Chicago Marathon 2014: Spotlighting Favorites from Elite Field

Charity and a sense of accomplishment for non-professional runners is part of the appeal of participating in a marathon. However, in the larger races like the 2014 Chicago Marathon coming up on Sunday, the best in the sport come out, and there's high stakes and placement in the World Marathon standings on the line.

The generally flat surface that the Chicago track provides is enticing to top runners because it presents an opportunity to put up impressive times.

Last year, Dennis Kimetto set a course record with a time of 2:03:45.

He's not part of the elite field this year, but there's a host of runners with designs of shattering his record. Here's a look at the entire elite field, per LetsRun.com.

Name	Country	Personal Best
Eliud Kipchoge	Kenya	2:04:05
Tadese Tola	Ethiopia	2:04:49
Bernard Koech	Kenya	2:04:53
Kenenisa Bekele	Ethiopia	2:05:04
Sammy Kitwara	Kenya	2:05:16
Dickson Chumba	Kenya	2:05:42
Wesley Korir	Kenya	2:06:13
Koji Kobayashi	Japan	2:08:51
Satoru Sasaki	Japan	2:09:47
Ryosuke Fukuyama	Japan	2:10:59
Rui Yonezawa	Japan	2:11:59
Naoki Okamoto	Japan	2:12:31
Bobby Curtis	USA	2:13:24
Patrick Rizzo	USA	2:13:42
Craig Leon	USA	2:13:52
Mike Morgan	USA	2:14:22
Luke Humphrey	USA	2:14:39
Christo Landry	USA	2:14:44
Miguel Almachi	Ecuador	2:15:02
Tim Young	USA	2:15:14
Jameson Mora	USA	2:15:44
Gabe Proctor	USA	2:16:17
Bayron Piedra	Ecuador	Debut
Matt Llano	USA	Debut
Brendan Gregg	USA	Debut

Men to Watch

Kenenisa Bekele—Ethiopia, 32 years old

Michel Euler/Associated Press

Bekele is the world-record holder in the 5,000- and 10,000-meters events. He made his marathon debut in Paris back in April. He won that race an instantly became a major threat to any man in the sport.

Bekele is setting his sights high. He told Chicago Marathon Guide:

“I know Chicago has a very fast course and, therefore, my goal is to break the course record of 2:03:45. After that, everything is possible.”

Perhaps everything except beating Bekele in a long-distance race.

Eliud Kipchoge—Kenya, 29 years old

Scott Heavey/Getty Images

Kipchoge also has a strong background in track and field, but he isn't as accomplished as Bekele. He did win two Olympic medals, and he won the marathon in Rotterdam earlier this year. However, he's still never shown that he can maintain the pace Kimetto set last year, nor the time Bekele looks primed to produce on Sunday.

Strange things happen once men start running, but Kipchoge may be in a race for second place.

Name	Country	Personal Best
Rita Jeptoo	Kenya	2:18:57
Florence Kiplagat	Kenya	2:19:44
Mare Dibaba	Ethiopia	2:19:52
Birhane Dibaba	Ethiopia	2:22:30
Gelete Burka	Ethiopia	2:26:03
Amy Hastings	USA	2:27:03
Clara Santucci	USA	2:29:54
Melissa White	USA	2:32:37
Wendy Thomas	USA	2:32:49
Laura Portis	USA	2:33:46
Sarah Cummings	USA	2:34:57
Lauren Jimison	USA	2:35:17
Yuri Yoshizumi	Japan	2:37:54
Devon Yanko	USA	2:39:37
Whitney Bevins-Lazzara	USA	2:41:19
Heidi Greenwood	USA	2:42:08
Sarah Crouch	USA	2:44:25
Lindsey Scherf	USA	Debut
Lisa Uhl	USA	Debut

Women to Watch

Rita Jeptoo—Kenya, 33 years old

After breaking the course record in Boston by 1:46, Jeptoo, the event's defending champion, is clearly the lady to beat in Chicago. 

She is in the throes of one of the more impressive runs you'll see from a marathoner. The win would be her third major marathon victory in a two-year span. That has only been done one other time, by Irina Mikitenko.

Jeptoo is operating in rare air, and she'll be nearly impossible to beat on Sunday.

Florence Kiplagat—Kenya, 27 years old

Jim Rogash/Getty Images

After winning in her marathon debut at Berlin in 2011 and again in Germany in 2013, Kiplagat has been on a short list of favorites for every event she's been in.

However, Kiplagat has struggled to come up with wins in event's where the top competition is present. If Jeptoo weren't involved, Kiplagat's chances would be much better.

As it stands, Kiplagat and Kipchoge are in the same boat.