chicago marathon 2009

chicago marathon 2009

The two fastest women who entered for the 2009 Chicago Marathon, to be held on 11 October, Kazakhstan-born Irina Mikitenko and Athens Olympic bronze medalist and 2006 Chicago champion Deena Kastor of the USA are both recovering from losses. Kastor from a broken foot at the Beijing Olympic Games and Mikitenko from the death of her father earlier this year. Mikitenko has already announced that she would leave no stones unturned in her bid to win the Chicago Marathon as a tribute to her father. Mikitenko, 37, is the defending World Marathon Majors champion, having won the 2007-2008 series and sits atop the current (2008-2009) leader board, a win in Chicago will cement her claim for the title once again.

The World Marathon Majors is a series of five of the most prestigious races held around the world that includes - Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City Marathons. Last minute entrant Ethiopia's Berhane Adere, the 2006/2007 Chicago women's champion, also has hopes to come back from below par performances in the past two years and re-establish herself as one of the top female marathoners. With defending champion Lidia Grigoryeva of Russia also in fray, the women's race is set to be a battle of the champions.

The organisers are hoping for a new course record in the men's race with Beijing Olympic champion Samuel Wanjiru, Morocco's Abderrahim Goumri and Kenya's Vincent Kipruto all claiming that they are ready to have a go at Haile Gebrselassie's world record mark of 2:03:59. All the three boast of a personal best in the vicinity of 2:05.00s Pre-race forecast is for typical October day in Chicago with temperatures hovering around 4 to 9 degree centigrade, the conditions are ideal for the champions to go for the world record.