11:26 a.m.
Official Results
Men
1 Patrick Ivuti 2:11:11 KEN
2 Jaouad Gharib 2:11:11 MAR
3 Daniel Njenga 2:12:45 KEN
4 Robert Cheruiyot 2:16:13 KEN
5 Ben Maiyo 2:16:59 KEN
Women
1 Berhane Adere 2:33:49 ETH
2 Adriana Pirtea 2:33:52 ROU
3 Kate O'Neill 2:36:15 USA
4 Liz Yelling 2:37:14 GBR
5 Benita Johnson 2:38:30 AUS
Men's Wheelchair
1 Kurt Fearnley 1:28:06 AUS
2 Krige Schabort 1:28:07 USA
3 Tony Iniguez 1:44:23 USA
4 Jeff Fisher 1:44:38 USA
5 Santiago Sanz 1:46:13 ESP
Women's Wheelchair
1 Amanda McGrory 1:45:27 USA
2 Jessica Galli 2:01:23 USA
10:59 a.m.
Ivuti's Winning Margin: 0.05 Seconds
Race officials have quantified Patrick Ivuti's barely distinguishable victory this morning over Jouad Gharib. Ivuti's winning time: 2:11:11. Gharib's time: 2:11:11.05. Unbelievable. That's not razor-thin... It's micron-thin.
Paired with Berhane Adere's jaw-dropping, closing-meters sprint victory in the women's race, this year's Chicago Marathon will undoubtedly go down as one of the most dramatic in the race's 30-year history.
10:37 a.m.
Kate O'Neill Finishes in 2:36
American Kate O'Neill has finished, marking a 2:36:18 (unofficial) third-place finish for her debut marathon.
10:35 a.m.
HOLY $&%#!, Part II
Adriana Pirtea of Romania appeared to have this race sewn up but has just lost to last year's champ, Berhane Adere, who sprinted from behind to catch and pass Pirtea in the final stretch. Pirtea was caught completely unawares and just could not match Adere's speed. Unofficial winning time: 2:33:49. Pirtea finished 3 seconds back.
The gasps in the press room are deafening.
10:27 a.m.
It's Official: Patrick Ivuti Wins the 2007 La Salle Bank Chicago Marathon
By a razor-thin margin, Patrick Ivuti of Kenya has won this year's Chicago Marathon in 2:11:11 official. (We're awaiting the precise, photo-finish time.) Several minutes slower than his PR of 2:07:46, but surely Ivuti must be happy with his performance here today. That finish was one of the most dramatic we've seen in a major marathon in quite some time.
10:24 a.m.
Women Slog Toward the Finish
In the women's race, Alvetina Ivanova stopped to walk around mile 23 but is now running again. Clearly she, like so many runners beat down by the day's heat and humidity, is hurting mightily.
10:20 a.m.
Chicago's Closest Finish Ever?
Before today, the closest finish at Chicago was in 1990, when Mexico's Martin Pitayo beat Antoni Niemczak of Poland by 0.3 seconds. We'd be very surprised if today's nail-biter between Ivuti and Gharib doesn't trump that.
10:16 a.m.
Pirtea Still Out Front
Adriana Pirtea is cruising, but clearly in pain.
10:13 a.m.
HOLY $&%#!
Jouad Gharib of Morocco and Patrick Ivuti traded the lead in the final, agonizing stretch, breaking the tape nearly simultaneously in 2:11:11 unofficial. Njenga is in 3rd, and Cheruiyot 4th.
10:09 a.m.
Pirtea Looking Strong
Adriana Pirtea of Romania is alone in the lead of the women's race.
10:06 a.m.
1 Mile to Go for Men
Gharib and Ivuti continue to run side-by-side. 2:06:32 with 1 mile to go.
10:01 a.m.
Men Come Down to the Wire
Gharib and Ivuti are pushing the pace, alone in the lead. They have passed mile 24 in 2:00:17. Cheruiyot is said to be suffering from stomach cramps.
Weather note: The guys on the motorcycles report that the temp on the course is 88 degrees.
9:56 a.m.
Cheruiyot Fades?
Robert Cheruiyot, last year's winner, has suddenly dropped 100 meters back. Njenga has also faded. The leaders have just clocked a 4:55 mile.
The women have passed the 20th mile in 1:55:50, having slowed significantly: latest miles split is 6:12.
9:51 a.m.
Lead Men Down to Four
The men are on 2:11:30 pace. Leaders are: Gharib, Cheruiyot, Njenga, and Ivuti.
They're slowing, having passed mile 22 in 1:50:26 with a 5:20 mile split. We seem to be entering cat-and-mouse territory.
9:32 a.m
9,000 Folks Stayed Home?
We just heard that fewer than 36,000 people started the race. Race officials expected about 45,000. Blame the weather, I guess. Current temp on the course is 87 degrees. Brutal.
In other news: The women just went through the 16 mile mark at 1:31:44 -- a 5:49 mile split.
9:30 a.m.
Gharib Fuels Up
Jouad Gharib, a Moroccan with a 2:07:02 PR, just slurped down an energy gel -- very unusual for an elite. The men's pace is speeding up: they ran a 4:43 18th mile.
The women are back on a 2:30 pace, dumping water on themselves trying to stay cool.
9:27 a.m.
Women's Leaders: and Then There Were 3
As I typed this post, the women's lead pack has been whittled down from five to three: Last year's winner, Berhane Adere of Ethiopia; Adriana Pirtea of Romania; and Alvetina Ivanova of Russia.
