago Marathon are the fastest in North America for the year. The potential for a new record is always a possibility on the course, and the 2011 field could be one to produce a record.

Added Pressure for a Fast Chicago Marathon
Chicago has held the title of fastest marathon in the world and even after London/Berlin/Rotterdam saw faster times, Chicago retained its title as fastest marathon in North America. But the 2011 Boston Marathon – on a point to point course ineligible for world records – saw four men run faster than any time ever run at Chicago. It is doubtful that anyone at Chicago will be able to run as fast as the 2:03 times run by Geoffrey Mutai and Moses Mosop at Boston, but there can be no doubt that the Chicago organizers would like to get as close as they can. In addition, the 2:06:35 winning time at the 2011 Los Angeles Marathon sets another mark that Chicago must surpass – it could not go down this year as the third fastest marathon in the USA for 2011! And the 2:06:35 time is not a trivial time to beat – it has been missed at Chicago as recently as 2005, 2006 and 2007.

Fast Men / Faster Times / Records
The 2011 Chicago Marathon field boasts seven sub-2:08 marathoners including Moses Mosop (KEN), Ryan Hall (USA), Bazu Worku (ETH), Evans Cheruiyot (KEN), Marilson Gomes dos Santos (BRA), Bekana Daba (ETH) and Wesley Korir (KEN)- as strong and deep a field as is usually assembled. Perhaps most notable in the field are two men who ran sub-2:05 earlier in the year at the Boston Marathon, Moses Mosop and Ryan Hall. Mosop, in his debut marathon, finished as the runner-up in 2:03:06, the second fastest marathon of all time. Hall finished fourth at Boston in 2:04:58 becoming the fastest American ever to run 26.2 miles. But the 2:03:06 and 2:04:58 don’t count as “records” as they were set on the Boston course where the net elevation loss is too great to be eligible for a world record. But no one can argue that this pair and the rest of the crew can run fast times.

Hall Quiet on the Marathon Front
Ryan Hall is arguably the best American marathoner of all time and arguably the best American marathoner currently racing. At 28, he has already run eight career marathons nearly always finishing within the top 5 in the most competitive fields possible; and with six of his eight marathons finished in under 2:10. Expectations have always been high for Hall since his debut at the 2007 London Marathon (2:08:24). Many have expected Hall to be the first American in decades to win the Chicago or Boston Marathons – and the hype at some of these races has been incredible; perhaps contributing to pressure that may have negatively impacted those performances. At the 2010 Chicago Marathon, it was stated that Hall would be running for a new American record; but ultimately Hall withdrew from the field weeks before the race and left his coach and training home. Hall retreated and emerged at the 2011 Boston Marathon with a renewed sense of confidence running 2:04:58 on a perfect day (and, admittedly, with a tailwind). The hype and noise surrounding Hall at the 2011 Chicago Marathon is the least we have seen – all is quiet. Without the pressure and with the superb performance in April, Hall may be ready to attack that American record, if not prepare himself for the 2012 US Olympic Trials just three months away.

A Field Rife with Competitors
Other top performers in the field include: Bazu Worku (ETH), who had one of the fastest marathon debuts ever at the 2009 Paris Marathon (2:06:14 WJR) and was quick to improve his marathon times within in a year, taking third place at the 2010 Berlin Marathon in 2:05:25 at the age of 20; Evans Cheruiyot (KEN), the 2008 Chicago champion; Marilson Gomes dos Santos (BRA), two-time New York City Marathon Champion whose recent 2011 London Marathon finish was a personal best by over two minutes (2:06:34); Bekana Daba (ETH) the 2011 Houston Marathon champion; Getu Feleke (ETH) 2010 Amsterdam Marathon champion (2:05:44); and Wesley Korir (KEN), two-time Los Angeles Marathon champion who is back for his fourth consecutive Chicago Marathon. Another to watch is Bernard Kipyego (KEN) whose marathon finishes seem relatively less impressive (only a 2:07:01 best), but at 25 years old he is a strong half-marathoner with 5 sub-60:00 half-marathons to his resume since 2009, suggesting a breakthrough in the marathon could be possible.

