Champ Kipruto wants a fast pace in Chicago but watch out for Kiptum
Kenya's Benson Kipruto crosses the finish line to place first in the men's division of the 2022 Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 9 2022 in Chicago, Illinois.
What you need to know:
- He also won the 2021 Boston Marathon in 2:09:51 before clinching the Chicago Marathon title with his best time ever.
- Kipruto started the season with a third place finish at this years’ Boston Marathon that was, incidentally won by his training mate Evans Chebet.
Benson Kipruto will have his work cut out for him defending his Chicago Marathon title on Sunday.
He may have put on a brave face we he told Nation Sport he will be comfortable with any pace, but must surely have been thinking about the potent threat of the world’s second fastest marathoner Kelvin Kiptum.
In fact, Kiptum with a blistering personal best time of 2:01:25 is the fastest man in the elite men’s field that also has fellow Kenyans John Korir, who clocked a personal best of 2:05:01 in Chicago last year, debutants Daniel Mateiko and Wesley Kiptoo.
Other top runners in the start list are Belgium’s Bashir Abdi (personal best 2:03:36), Ethiopians Dawit Wolde (2:04:27) and Seifu Tura (2:04:29) and USA’s Galen Rupp (2:06:07).
Kipruto, who trains in Kapsabet, Nandi County under the 2Running Club said he enjoyed running on the Chicago course where he set a personal best time of 2:04:24 that won him the crown last year.
“If the pace will be fast, it shall be to my advantage because I’m targeting a personal best time, ” Kipruto boldly stated in Nairobi before departing for America.
He was optimistic of at least securing a podium position.
The soft-spoken athlete has competed in 13 marathons, winning four including the Toronto Marathon in 2018 in a time of 2:07:24 and the Prague Marathon in 2021 in a time of 2:10:16.
He also won the 2021 Boston Marathon in 2:09:51 before clinching the Chicago Marathon title with his best time ever.
Kipruto started the season with a third place finish at this years’ Boston Marathon that was, incidentally won by his training mate Evans Chebet.