They have passed the 14-mile mark in 1:20:13.
9:18 a.m.
Men on 2:10 Pace; Kate O'Neill Drifts Back
Robert Cheruiyot, Patrick Ivuti, Benjamin Maiyo, Jimmy Muindi, and perennial 2nd- or 3rd-place finisher Daniel Njenga are the lead men, maintaining a slightly faster pace. (Current pace equals about a 2:10 finish.) They have passed mile 15 in 1:15:09.
One second later, at 1:15:10, the lead women passed the halfway mark. Kate O'Neill, the American 10,000 meter runner making her marathon debut here today, is about 1 minute behind the lead women.
9:09 a.m.
Men Reach 13.1 in 65:50
The lead men continue to turn up the heat, clocking a 4:48 mile to pass the halfway point... Significantly slower than the 63:20 Cheruiyot and Limo had initially (and perhaps brashly) had predicted.
Jimmy Muindi, a Kenyan with a 2:07:50 PR, faded briefly but has rejoined the leaders. On the women's side, Liz Yelling has dropped off pace.
9:04 a.m.
Elite Men, Fading, Drop Off Pace
The men have passed the 11-mile mark in 55:48, churning out a 5:04 mile split. The women leaders have passed mile 10 in 57:17, with a 5:47 split.
Cheboiboch has dropped off the back of the lead men's pack, and Evans Rutto appears to be in trouble as well. They may be the first casualties among elites.
HOLD ON: We've just heard that James Koskei, Daniel Yego, Bong-Ju Lee, and Felix Limo ALL appear to be fading as well.
This could help explain it: The lead men, led by last year's winner Robert Cheruiyot, laid down 4:45 for mile 12. Ooof.
And approaching the halfway point, the race has now begun.
8:53 a.m.
No Wind on the Course
The men have passed 9 miles in 45:43 with a 5:09 split, down from a previous mile of 4:59. And now they have hit the 15-K mark in 47:17. Still on 2:13 pace.
The women have passed 8 miles in 45:45, with a 5:50 mile split; and now have passed 15-K in 53:20. (That works out to about 2:30 pace.)
By every indication, there's no wind on the course this morning: Trees and flags are still, and the leaders are stretched across the road, each desperate for even a hint of air on his face. For all that, the leaders look pretty good, men and women alike: Because they're running (relatively) cautiously, they appear comfortable and smooth. A race official here in the press room remarked of one elite woman, "She looks like she's out for a run in the park...And for her, she is."
8:43 a.m.
Word of the Day: CAUTION
If this year's race has a theme, it has to be caution. Apart from some initial friskiness on the men's part, paces have been fairly conservative. Everyone seems to be holding back, which isn't entirely surprising, given the conditions. If we see any breaks or surges today, it likely won't be till the final miles.
The men have passed 8 miles in 40:32. The women passed 7 miles in 39:56.
8:37 a.m.
Chicago: World's Most Slippery Course?
We've learned that the reason Christopher Cheboiboch missed his bottle at the first fluids station is that he slipped. Man, last year it was Cheruiyot's finish-line spill; this year Cheboiboch nearly falls at a fluids station. What's the deal?
p.s. The leading women have passed the 10-K mark in 35:22.
8:32 a.m.
Men Pass 10-K in 31:32 (2:13 Pace)
The men have turned in a 5:05 split to pass 6 miles in 30:25 -- a bit of an uptick. And have hit the 10-K in 31:32. That's 2:13 pace.
The lead women, meantime, have run a 5:54 mile to hit the 5-mile mark in 28:30.
8:26 a.m.
Kathy Butler Still Out in Front
She passed the 4-mile mark in 22:35, stretching a 4-second gap to 8 seconds over her nearest competitors.
The lead men's pack remains intact. They have passed 5 miles in 25:19.
8:19 a.m.
15:36 @ the 5-K Mark
And the leaders have eased up on the throttle. From an "insane" world-record pace in the first mile or so, they have just passed the 5-K mark in 15:36. That's about 2:10 pace.
Kathy Butler of Great Britain is the lead woman, having passed 5-K in 17:26. That's about 2:27 pace.
ALSO: Just heard that Kenya's Christopher Cheboiboch missed his bottle at the fluids station. D'oh. Hey, Christopher: Next time, try a CamelBak!
8:11 a.m.
"Mental Defectives"
That's the phrase I just overheard here in the press room, describing the leaders and the blistering pace they have set. Another phrase whispered: "This is insane."
Well, maybe they're saner than we thought... The leaders have passed mile 2 in 10:12, easing the pace considerably.
8:08 a.m.
Mile 1 in 4:44 (!)
The leaders have run the first mile in 4:44; the first women followed in 5:16.
That 4:44 is world record pace, by the way... assuming they intend to keep it up for the duration. We've just heard that the leaders, having heard their 1-mile split, asked the pacesetters to ease up. Can't say blame them.
8:08 a.m.
...And They're Off!
The 30th running of the La Salle Bank Chicago Marathon is under way! A record 45,000 runners (give or take) are crossing the starting line, hoping to win or PR or (most likely) just to make it to the finish in one piece.
Race officials say Cheruiyot and Limo "asked for a 63:20" -- i.e., requested that the pacesetters take them through the 1/2 in 63 minutes 20 seconds. A very ambitious clip for such a warm day: Reports put the temperature at 73 degrees at lakeside.