Farewell to Sammy Wanjru

photo: Victah Sailer / Photo Run Sammy Wanjiru Winning the 2010 Chicago Marathon

Elite Men’s Lineup:

Male Elite Athletes

Athlete	Country	Bib	Personal Best	Chicago
Moses Mosop (26)	KEN	2	2:03:06, Boston, 2011	History
Ryan Hall (28)	USA	3	2:04:58, Boston, 2011	History
Bazu Worku (21)	ETH	4	2:05:25, Berlin, 2010	History
Evans Cheruiyot (29)	KEN	5	2:06:25, Chicago, 2008	History
Marilson Dos Santos (34)	BRA	6	2:06:34, London, 2011	History
Bekana Daba (23)	ETH	7	2:07:04, Houston, 2011	History
Bernard Kipyego (25)	KEN	8	2:07:01, Rotterdam, 2010	History
Wesley Korir (28)	KEN	9	2:08:24, Los Angeles, 2009	History
Dickson Kiptolo Chumba (25)	KEN	10	2:08:45, Rome, 2011	History
Joseph Chirlee (30)	USA	11	2:12:10, San Diego, 2007	History
Terefe Maregu (28)	ETH	12	2:09:03, Frankfurt, 2010	History
Chala Dechase (27)	ETH	13	2:06:33, Dubai, 2010	History
Feyisa Tusse (28)	ETH	14	2:11:39, Houston, 2007	History
Joshua Chelanga (38)	KEN	15	2:07:05, Berlin, 2004	History
Kyeva Cosmas Mutuku (26)	KEN	16	2:12:20, Krakow, 2011	History
Atsushi Sato (33)	JPN	17	2:07:13, Fukuoka, 2007	History
Yuuki Moriwaki (27)	JPN	18	2:12:34, Mainichi, 2011	History
Masaki Shimoju (27)	JPN	19	2:12:18, Nobeoka 2010	History
Hironori Arai (32)	JPN	20	2:12:17, Osaka, 2011	History
Kouji Gokaya (23)	JPN	21	2:12:07, Otsu, 2011	History
Takashi Horiguchi (32)	JPN	22	2:12:05, Tokyo, 2011	History
Takayuki Matsumiya (31)	JPN	23	2:10:04, Rotterdam, 2007	History
Shawn Forrest (28)	AUS	24	Debut	History
Jason Gutierrez (27)	COL	25	2:13:24, Los Angeles, 2011	History
Martin Fagan (28)	IRL	27	2:14:06, Dubai, 2008	History
Tyler McCandless (24)	USA	31	2:17:09, Duluth, 2011	History
Michael McKeeman (35)	USA	32	2:17:42, Chicago, 2009	History
Mario Macias (30)	USA	33	2:18:34, St. Paul, 2009	History
Miguel Nuci (32)	USA	34	2:15:34, Sacramento, 2006	History
Joseph Driscoll (31)	USA	35	2:18:22, New York, 2007	History
Jesse Davis (30)	USA	36	2:18:47, Houston, 2011	History

