Ethiopians Deriba Merga and Feyisa Lilesa have joined the field for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as the organisers yesterday announced its complete 2010 men's and women's elite field for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday October 10.
The additions of Merga and Lilesa to the men's competition significantly strengthen what was already shaping up to be the top field in the event's 33-year history.
Merga, the 2009 Boston Marathon champion, and Lelisa, who has a personal best 2:05:23, will join forces with defending Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion Sammy Wanjiru of Kenya, London Marathon champion Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia and Boston Marathon champion Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya.
A trio of Ethiopian athletes will take the women's competition to new heights as well: Astede Baysa, the two-time Paris Marathon champion, Askale Tafa Magarsa, runner-up at the 2008 Berlin Marathon, and Mamitu Daksa, the 2010 Dubai Marathon champion, have been added.
The field also includes defending Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion Liliya Shobukhova of Russia, London and Berlin Marathon champion Irina Mikitenko of Germany, and top American Magdalena Lewy-Boulet.
"The best field in Bank of America Chicago Marathon race history just got even better," said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski.
"The depth of talent in the marathon is at an all-time high at the national and international levels. These athletes are hungry to compete against one another and this year's field will bring a new level of excitement to the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The stage is set for a historic race on 10-10-10."
Exciting prospects
The welcoming of Merga adds even more intrigue to the race's impact on the 2009-2010 World Marathon Majors series standings as third-ranked Merga (35 points) is one of the only athletes in reach of surpassing top-ranked Wanjiru and Kebede (50 points each) before the series concludes in November in New York.
Twenty-year-old Lilesa is one of the most exciting young athletes in the sport. He ran near-world record pace through 35 kilometers at the Rotterdam Marathon in April before finishing fourth in 2:05:23, making him the youngest man in history to break 2:06 for the marathon.
Additional entrants in the men's field include Kenya's Shadrack Biwott, former standout at the University of Oregon and brother of Duncan Kibet, the second fastest marathon runner of all time; Kenya's Wesley Korir, two-time Los-Angeles Marathon champion; Ethiopia's Negari Terfa, third place finisher at the 2009 Berlin Marathon; and American Nick Arciniaga, who ran 2:11:46 at the San Diego Marathon, the fourth-ranked time in the U.S. for 2010.
South Africa's Ernst Van Dyk highlights the men's elite wheelchair race.
Van Dyk, who will be making his first appearance in Chicago, has notched marathon victories world-wide, including New York City, Paris, Los Angeles and Boston, where he is the event's most decorated champion with nine victories.
Van Dyk's toughest competition will come from another Bank of America Chicago Marathon newcomer, Heinz Frei of Switzerland, one of the sport's great champions and recorder of the fastest time ever achieved on a flat course marathon (1:20:14).
Frei is a three-time winner of the London Marathon and a 14-time Paralympic Games gold medalist.
A complete roster of elite athletes for the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon follows:
Men
- Sammy Wanjiru KEN 2:05:10
- Vincent Kipruto KEN 2:05:13
- Tsegaye Kebede ETH 2:05:18
- Feyisa Lilesa ETH 2:05:23
- Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot KEN 2:05:52
- Deriba Merga ETH 2:06:38
- Negari Terfa ETH 2:07:41
- Wesley Korir KEN 2:08:24
- Laban Moiben KEN 2:09:43
- Ridouane Harroufi MAR 2:10:14
- Nick Arciniaga USA 2:11:46
- Jason Hartmann USA 2:12:09
- Justin Young USA 2:13:52
- Chad Johnson USA 2:15:03
- Mike Morgan USA 2:15:11
- Luke Humphrey USA 2:15:22
- Patrick Rizzo USA 2:15:48
- Mike Sayenko USA 2:16:38
- Fasil Bizuneh USA 2:16:47
- James Carney USA 2:16:54
- Boaz Cheboiywo KEN 2:21:40
- Shadrack Biwott KEN Debut
- Juan Carlos Romero MEX Debut
Women
- Irina Mikitenko GER 2:19:19
- Askale Tafa Magarsa ETH 2:21:31
- Naoko Sakamoto JPN 2:21:51
- Liliya Shobukhova RUS 2:22:00
- Atsede Baysa ETH 2:22:04
- Mamitu Daska ETH 2:24:19
- Lidiya Grigoryeva RUS 2:25:10