By The Winner
Benson Kipruto has been remarkably successful over the last year. The 31-year-old Kenyan athlete won the Boston Marathon on October 11, 2021, finished third at the Boston Marathon on April 18, and earned another World Major Marathon title today on the streets of Chicago.
Similar to his Boston victory, Kipruto pressed in the final miles to grow his lead to nearly 30 seconds, notching a personal best of 2:04:24.
Kipruto’s training partner, Amos Kipruto (no relation) won the London Marathon last week.
“I was happy [for him], and I was prepared to come for a win or for a fight. He motivated my winning today,” Benson Kipruto said following the race.
Where the Race Was Won
A pack of 10 men covered most of the race together. Early on, Jemal Yimer of Ethiopia kept the pacers honest, clipping their heels and even surging in front of them. Not much changed until mile 19.
Four men outlasted the pack: Bernard Koech, Kipruto, defending champion Seifu Tura, and John Korir. Only three could finish atop the podium. Koech lost touch by mile 22, then Tura and Kipruto soon left Korir behind.
Tura and Kipruto traded surges until Kipruto broke away before mile 24. The Kenyan’s lead grew larger and larger over the final two miles. Kipruto crossed the line as a clear winner, 25 seconds ahead of Tura, who was nothing more than a fuzzy orange figure in the background.
Although none of the U.S. professionals could keep up with the front runners, top U.S. finisher Conner Mantz earned seventh place by patiently picking off a handful of victims from the hot early pace.
The Top American
All eyes were on marathon first-timer Mantz, who many believed would take down the American marathon debut record of 2:07:56 set by Leonard Korir in 2019. Mantz, who owns a half marathon personal best of 1:00:55, crossed the midpoint on pace, 1:03:45. But he wasn’t the lone American at that point—Frank Lara was running stride-for-stride with the former Brigham Young University athlete.
“Frank’s a tough runner. He’s one of my favorite competitors. He’s somebody who’s willing to get out there and grind,” Mantz said. “I was expecting him to finish with me because we’ve had a lot of races together where we’ve been within a few seconds of one another.”
Unfortunately, Lara faded hard, covering 35K to 40K in a difficult 19:53, but Mantz kept close to record pace. He ultimately fell 20 seconds short, clocking 2:08:16. While disappointed, the 25-year-old said he was grateful for the experience.
Four American men ran sub-2:10, and while their performance didn’t quite replicate 2019 success, the foursome of Mantz, Zachery Panning, Matt McDonald, and Nicolas Montanez all recorded new personal bests.
Mantz earned $15,000 for being the top American finisher—an early nuptial gift, as he gets married next weekend.
The Winning Pace
Kipruto’s 2:04:24 = 4 minutes, and 44 second mile pace.
The Biggest Surprise
John Korir is no stranger to competing at a high level. The Kenyan distance runner won the Los Angeles Marathon twice, in 2021 and on March 20 in a then-best time of 2:09:08. But for his World Major Marathon debut in Chicago, he outdid both of those performances. The 26-year-old ran a five-minute personal record of 2:05:01 to earn a third-place finish.
It Runs in the Family
Two of the podium finishers share genetics with other World Major Marathon greats. Winner Benson Kipruto’s older brother is Dickson Chumba, who has finished on the Chicago Marathon podium three times, winning in 2015.
Third-place finisher John Korir is the younger brother of Welsey Korir, the 2012 Boston Marathon champion and 2011 Chicago Marathon runner-up. The pair live together, and Wesley assists with John’s training.
“I make sure that he eats well, trains well, and wakes up on time to go training,” Wesley said at the postrace press conference. “It’s an exciting experience as a former marathon runner, and as his big brother, to see him follow in my footsteps. So it’s time to pass the baton.”
The Top 10
- Benson Kipruto, Kenya, 2:04:24
- Seifu Tura, Ethiopia, 2:04:49
- John Korir, Kenya, 2:05:01
- Bernard Koech, Kenya, 2:07:15
- Shifera Tamru, Ethiopia, 2:07:53
- Kyohei Hosoya, Japan, 2:08:05
- Conner Mantz, USA, 2:08:16
- Hamza Sahli, Morocco, 2:08:22
- Eric Kiprono, Netherlands, 2:08:26
- Dong Guojian, China, 2:08:53
The Prize Money
Open division
- Benson Kipruto, $75,000
- Seifu Tura, $55,000
- John Korir, $45,000
- Bernard Koech, $30,000
- Shifera Tamru, $25,000
American open division
- Conner Mantz, $15,000
- Zachery Panning, $12,000
- Matt McDonald, $10,000
- Nicolas Montanez, $5,000
- Clayton Young, $4,500
- Turner Wiley, $3,000
- Wilkerson Given, $2,500
- Reid Buchanan, $1,500
- Paul Hogan, $1,000
- JP Flavin, $500
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
