The 2015 Chicago Marathon was held Sunday, October 12, and while the leaders of the race ran away with the race, it was still an exciting event.
For the women’s competition, it was Florence Kiplagat who crossed the line first with a time of 2:23:33. It was especially sweet for Kiplagat because she finished in third place last year, though she technically finished in second after Rita Jeptoo lost her title because of doping.
Kiplagat didn’t set a record for the race, but American Deena Kastor did in the women’s master division. Her time of 2:27:47 was almost a minute faster than the previous record of 2:28:40, which had been held by Colleen De Reuck since 2005 – which, ironically enough, is the same year that Kastor won the Chicago Marathon after she earned a silver medal in the 2004 Olympics in Athens. Kastor also still holds the record for the women’s marathon with a 2:19:36, which she ran in 2006.
On the men’s side, it was Dickson Chumba of Kenya who pulled away from the pack and outran his opponents over the last few miles for a comfortable victory. His final time was 2:09:25. Like Kiplagat, he also placed third in last year’s race before coming back and winning the 2015 contest. Though Chumba’s performance during his race on Sunday earned him the top spot, it was far from his best race. Last year in his third-place effort, he ran nearly five minutes faster, clocking a time of 2:04:32.
The first American finisher on the men’s side was Luke Puskedra, who set a personal best of 2:10:24. Puskedra, standing at 6 feet 4 inches, towered above the lead pack for most of the race, but fell off when Chumba surged around the 20 mile mark. He hung on to finish in fifth place, and his 2:10:24 was also the fastest time run by an American this year. For Puskedra, that’s good news with the 2016 Olympic trials approaching. Los Angeles will host the trials for the upcoming Olympic Games on February 13, 2016.
From a local perspective, North Central has a history of former, and current, athletes competing in the Chicago Marathon. Alumni have also helped to plan and organize the event, like Jeremy Borling (’02), who played a part of planning the 2009 race.
It’s no secret that a running fever has spread throughout Naperville. Already known as a ‘running town’ because of North Central’s prestigious cross country and track programs, Naperville decided to host their own marathon in 2013. During its inaugural year, the race sold out in 14 hours – highly unusual for a race in its first year. In 2014, it was a North Central alumnus who won the men’s race – Yonni Mascote, a former runner on NCC’s cross country and track teams.
