Chicago Marathon 2013: Analyzing Top Men's Performances in 36th Running

Dennis Kimetto of Kenya won the 2013 Chicago Marathon in style, shattering the course record, but his teammates weren’t far behind.

His time of 2:30:45 edged out the previous record holder by 1:03. The victory marked the second of the year for Kimetto after he won the Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 24. He could’ve, arguably, won the 2012 Berlin Marathon as well if, as some have speculated, according to the Guardian, he didn’t coast to the finish line and allow Kenyan teammate Geoffrey Mutai to win.

Kenya not only claimed the top spot in the 36th running of the Chicago Marathon but also the top four. Emmanuel Mutai, Sammy Kitwara and Micah Kogo placed second, third and fourth, respectively. Mutai is the veteran of this trio.

The 29-year-old won the 2011 London Marathon. He also finished second there the year before as well as in the New York Marathon in 2010 and 2011. Kitwara, 26 years old, and Kogo, 27, aren’t nearly as accomplished in the marathon, but they made noise on Sunday, despite their specialty being in other races.

Kogo broke the world record in the 10K with a time of 27:01 in March 2009. That occurred less than a year after he won bronze in the 10K in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, getting beat out by Kenenisa Bekele and Sileshi Sihine of Ethiopia.

Kitwara placed top two in several half marathons including second in the 2010 Abu Dhabi and 2011 Philadelphia Half Marathons. He only started competing in full marathons in 2012. His most accomplished event is the World’s Best 10k, a road race in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in which he’s won the last three years.

Thanks to Moses Mosop of Kenya, the nation also ultimately boasted five out of the top eight finishers in the Chicago Marathon.

David Daniels is a breaking news writer at Bleacher Report and news editor at Wade-O Radio. 

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