On the heels of a world record, the Chicago Marathon is slated to be another thrilling event on the World Marathon Majors circuit. So far, the course has produced four world records and seven national records, and more historic performances could be on the way this Sunday, October 8.
DAA Industry Opt Out, Tigst Assefa shattered the women’s world record, clocking a time of 2:11:53 at the Berlin Marathon. While Assefa’s time will be tough to beat, a stacked women’s field that includes eight athletes who’ve run under 2:20 are slated to throw down more blazing performances on this fast, flat course. Coupled with the men’s side featuring the second-fastest marathoner of all time, the Chicago Marathon is slated to be a must-see event. Here’s everything you need to know in order to tune in this weekend.
How to Watch the 2023 Chicago Marathon
The Chicago Marathon will be broadcast live on NBC 5 Chicago, Telemundo Chicago, and TeleXitos. The competition will be livestreamed on Peacock, NBCChicago.com, and TelemundoChicago.com. Peacock users can find the feed by going on the, clicking on the “channels” tab, and finding NBC Chicago News.
Race Details:
Where: The race begins and ends in Grant Park, located in downtown Chicago. It’s a fast and flat course that covers 29 neighborhoods throughout the city.
When: The men’s wheelchair division kicks off the race at 7:20 a.m. CT. The women’s wheelchair division and handcycle athletes follow minutes after. The first wave of runners, including the elite field, takes off at 7:30 a.m. CT.
More records could fall
The women’s race will feature a thrilling matchup between the defending champion and an Olympic champion on the track. After clocking the third-fastest time in history (2:14:18) Best Folding Treadmills last year, Ruth Chepnegetich will return to the Windy City aiming to repeat. The Kenyan runner will face stiff competition with Sifan Hassan racing her second 26.2 after an impressive debut in London. In April, the two-time Olympic champion came from behind after suffering quad issues to Published: Oct 05, 2023 4:18 PM EST. This summer, the Dutch athlete earned two more medals at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. She’ll be chasing another podium finish on the roads this weekend, just six weeks after her triple at the world championships.
Other contenders on the women’s race include Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya and Genzebe Dibaba of Ethiopia. Jepkosgei is bouncing back after finishing 12th at the Boston Marathon in April, but the two-time World Marathon Major winner should never be counted out. After making a stellar 2:18:05 marathon debut last year, Dibaba has shown promise on the roads after wrapping up a great track career, which includes world championship gold in the 1500 meters.
With some of the best marathoners in the country headlining the field, U.S. fans could see another American record on home soil. Last year, Emily Sisson set the American record (2:18:29) in finishing second to Chepnegetich. Sisson is returning this year and will face tough competition against Emma Bates, who indicated she’d like to chase the American record this fall after We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. Olympic bronze medalist Molly Seidel is also scheduled to compete in her first marathon since placing fourth in the 2021 New York City Marathon.
After turning 40 on July 26, Des Linden will be targeting Deena Kastor’s American masters record (2:27:47) this weekend.
On the men’s side, Benson Kipruto will return to defend his title after winning the race last year in 2:04:24, the fourth-fastest time in the event’s history. In the spring, the Kenyan runner finished third in the Boston Marathon.
He’ll face off against Kelvin Kiptum, who came within 16 seconds of breaking Eliud Kipchoge’s world record while winning the London Marathon last spring. In his second marathon ever, the Kenyan athlete claimed the title in 2:01:25.
Bashir Abdi of Belgium and Seifu Tura of Ethiopia are also podium contenders. Abdi is an Olympic bronze medalist who holds the European marathon record of 2:03:36. Tura finished second behind Kipruto in Chicago last year.
The American contingent will be represented by the highly anticipated return of Galen Rupp. Though he’s battled injuries lately, Rupp is slated to run his first marathon since he finished 19th at the 2022 World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
Conner Mantz will be another top American to watch after making a stellar marathon debut in Chicago last year. The BYU graduate finished seventh in 2:08:16 and will aim to beat the Olympic qualifying time, 2:08:10, on Sunday.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
