Kiplimo and Feysa Triumph at the 2025 Chicago Marathon

Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa claimed dominant victories at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, clocking 2:02:23 and 2:14:56 respectively.

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Kiplimo’s Brilliant Marathon Debut

World half marathon record holder and reigning world cross-country champion Jacob Kiplimo produced a masterful performance to win the first marathon of his career in only his second appearance over the distance. His winning time of 2:02:23 was the second fastest ever recorded in Chicago and the seventh fastest in history, just five months after he finished second in London with 2:03:37.

A lead group consisting of Kiplimo, defending champion John Korir, Timothy Kiplagat, Philemon Kiplimo, and Amos Kipruto set a blistering early pace, passing 5 km in 13:58, 10 km in 28:25, 15 km in 47:42, and 20 km in 57:06.

Kiplimo and Korir pulled clear shortly after the halfway point, which they reached in a world record split of 1:00:16. The tempo intensified over the next kilometers despite the pacemakers dropping out. The pair hit 25 km in 1:11:12, averaging a staggering 2:00:10 projected pace, 10 seconds ahead of Kipruto.

Kiplimo surged away at 30 km, at one stage running almost a minute faster than Kelvin Kiptum’s world record pace. His 30 km split of 1:25:31 was the fastest ever recorded in marathon history. He reached 35 km in 1:41:08, still on 2:00:30 pace, but fatigue began to set in over the final stretch. By 40 km (1:55:10), he led Kipruto by 90 seconds.

The Ugandan star crossed the line exhausted but triumphant in 2:02:23, a new national record. Race Director Carey Pinkowski assisted him as he collapsed at the finish line. The performance moved Kiplimo to seventh on the world all-time list, only seven seconds slower than Sebastian Sawe’s world-leading 2:02:16 from the 2025 Berlin Marathon.

“I’m so happy to take the win in Chicago — this is a big achievement for me today. I knew the guys were pushing very fast, and it was tough to maintain that pace. I just wanted to run my personal best, maybe around 2:02. This is only my second marathon, and I know I’ll improve from here,” said Kiplimo.

Amos Kipruto finished runner-up in 2:03:54, 91 seconds behind. The 2022 London Marathon winner and 2024 Chicago third-place finisher maintained remarkable consistency at the top level. Kenya’s Alex Masai took third with a huge personal best of 2:04:37, improving by more than three minutes.

The American Conner Mantz finished fourth in 2:04:43, breaking the U.S. national record of 2:05:38 (Khalid Khannouchi, 2022 London Marathon) and the North American record of 2:05:36 (Cameron Levins, 2023 Tokyo Marathon). Mantz, who ran 2:05:08 in Boston earlier this year, started aggressively, covering the opening 5 km in 14:23 and 10 km in 29:20.

“My run in Boston on a tough course gave me confidence today. I knew this was possible after that. I made a lot of right decisions, though we started a bit fast — the first mile was 4:30,” said Mantz.

Huseydin Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia) rounded out the top five in 2:04:50, followed by Seifu Tura (2:05:17) and Geoffrey Kamworor (2:05:31), both breaking the 2:06 barrier.

Feysa Dominates Women’s Race with Historic Run

Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa delivered a career-defining performance to win the women’s title in 2:14:56, improving her personal best by more than two minutes and recording the fastest time in the world this year. The result elevated her to fifth on the all-time list.

It was Feysa’s fifth career marathon, following wins in Frankfurt (2:17:25, 2024) and a third-place finish in Tokyo earlier this year (2:17:00). This time, she broke clear of her rivals with an 8 km surge to victory.

Megertu Alemu (Ethiopia) finished second in 2:17:18, building on her 2023 third-place finish in Chicago and her Valencia Marathon victory last December. Magdalena Shauri (Tanzania) completed the podium in 2:18:03, while Loice Chemnung (Kenya) ran a surprise 2:18:23 for fourth, just ahead of Mary Ngugi-Cooper (Kenya), who clocked a personal best of 2:19:25. Natosha Rogers was the top American, placing sixth in 2:23:28, also a lifetime best.

The early pace was fierce. Feysa, Shauri, and Hirpa hit 5 km in 16:05, a few seconds ahead of Alemu and debutant Ejgayehu Taye. Feysa and Shauri broke away by 10 km (32:08), extending the tempo to 15 km in 48:00 (2:15 pace). They passed halfway in 1:07:30 and 25 km in 1:19:59 before Feysa began to stretch the field.

By 30 km (1:35:54), Alemu had moved into second, five seconds behind, with Shauri trailing another 13 seconds. Feysa’s relentless push saw her extend the lead to 15 seconds at 35 km and more than a minute with 4 km remaining. She finished strongly to break the 2:15 barrier with 2:14:56.

“Winning here has been amazing. I trained really hard for this victory, and my coach was instrumental throughout this build-up. I’ve gained so much confidence and morale from this win,” said Feysa.

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