NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 9 – Benson Kipruto won his second Major Marathon title Sunday as he majestically commanded the final 5km of the race to clinch the Chicago Marathon title in 2:04:24, beating defending champion Seifu Tura of Ethiopia.
Kipruto continued a rich family history as he won the Chicago title seven years after his brother Dickson Chumba won in 2015.
He also set a new Personal Best, one of the targets he had put up prior to the race, in an interview with Capital FM Sports.
Kipruto who won last year’s Boston Marathon bolted away from Tura with five kilomtres of the race left, and he didn’t look back as he created a 13-second gap to the Ethiopian with a kilometre of the 42 left.
Tura finished second in 2:04:49 while compatriot John Korir completed the Podium with a time of 2:05:01.
Our 2022 @BankofAmerica #ChicagoMarathon Men’s Champion: Benson Kipruto in 2:04:24! pic.twitter.com/oBAXTe2MNK
— Chicago Marathon (@ChiMarathon) October 9, 2022
In contrast to the women’s race, the men’s race was a packed field in the leaderboard until it broke down to a three-man battle after 35km.
Kipruto as well as compatriots Bernard Koech and John Korir were part of the leading group which also had the Ethiopians led by holder Tura, Yimer Jemal and Arega Wolde, as well as Ugandan Stephen Kissa.
They went through the 10km mark in 29:35 while they went through 15km in 45:22, Bernard Koech at the tip of the group.
They did the half marathon in 1:02:24 with the pace still remaining steady with a leading group of 10 athletes.
But, once the pacemakers dropped off the race, it began to shape up, with a four-man group leading the pack. Koech, Kipruto, Tura and Korir were now commanding and shuffling leads.
At the 35km mark, the group narrowed to three, with Kipruto, Tura and Korir, but the lanky Kipruto looked the stronger of the trio.
With 5km left, Kipruto made his move. He injected some finishing pace on the hilly part of the course and Tura had no reply. He went on to create a manageable gap and easily won the race.
