FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Defending Champions Sir Mo Farah, Daniel Romanchuk, Manuela Schär
and Top Americans Galen Rupp and Jordan Hasay Ready to Compete
in the 42nd Annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon Elite Athlete Field
CHICAGO – The Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced today that several
top athletes are joining the 42nd annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon
elite athlete competition. Past champions Sir Mo Farah (GBR) and Galen Rupp
(USA) lead the charge on the men's side, and 2017 podium finisher and
American marathon debut record-holder Jordan Hasay (USA) headlines the
women's race. In the elite wheelchair competition, defending champions
Daniel Romanchuk (USA) and Manuela Schär (SUI) are returning to capture
back-to-back victories.
"We are thrilled to have so many champions in this year's field. Every
elite field we put together tells a broader story about the sport – about
the pressure to defend a title, the day in and day out commitment and grit
of the world's best athletes, and the pain and beauty of a comeback," said
Bank of America Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski.
"Mo is an Olympic champion and he put on quite a show here last year, and
we are excited that Galen has chosen the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
as his comeback race. The American record is in play with Jordan, and
Daniel and Manuela are unstoppable. I'm confident we are going to see great
races up front on October 13."
Farah's last performance in Chicago delighted fans across the globe as he
dismantled the European record to run the eighth-fastest time in Bank of
America Chicago Marathon history, 2:05:11. Farah, a four-time Olympic gold
medalist, shook his final competitor in the 26th mile and pumped his fists
down Columbus Drive as the newly crowned champion. He returns to Chicago
after starting his 2019 season with a fifth-place finish in 2:05:39 at the
London Marathon.
"Winning the Chicago Marathon last year was very special for me," said
Farah. "It was my first time to win a World Marathon Major and my time was
a European and British record. I am looking forward to returning in 2019 to
defend my title on the streets of Chicago. It is a fast course with good
organisation. I expect they will recruit a strong field to make it a great
race."
Rupp, a two-time Olympic medalist in the marathon (bronze) and 10,000m
(silver) and the current holder of four American records, ran into history
at the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, becoming the first American
male to claim victory since Khalid Khannouchi broke the tape in 2002. Rupp
finished fifth last fall by running the fifth-fastest time in American
history on a record-eligible course, 2:06:21 (he ran the third fastest
time, 2:06:07, in Prague in 2018). This year's race marks a significant
comeback for Rupp – he underwent Achilles tendon surgery following last
year's race.
"I am thrilled to announce that I will be running the 2019 Bank of America
Chicago Marathon," said Rupp. "I could not be more excited to return to a
city and marathon that is so special to me. After undergoing surgery
following last year's race, I have been pouring all of my energy into my
recovery and returning strong in 2019. I look forward to being at my best
again and giving it all I have in October."
Rupp's Nike Oregon Project teammate, Jordan Hasay, offers incredible
inspiration when it comes to successful comebacks. After a storybook 2017
season that saw her run the American debut marathon record, 2:23:00, for a
third-place finish in Boston and then post the secondfastest time ever run
by an American woman in Chicago (2:20:57), she shut down her 2018 season
due to two stress fractures in her foot. She announced her comeback with
confidence this spring in Boston, acquiring another podium finish and
posting a swift time, 2:25:20. Hasay hopes to take down Deena Kastor's
long-standing American record of 2:19:36.
"I am honored to return to the streets of Chicago," said Hasay. "I love the
fast course and exciting atmosphere, which I believe can lead to an attempt
at the American record. I look forward to being at my best again and giving
it all I have in October."
Romanchuk seized his first Abbott World Marathon Major (AbbottWMM) win in
Chicago last fall, and he has been winning ever since. He finished 2018 by
becoming the first American male and the youngest athlete to win the
wheelchair competition at the New York City Marathon. He welcomed 2019 with
a runner-up finish in Tokyo and a pair of crowns at both the Boston and
London marathons. The London Marathon doubled as the World Para-athletics
Marathon Championships, so Romanchuk added "marathon world champion" to his
long list of accomplishments.
"The Chicago Marathon is so special to me," said Romanchuk. "It was the
first Marathon Major I ever did, so I use it to gauge my progress over the
years. I was shocked to win it in 2018, and I'm so excited to be returning
again this October!" Schär collected her sixth consecutive AbbottWMM
victory in London, so she will enter this year's race as the reigning
champion of the Berlin, New York, Tokyo, Boston and London marathons. She
is the fastest female marathon racer of all time with a 1:28:17 personal
best, and she holds the official world record. Schär spent five years on
Chicago's podium as either the runner-up (four times) or third-place
finisher (once), but that all changed last fall when she crushed a talented
field by almost two minutes to win her first Chicago Marathon. She lives by
the motto: "never hope for it more than you work for it."
"When I first started doing marathons in 2013, I remember a conversation I
had with my coach," said Schär. "We talked about all the Majors and the
different courses. We said if I ever achieve my goal of winning one of the
big marathons, it would most likely be Chicago. It is a fast, flat course,
exactly how I like it. Now it turns out that I did achieve my goal and win
a Major marathon, but Chicago was the last of all the Majors. So it is a
special relationship that I have to Chicago. My win last year was a very,
very special moment."
The 42nd annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon will take place on Sunday,
October 13. More than 40,000 runners – led by a pack of world-class elite
athletes – are expected to cross the finish line in Grant Park.
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 42nd year on Sunday, October 13, the Bank of America Chicago
Marathon welcomes thousands of runners from more than 100 countries and all
50 states, including a world-class elite field, top regional and Masters
runners, race veterans, debut marathoners and charity runners. The race's
iconic course takes runners through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an
architectural and cultural tour of Chicago. Annually, an estimated 1.7
million spectators line the streets cheering on more than 40,000 runners
from the start line to the final stretch down Columbus Drive. As a result
of the race's national and international draw, the Chicago Marathon assists
in raising millions of dollars for a variety of charitable causes while
generating $338 million in annual economic impact to its host city. The
2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon, a member of the Abbott World
Marathon Majors, will start and finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m.
on Sunday, October 13. In advance of the race, a two-day Abbott Health &
Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday,
October 11, and Saturday, October 12. For more information about the event
and how to get involved, go to chicagomarathon.com.
For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other
important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom. Click here to
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