Past Head-To-Head Men’s Athlete Meetings

Men
Tokyo – Feb 26, 2017
3	Dickson Chumba (KEN)	2:06:25
6	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:08:10
Boston – Apr 18, 2016
4	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:14:05
Tokyo – Feb 28, 2016
2	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:07:33
3	Dickson Chumba (KEN)	2:07:34
Amsterdam – Oct 18, 2015
1	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:06:19
4	Chala Dechase (ETH)	2:08:25
Chicago – Oct 11, 2015
1	Dickson Chumba (KEN)	2:09:25
6	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:10:39
Boston – Apr 20, 2015
4	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:10:47
5	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:10:49
Dubai – Jan 23, 2015
6	Bazu Worku Hayla (ETH)	2:07:09
7	Chala Dechase (ETH)	2:08:11
Chicago – Oct 12, 2014
3	Dickson Chumba (KEN)	2:04:32
8	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:11:09
26	Jesse Davis (USA)	2:18:13
37	Mario Macias (USA)	2:22:47
Tokyo – Feb 23, 2014
1	Dickson Chumba (KEN)	2:05:42
Moscow World Championships – Aug 17, 2013
12	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:14:01
Boston – Apr 15, 2013
5	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:12:30
7	Dickson Chumba (KEN)	2:14:08
Tokyo – Feb 24, 2013
3	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:07:53
9	Takayuki Matsumiya (JPN)	2:09:14
Chicago – Oct 7, 2012
5	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:06:13
6	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:06:40
30	Takashi Horiguchi (JPN )	2:20:32
London – Apr 22, 2012
8	Marilson dos Santos (BRA)	2:08:03
11	Bazu Worku Hayla (ETH)	2:10:14
Boston – Apr 16, 2012
1	Wesley Korir (KEN )	2:12:40
3	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:13:13
Tokyo – Feb 26, 2012
7	Takayuki Matsumiya (JPN)	2:09:28
Dubai – Jan 27, 2012
13	Bazu Worku Hayla (ETH)	2:07:48
17	Chala Dechase (ETH)	2:09:22
Houston Trials – Jan 14, 2012
50	Tyler McCandless (USA)	2:19:56
68	Jesse Davis (USA)	2:22:24
Chicago – Oct 9, 2011
1	Moses Mosop (KEN)	2:05:37
2	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:06:15
3	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:06:29
4	Bekana Daba (ETH)	2:07:59
5	Ryan Hall (USA)	2:08:04
6	Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot (KEN)	2:10:29
7	Kouji Gokaya (JPN)	2:12:15
8	Hironori Arai (JPN)	2:13:17
9	Takashi Horiguchi (JPN)	2:14:48
10	Masaki Shimoju (JPN)	2:17:49
12	Michael McKeeman (USA)	2:18:07
14	Joseph Chirlee (KEN)	2:18:36
27	Takayuki Matsumiya (JPN)	2:22:26
45	Yuuki Moriwaki (JPN)	2:27:33
Boston – Apr 18, 2011
2	Moses Mosop (KEN)	2:03:06
4	Ryan Hall (USA)	2:04:58
9	Bekana Daba (ETH)	2:08:03
Rotterdam – Apr 10, 2011
3	Chala Dechase (ETH)	2:08:47
Los Angeles – Mar 20, 2011
4	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:13:23
5	JASON GUTIERREZ (COL)	2:13:24
8	Miguel Nuci (USA)	2:18:33
Houston – Jan 30, 2011
1	Bekana Daba (ETH)	2:07:04
5	Jesse Davis (USA)	2:18:47
Chicago – Oct 10, 2010
4	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:08:44
19	Jesse Davis (USA)	2:19:53
Berlin – Sep 26, 2010
3	Bazu Worku Hayla (ETH)	2:05:25
6	Bernard Kiprop Kipyego (KEN)	2:08:50
London – Apr 25, 2010
6	Marilson dos Santos (BRA)	2:08:46
23	Takayuki Matsumiya (JPN)	2:21:34
Boston – Apr 19, 2010
4	Ryan Hall (USA)	2:08:41
15	Chala Dechase (ETH)	2:14:57
Los Angeles – Mar 21, 2010
1	Wesley Korir (KEN)	2:09:19
14	Joseph Chirlee (KEN)	2:20:18
Chicago – Oct 11, 2009
6	Wesley Korir (KEN )	2:10:38
12	Michael McKeeman (USA)	2:17:42
Berlin World Championships – Aug 22, 2009
6	Atsushi Sato (JPN)	2:12:05
16	Marilson dos Santos (BRA)	2:15:13
Boston – Apr 20, 2009
3	Ryan Hall (USA)	2:09:40
8	Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot (KEN)	2:12:45
Sacramento – Dec 7, 2008
4	JOSEPH CHIRLEE (KEN)	2:17:50
6	MIGUEL NUCI (USA)	2:19:39
New York City – Nov 2, 2008
1	Marilson dos Santos (BRA)	2:08:43
31	Miguel Nuci (USA)	2:25:53
Chicago – Oct 12, 2008
1	Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot (KEN)	2:06:25
4	Wesley Korir (KEN )	2:13:53
23	Jesse Davis (USA)	2:27:26
New York City – Nov 4, 2007
8	Marilson dos Santos (BRA)	2:13:47
16	JOSEPH CHIRLEE (KEN)	2:23:01
New York City Trials – Nov 3, 2007
1	Ryan Hall (USA)	2:09:02
31	Miguel Nuci (USA)	2:18:47
73	Michael McKeeman (USA)	2:26:15
London – Apr 22, 2007
7	Ryan Hall (USA)	2:08:24
8	Marilson dos Santos (BRA)	2:08:37
Rotterdam – Apr 15, 2007
1	Joshua Chelanga (KEN)	2:08:21
2	Takayuki Matsumiya (JPN)	2:10:04