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2012 Bank of America Chicago Marathon – Women’s Preview
by Sharon Ekstrom

photo: Scott Winnier / MarathonGuide.com Can Liliya 4-Peat?

Chicago Marathon has seen a pantheon of female talent through the years including two world records: set by Catherine Ndereba (2:18:47, 2001) and Paula Radcliffe (2:17:18, 2002). Those times remained unchallenged for over a decade, as top elite women raced for victories rather than faster finishes. But the four-time Chicago Marathon champion, Liliya Shobukhova changed all that. Shobukhova, a Russian track star best known for performances in the 1500m through the 5000m, came to Chicago and dominated from her first visit. And in her third consecutive victory on the Chicago course, she surpassed Ndereba’s performance to set a new course record (2:18:20) at the 2011 Chicago Marathon and become the second fastest woman to ever run the marathon.

While Shobukhova’s ability in the distance makes her one of the most formidable challengers to date, for the 2012 Chicago Marathon she will see some seriously fast competition in the likes of Lucy Kabuu and others. Lucy Kabuu, runner-up from the 2012 Dubai Marathon (2:19:34) will likely be the top competition and next up would be Atsede Bayisa, two-time winner of the Paris Marathon (Personal best 2:22:04, 2010 Paris Marathon). Others can do well on the day and, expect Ejegayehu Dibaba, Merima Mohammed, Mariya Konovalova, Caroline Rotich, Werknesh Kidane and Belainesh Gebre to put out some top performances.

Shobukhova vs. the World
In 2011, Shobukhova surprised herself in her attempt to break the 2:20 mark, with her effort smashing that mark by 1m40s. She had seen improvements each year (2009 – 2:22:25, 2010 – 2:20:25, 2011 – 2:18:20) – proof that hard work pays off. Shobukhova surpassed all expectation, besting Irina Mikitenko who, at the time, seemed to be the strongest female marathoner in the world and a dominating factor in the World Marathon Majors race series.

Shobukhova brought with her consistent performances and continued improvements, not to mention a devastating finishing kick that seemed unrivaled. But in these times, an onslaught of fresh new talent appeared on the road racing circuit – predominantly young Africans who did not work their way up the track and cross country circuit. We have yet to determine what early steps make the best athletes, but these young upstarts are already closing in on Shobukhova’s #2 all-time ranking and perhaps looking to close the gap on world record holder Paula Radcliffe’s fastest – 2:15:25 from the 2003 London Marathon.

The main variable in the 2012 Chicago Marathon will be determined by Shobukhova’s fitness level. Having failed to finish the 2012 London Olympic Marathon due to stomach cramps, she has not completed a marathon in the year since her 2:18 at the 2011 Chicago Marathon. She has also not raced all year having withdrawn from the 2012 New York City Half Marathon field and the 2012 Shamrock Shuffle fields citing an injury earlier in the season. Will she been coming back with fresh legs? Or, in taking “the glass half empty” stance, should we worry that she will never return to form…following the declines witnessed in the careers of Radcliffe, Mikitenko, Kastor who had reached their personal best performances and were unable to maintain those performances in the years to follow. Shobukhova will have to prove herself once again and the 2012 roster at Chicago will give her the chance to do that or fail.

Beyond Shobukhova, Kabuu and Bayisa have an ongoing rivalry. These women are second and third fastest in the field and have already competed against one another at the 2012 Dubai and 2012 London Marathons. Kabuu, a two time 10000m Olympian who had similar roots to former champion Sammy Wanjiru – as a Japanese trained Kenyan junior level champion; and Bayisa, a decorated road racer who was the sole leader of the 2010 Chicago Marathon until Shobukhova passed her in the final miles of the race. While Kabuu had been faster in their previous meetings, they will certainly be aware of each other as well as of Shobukhova.

A Strong Women’s Field – Returning Talent/Veteran Talent/Up and Coming Talent
Returning from the 2010 Chicago Marathon field along with Shobukhova and Bayisa is Mariya Konovalova, 5000m and 10000m specialist, who debuted in the marathon distance at the 2010 London Marathon and was 3rd at the 2010 Chicago race (2:23:50) behind Shobukhova and Bayisa. Konovalova is still finding her way in the distance at 38, but Russian women have always been strong marathoners through their early 40s ( i.e. Svetlana Zakharova and Lyudmila Petrova).

