FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
East African Contingent Plans to Push the Pace at
2011 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
2008 Champion Evans Cheruiyot Returns to Chicago After Two-Year Injury
Layoff; 2011 Race Could Be One for the Record Books
CHICAGO -- The Bank of America Chicago Marathon today announced several
additions to its elite field that figure to spearhead the elite pack and
push a potential world-record pace on October 9.
On the men's side, 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion Evans
Cheruiyot is back to regain his title and will face off against fellow
Kenyan Bernard Kipyego, the silver medalist at the 2009 IAAF World
Half-Marathon Championships. They will be joined by sub 2:06 athletes Bazu
Worku (2:05:25) and Getu Feleke (2:05:44) of Ethiopia.
The women's elite field welcomes Ethiopian aces Atsede Habtamu Besuye, the
2009 Berlin Marathon winner, and Askale Tafa, champion of the 2007 Dubai
and Paris Marathons.
"These athletes round out an elite field that is not only dynamic, but has
the potential to attack the record books. If the weather is good, there
could be some reshuffling of not just the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
records, but also the list of all-time fastest certified marathons," said
Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "You're looking at a field that is
not going to be afraid to push the pace with a mix of young, fearless
athletes, and seasoned performers who have tasted victory and success at
the marathon distance."
After capturing the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon title in a
personal best 2:06:25, Cheruiyot was sidelined by injuries in 2009 and
2010, but he resurged at the 2011 Dubai Marathon with a runner-up finish.
Kipyego is a half-marathon specialist with a 59:10 personal best and a
silver medal from the 2009 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships. He ran
2:07:01 in his debut at the 2010 Rotterdam Marathon and turned in a 1:00:09
tune-up race in warm conditions at the Lille Half-Marathon in France on
September 3. They will be joined by fellow Kenyan Dickson Kiptolo Chumba,
the 2011 Rome Marathon champion.
Worku brings the third fastest personal best to the men's field behind
Kenya's Moses Mosop (2:03:06) and America's Ryan Hall (2:04:58). As an
18-year-old, Worku became the fastest teenager to cover 26.2 miles after
his 2:06:16 debut at the 2009 Paris Marathon. He improved his time to
2:05:25 the following year in Berlin. Feleke won the 2010 Amsterdam
Marathon in a course record 2:05:44. Ethiopians Bekana Daba, the 2011
Houston Marathon winner and course record holder (2:07:04), and Terefe
Maregu will also be on the start line.
After serving as a pacer-maker at the 2010 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, Ireland's Martin Fagan returns to contest the full distance. The
Irish national record holder in the half-marathon (1:00:57) will aim for
John Treacy's Irish record of 2:09:15. Australia's Shawn Forest will make
his marathon debut after running a half-marathon personal best of 1:01:25
(No. 6 all-time for Australia) in the spring.
Besuye ran a personal best 2:24:47 to score a World Marathon Major victory
at the 2009 Berlin Marathon, which she followed up with another win at the
2010 Eindhoven Marathon. Besuye ran 1:08:29 at the 2007 World Half-Marathon
Championships at age 19-the fastest ever by a teenager. Tafa's personal
best of 2:21:31 ranks second in the women's elite field behind two-time
defending champion Liliya Shobukhova of Russia, and she has a wealth of WMM
experience with top five finishes at the Boston, London and Berlin
Marathons.
Ethiopia's Belainesh Zemedkun Gebre, an up-and-comer who won the 2010
Honolulu Marathon in her debut and ran 1:09:17 at the Prague Half-Marathon
in March, and Cruz Nonata da Silva, one of the top Brazilian distance
runners, were also added to the women's field.
Elite Men
Moses Mosop KEN 2:03:06
Ryan HalL USA 2:04:58
Bazu Worku ETH 2:05:25
Getu Feleke ETH 2:05:44
Evans Cheruiyot KEN 2:06:25
Marilson Dos Santos BRA 2:06:34
Bernard Kipyego KEN 2:07:01
Bekana Daba ETH 2:07:04
Atsushi Sato JPN 2:07:13
Joshua Chelenga KEN 2:08:21
Wesley Korir KEN 2:08:24
Dickson Kiptolo Chumba KEN 2:08:44
Terefe Maregu ETH 2:09:03
Takayuki Matsumiya JPN 2:10:04
Takashi Horiguchi JPN 2:12:05
Kouji Gokaya JPN 2:12:07
Joseph Chirlee KEN 2:12:10
Hironori Arai JPN 2:12:17
Masaki Shimoju JPN 2:12:18
Jason Gutierrez COL 2:13:24
Yuuki Moriwaki JPN 2:13:34
Martin Fagan IRL 2:14:06
Shawn Forrest AUS Debut
Elite Women
Liliya Shobukhova RUS 2:20:15
Askale Tafa ETH 2:21:31
Inga Abitova RUS 2:22:19
Benita Willis AUS 2:22:36
Wei Yanan CHN 2:23:12
Maria Konovalova RUS 2:23:49
Christelle Daunay FRA 2:24:22
Atsede Besuye ETH 2:24:26
Yue Cao CHN 2:29:50
Belainesh Gebre ETH 2:32:13
Kayoko Fukushi JPN 2:40:52
Cruz Nonata da Silva BRA Debut
www.chicagomarathon.com
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