FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Deep Fields and Fast Times on Tap for Bank of America Chicago Marathon
INDIANAPOLIS - Reigning Olympic Marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya
and Liliya Shobukhova of Russia will return to Chicago to defend their Bank
of America Chicago Marathon title(s) Sunday.
The 33rd edition of The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will see the
deepest field in race history with five men who have run faster than 2
hours, 6 minutes for the marathon distance. In addition to the defending
champion, the women's field will feature Irina Mikitenko of Germany. With a
personal best of 2:19:19, Mikitenko is the fourth fastest woman ever in the
marathon.
Challenging Wanjiru for the overall title will be London Marathon champion
Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia and Boston Marathon champion Robert Kiprono
Cheruiyot of Kenya and 2009 Boston Marathon champion Deriba Merga of
Ethiopia.
A strong contingent of U.S. marathoners will also be on the line in Chicago
this Sunday. Among the favorites in the women's field will be Magdalena
Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.), who posted the fastest marathon time in 2010
for a U.S. woman, with a 2:26:22 at the Rotterdam Marathon in April. Along
with Boulet, Desiree Davila (Rochester Hills, Mich.) will be looking to
improve on her personal best of 2:27:53, set last year at the IAAF World
Championships Marathon in Berlin, Germany.
Also in the women's field will be 1984 Olympic Marathon gold medalist Joan
Benoit Samuelson (Freeport, Maine). Samuelson will compete in Chicago to
celebrate the 25th anniversary of her 1985 Chicago Marathon victory where
she won in an American record time of 2:21:21, a time that stood until
2003.
Samuelson is also hoping to join several U.S. women in the quest to run
under the U.S. Olympic Trials standard of 2:46:00, qualifying her to
compete in a record fifth U.S. Olympic Trials Marathon. She has previously
competed in the 1984, 1996, 2000 and 2008 Olympic Trials.
Though Ryan Hall (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) withdrew from the race last week,
a number of U.S. men will look to make a name for themselves in Chicago.
Nick Arciniaga (Flagstaff, Ariz.), the fourth-place finisher at the Rock
'n' Roll San Diego Marathon, is the fastest U.S. man in the field with a
2:11:46. Joining Arciniaga will be 2009 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon
champion Jason Hartmann (Boulder, Colo.) with a best of 2:12:09 and 2010
USA Men's 10 Mile Champion Fasil Bizuneh (Flagstaff, Ariz.).
In a continuing effort to support the development of American athletes in
the marathon, the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will once again
offer the following American Development Time Bonuses:
Men: $2,500 for sub 2:19:00; $1,000 for sub 2:21:00
Women: $2,500 for sub 2:39:00; $1,000 for sub 2:46:00
Webcast information
NBCChicago.com will stream the entire Bank of America Chicago Marathon
online, complete with on-air commentary and mile-by-mile analysis. On race
day, Oct. 10, go to NBCChicago.com.
In its 33rd year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 participants, including a
world class elite field and a world class elite wheelchair field, and 1.7
million spectators. The 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start
and finish in Chicago's Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday,
October 10.
For more information on the Bank of America Chicago Marathon visit
www.chicagomarathon.com.
###
|