Returning from the 2011 Chicago Marathon are Ethiopians Ejegayehu Dibaba who debuted at the 2011 race finishing second in 2:22:09 and Belainesh Gebre (aka Belaynesh Zemedkun) who was 4th in a personal best of 2:26:17 in what was her third marathon of 2011. [Gebre was 4th at the 2011 Houston Marathon (2:34:47) and 3rd at the Prague Marathon (2:32:15).] At 24, she has run five career marathons and has won the 2010 Honolulu Marathon. Dibaba hails from a top family of female track stars (Derartu Tulu is her cousin and Tirunesh Dibaba is her younger sister) and she herself is decorated in the 5000m and 10000m with medals from the 2004 Athens Olympics along with the 2005 World Championships. At 30 Dibaba could pull out a surprise performance.

Other women to watch are veterans of the running circuit who took 2-3 years off at the peak of their careers to have children: Rita Jeptoo, a road racing specialist, and three time Olympian and four time World Champion Silver medalist Worknesh Kidane fresh from a 4th place in the 10000m at the 2012 London Olympics. Jeptoo most notably won the 2006 Boston Marathon in a 2:23:38 and has places in the top 7 in the 14 marathons she has competed in. Kidane who has been back racing since 2008, debuted in the marathon distance at the 2011 Dubai Marathon (2:27:15) and followed that race with the 2011 Boston Marathon and the 2011 New York City Marathon. While she always was in the lead pack, she could not hold the final surges of the marathon and always faded back. Perhaps Kidane having had some solid speedwork this season with the Kenyan Olympic Trials where she placed 4th and the Olympics will make the difference.

Also, on our radar is Caroline Rotich whose 4th place personal best finish (2:24:26) at the 2011 Boston Marathon dropped nearly three minutes off her previous best time under warm conditions; Merima Mohammed Hasen who at 20 years old has nine career marathons to her name, including victories at the 2009 Alps-Maritimes-Nice-Cannes Marathon, 2010 Ottawa Marathon and 2011 Dusseldorf Marathon. Mohammed also has top three finishes at the 2010 Toronto Waterfront Marathon (personal best 2:23:06) and 2012 Rotterdam Marathon to name a few and Fatuma Sado, winner of the 2011 Hamburg Marathon and 2012 Los Angeles Marathon (2:25:39).

The 2012 Chicago Women’s field has a mix of veteran talent and rising talent which makes it difficult to choose a clear cut winner, especially with Shobukhova’s recent hiccups in performance. Nonetheless, such a deep field promises a spectacular day of running. And if racing fans and spectators are lucky, a very fast finish.

Elite Women’s Lineup:

Female Elite Athletes

Athlete	Country	Personal Best	Chicago
Liliya Shobukhova (34)	RUS	2:18:20, Chicago, 2011	History
Lucy Kabuu (28)	KEN	2:19:34, Dubai, 2012	History
Atsede Baysa (28)	ETH	2:22:04, Paris, 2010	History
Ejegayehu Dibaba (30)	ETH	2:22:09, Chicago, 2011	History
Merima Mohammad (20)	ETH	2:23:06, Toronto, 2010	History
Rita Jeptoo (31)	KEN	2:23:38, Boston, 2006	History
Maria Konovalova (38)	RUS	2:23:50, Chicago, 2010	History
Caroline Rotich (28)	KEN	2:24:26, Boston, 2011	History
Fatuma Sado (20)	ETH	2:25:39, Los Angeles, 2012	History
Werknesh Kidane (31)	ETH	2:26:15, Boston, 2011	History
Belainesh Gebre (24)	ETH	2:26:17, Chicago, 2011	History
Dot McMahan (35)	USA	2:31:50, Duluth, 2012	History
Laurie Knowles (34)	USA	2:38:09, Duluth, 2011	History
Devon Crosby-Helms (30)	USA	2:38:55, Houston, 2012	History
Deanna Ardrey (29)	USA	2:43:12, Chicago, 2011	History
Addie Bracy (26)	USA	2:44:34, Chicago, 2010	History
Renee Metivier Baille (30)	USA	Debut	History
Stephanie Pezzullo (30)	USA	Debut	History

