SPORT / SPORTS
Rut Čepngetič iz Kenije je oborila svetski rekord u ženskom maratonu u Grant parku prošle godine u Čikagu Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich broke the women’s marathon world record when crossing the finish line in Chicago’s Grant Park last year
Flat course, many records
But the numbers are just part of the sto- ry. The Chicago Marathon traverses the very core of this great city, with runners crossing 29 neighbourhoods – each with its own identity. There are race fans from Lincoln Park, the Pilsen district’s Lati- no community creating a carnival atmos- phere and the energy of Chinatown, all the way to the mighty finish line near Michigan Avenue. The route also pass- es the home of baseball that is Wrig- ley Field and the city’s amazing riverside skyline. Each section provides its own stamp and they together form a mosaic of one America’s most diverse cities. Even celebrities were unable to resist the challenge of this race. Oprah Win- frey completed the 1994 marathon in 4 hours and 29 minutes, later admit- ting that it represented one of the great- est achievements of her life. Participants have included famous athletes, politi- cians and actors - all of whom stand as equals in facing the distance of 42 kilo- metres.
It all began back in 1977, with the stag- ing of the first Mayor Daley Marathon. As many as 4,200 runners took to the start line that day – an incredible num- ber for the time. However, today there are more than 45,000 participants at the Grant Park start line each autumn, and their progress is monitored by hundreds of thousands of fans lining the streets. This marathon is distinguished by its course, which is flat, fast and gentle.
That’s also why the Chicago Marathon is nicknamed the “factory of records”. It was here that Steve Jones set a world re- cord in 1984, while Paula Radcliffe and Catherine Ndereba also achieved world record times, and in 2023 Kelvin Kiptum ran a miraculous 2:00:35. On the wom- en’s side, Ruth Chepngetich finished the 2024 race in 2:09:56, becoming the first woman to run a marathon in under two hours and ten minutes.
Maraton u Čikagu trči se kroz 29 kvartova The Chicago Marathon
is run through 29 neighbourhoods
106 | Trčanje » Running
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