Great Chicago Fire

The Chicago Marathon is officially the fastest race in the world.

Well, I guess that’s still up for debate, but there is no doubt that Sunday in Chicago was electric. Cool temps, amazing athletes and mind-boggling times.

Insane things from the 23-year-old Kelvin Kiptum: 2:00:25 to the finish line. That’s 4:36 per mile (2:52 per km), or 68.5 seconds per 400 metres, and it’s a new world record that carves 34 seconds off the time Kipchoge set in Berlin last September.

Meanwhile, Siffan Hassan ran the second fastest women’s marathon ever (2:13:44) a mere six weeks after winning a bronze in the 1500m at World Champs.

For me it was not the race I’d dreamt of. I went for my goal of sub-2:30 but the legs weren’t there over the second half and I faded to a 2:32:47. Regardless, it was amazing to be carried by the rapidly growing Chicago running community. The energy was next level, and that will shape my lasting memories of the race.

So, enjoy the gallery below and we’ll see you in NYC.