Past Head-To-Head Women’s Athlete Meetings

Women
Boston – Oct 11, 2021
8	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:28:04
11	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:29:54
26	Dot Mcmahan (USA)	2:38:45
2020 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Women’s Marathon – Feb 29, 2020
39	Stephanie Pezzullo (USA )	2:39:18
60	Laurie Knowles (USA)	2:41:57
96	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:43:38
Boston – Apr 15, 2019
6	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:28:27
29	Dot Mcmahan (USA)	2:40:45
Boston – Apr 17, 2017
14	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:36:28
22	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:40:07
Chicago – Oct 9, 2016
6	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:28:53
11	Laurie Knowles (USA )	2:36:01
Dubai – Jan 23, 2015
3	Lucy Kabuu (KEN)	2:20:21
16	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:27:24
Sacramento – Dec 7, 2014
7	Addie Bracy (USA )	2:35:55
24	Lindsay Tollefson (USA )	2:42:17
Tokyo – Feb 23, 2014
3	Lucy Kabuu (KEN)	2:24:16
4	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:24:35
12	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:35:03
Chicago – Oct 13, 2013
1	Rita Sitienei Jeptoo (KEN)	2:19:57
3	Maria Konovalova (RUS)	2:22:46
3	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:26:42
5	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:26:42
11	Laurie Knowles (USA)	2:36:29
12	Stephanie Pezzullo (USA)	2:38:03
Chicago – Oct 7, 2012
1	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:22:03
2	Rita Sitienei Jeptoo (KEN)	2:22:04
3	Lucy Kabuu (KEN)	2:22:41
4	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	2:22:59
4	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:23:22
9	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:32:11
10	Stephanie Pezzullo (USA )	2:32:42
11	Addie Bracy (USA )	2:41:29
13	Deanna Ardrey (USA)	2:43:37
14	Lindsay Tollefson (USA )	2:43:52
London – Apr 22, 2012
5	Lucy Kabuu (KEN)	2:23:12
9	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:25:59
16	Maria Konovalova (RUS)	2:30:29
Dubai – Jan 27, 2012
2	Lucy Kabuu (KEN)	2:19:34
8	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:23:13
Houston Trials – Jan 14, 2012
9	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:32:16
46	Laurie Knowles (USA )	2:40:49
New York City – Nov 6, 2011
7	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:27:06
13	WERKNESH KIDANE (ETH)	2:33:08
Frankfurt – Oct 30, 2011
4	Merima Hasen (ETH)	2:24:32
5	Rita Sitienei Jeptoo (KEN)	2:25:44
Chicago – Oct 9, 2011
1	Ejegayehu Dibaba (ETH)	2:22:09
1	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	2:18:20
12	Deanna Ardrey (USA)	2:43:12
Daegu World Championships – Aug 27, 2011
14	Atsede Bayisa (Ethiopia)	2:31:37
29	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:37:07
Duluth – Jun 18, 2011
3	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:31:48
13	Laurie Knowles (USA)	2:38:09
Boston – Apr 18, 2011
4	Caroline Rotich (KEN)	2:24:26
7	Werknesh Kidane (ETH)	2:26:15
London – Apr 17, 2011
2	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	2:20:15
5	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:23:50
10	Maria Konovalova (RUS)	2:25:18
Dubai – Jan 21, 2011
5	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:25:08
8	Werknesh Kidane (ETH)	2:27:15
Chicago – Oct 10, 2010
1	Atsede Bayisa (ETH)	2:23:40
1	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	2:20:25
17	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:36:01
London – Apr 25, 2010
1	Liliya Shobukhova (RUS)	2:22:00
16	Maria Konovalova (RUS)	2:35:21
Boston – Apr 16, 2007
4	Rita Sitienei Jeptoo (KEN)	2:33:08
17	Dot McMahan (USA)	2:43:56