CHANGES ANNOUNCED FOR BANK OF AMERICA CHICAGO MARATHON ELITE FIELD
By David Monti, @d9monti
(c) 2021 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved - Used with permission.

(05-Oct) -- Organizers of Sunday's Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced significant changes to their elite field this morning.  Indeed, 14 athletes have withdrawn while another 17 have been added.

Key scratches in the men's competition include Ethiopia's Getaneh Molla (2:03:34 personal best), Bahrain's Hassan El Abbassi (2:04:43), Kenya's Joel Kimurer (2:05:19) and Laban Korir (2:05:54), and Japan's Masato Kikuchi (2:07:20).  The top women to withdraw are Mexico's Vianney De La Rosa (2:20:04) and Britain's Rosie Edwards (2:31:56).

Important additions to the men's competition include Kenya's Dickson Chumba (2:04:32 PB), who has made the podium in Chicago three times including a victory in 2015; Kenya's Reuben Kipyego (2:03:55 PB), who is the fastest man in the field; Japan's Kengo Suzuki (2:04:56 PB), who holds that nation's national marathon record; and Ethiopia's Chalu Deso (2:04:53 PB), who finished sixth at the Valencia Marathon in 2020.  On the women's side, Kenya's Vivian Kiplagat (2:21:11 PB), Ethiopia's Meseret Belete (2:24:54), and Americans Carrie Dimoff (2:31:12) and Maegan Krifchin (2:33:14) have joined the race.

This year's race has a total prize money purse of USD 606,500 combining awards for elite runners and wheelchair athletes.  The top runners will receive USD 55,000, down from USD 100,000 in 2019 when the race was last contested.  The winning wheelchair athletes will receive $20,000, and the top American runners will get $15,000 (equal to 2019).  Although the event has a history of fast times, organizers are not offering any publicly-reported time bonuses this year.

Neither of the race's reigning champions, Brigid Kosgei nor Lawrence Cherono, are running the race this year.  Kosgei, a Kenyan who set a world record of 2:14:04 when she won in Chicago in 2019, ran the Virgin Money London Marathon last Sunday and finished fourth.  She also won the silver medal at the Olympic Marathon in Sapporo last August.  Cherono, also from Kenya, finished fourth at the Olympic Marathon and has not been announced for a fall marathon.

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will be broadcast live by the local NBC affiliate in Chicago, NBC-5 Chicago.  Viewers in the United States can watch live and for free at NBCChicago.com (or in Spanish at TelemundoChicago.com).  Coverage will begin at 08:00 EDT (07:00 CDT).  Viewers in Canada and watch via FloTrack.


PHOTO: Brigid Kosgei wins the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in a world record 2:14:04 (photo courtesy of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon).