Chicago Marathon, Hosoya 6th in 2:07:20, Suzuki 3rd in Wheelchair Race
Women's World Record and Yasui's Sportsmanship
Photo Caption: A scene from the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Japanese elite athletes are seen in the photo, from left, Yuichi Yasui, Tatsuya Maruyama, and Toshiki Sadakata. Ruth Chepngetich (L2), who established the world record for women’s marathon, is also seen in the photo. (Credit: © Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris)
The 46th annual Bank of America Chicago Marathon, one of the world's six major marathons, was held under clear fall skies on October 13. This year's race saw 52,150 finishers, breaking last year's record of 48,472.
At the starting line in Grant Park, just after dawn, the men's wheelchair marathon got underway at 7:20 am, followed by the women's wheelchair race at 7:21 am.
At 7:30 am, men’s and women’s races among elite athletes kicked off. Before the race, a moment of silence was held at the starting line to mourn the death of Kelvin Kiptum (Kenya), who set a world record of 2:00:35 in last year's Chicago Marathon. Memorial stickers were also distributed to the approximately 50,000 runners to be affixed to their bibs.
Kiptum died in an automobile accident in February of this year, and his record has yet to be broken. Amos Kipruto, a native of the same country, competed in honor of Kiptum.
Race Results
John Korir wins the men's marathon at 02:02:44. (Credit: © Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris)
John Korir (Kenya) won the men's marathon in 02:02:44, with Husseidin Mohamed Esa (Ethiopia) in second in 02:04:39, and Amos Kipruto (Kenya) in third in 02:04:50.
Japanese Elite Athletes
While Kenyans and Ethiopians occupied first through fifth places, Kyohei Hosoya (Kurosaki Harima) finished in 2:07:20 to take sixth place. Although he did not reach his best record of 02:06:35, he broke his 2022 Chicago Marathon record of 2:08:05 by 45 seconds, and at this year's Tokyo Marathon, he marked 2:06:55.
The other four Japanese elite athletes were Toshiki Sadakata (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries) in 8th place in 02:08:22. Yuichi Yasui (TOYOTA) was 11th in 2:10:11, Tatsuya Maruyama (TOYOTA) 16th in 02:11:07, and Tomoki Yoshioka (Kyudenko) 21st in 02:14:04.
Women’s Marathon
Ruth Chepngetich crosses the finish line at 02:09:56. A male runner behind her is the pacemaker. (Credit: © Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris)
In the women's marathon, Ruth Chepngetich (Kenya) crossed the finish line in 02:09:56, breaking the world record. The previous world record was set by Tigst Asefa (Ethiopia) in 02:11:53, shaving almost two minutes off the previous world record.
The second was Asefa Kebede, Sutume (Ethiopia) in 02:17:32 and the third was Irine Cheptai (Kenya) in 02:17:51.
At a press conference, Chepgetich said, “I am very proud of myself. This is my dream. I fought a lot, thinking about the world record.”
Wheelchair Marathon
In the wheelchair marathon, Marcel Hug (Switzerland) won in 01:25:54, with Daniel Romanchuk (USA) in second in 01:25:58 and Tomoki Suzuki (Toyota) in third in 01:26:05.
Other Japanese elite athletes were Sho Watanabe (Toppan Printing), 6th in 01:33:09; Kota Hokinoue (Yahoo! Japan), 7th in 01:33:12; and Hiroki Nishida (Honda), one of the top athletes, 18th in 01:39:35 after an unforeseen accident.
Interview with Japanese Elite Athletes in Marathon
Kyohei Hosoya
Kyohei Hosoya
Kyohei Hosoya was active in Ekiden during his college years and ran his second marathon after joining Kurosaki Harima, running a personal best of 02:06:35 in the 2021 Lake Biwa Marathon. He then ran consistently, finishing 2nd in 02:08:16 at the 2021 Fukuoka International, 6th in 02:08:05 in 2022 Chicago, and 02:08:10 in 2023 Tokyo.
Hosoya, who had qualified for the Marathon Grand Championship (MGC) to determine his entry to the Paris Olympics, competed in the MGC on October 15, 2023, but had to retire due to a contact accident during the race. He attempted the MGC in the 2024 Tokyo Marathon, which is also set as the MGC Final Challenge, and did well, finishing 3rd among Japanese runners at 2:06:55, but did not make the three MGC slots. In his second Chicago Marathon, he made 6th. in 2:07:20, breaking the record set in 2022.
Q: How was your race today?
Hosoya: At the starting line, I felt that I was in pretty good shape, so I was confident to run with the lead group. In the previous race, I was running in the back group, but that would have caused my time to drop off, and I knew that from now on I would have to run with the lead pack. As a result, I was 6th, the same as last time, and my time was not as fast as my goal, but I think I made some progress in this race which was very different and difficult from the last one.
Q: What is your plan for the future?
Hosoya: I will start trying from the beginning of the next year with an eye on the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. There will also be the Osaka and Tokyo Marathons to aim for, and I will do so while keeping the World Majors in mind. After all, I have to compete at the world level, and I have to choose the World Majors.
Q: Thank you very much.
Toshiki Sadakata (Credit: © Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris
Toshiki Sadakata
Toshiki Sadakata, who finished 8th in 02:08:22, has a personal best of 02:07:05.
He did not compete in the MGC, but represented Japan at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, in October 2023. In the marathon on the fifth and final day, while the Chinese athletes were making a furious spurt, Sadakata, who had risen to fifth place, was in hot pursuit of LECHE (Bahrain) and finished in fourth place with the same time of 02:13:51 with a breast difference.
He showed strength in the second half of the 2024 Tokyo Marathon to qualify for the Paris Olympics but finished 8th among Japanese and 20th overall in 2:09:15.
Q: How about your race in Chicago?
Sadakata: It was my first Chicago Marathon, and I could feel that everyone along the route was enjoying cheering runners on, although I had many tough moments, it was a fun event that cheered me up.
Q: Did you have uneasy feelings due to an international environment in the race?
Sadakata: I was running pretty much on my own, so I didn't feel anything about the other racers. People along the route sometimes carried Japanese flags, and even they called out to me in Japanese, “Ganbare, ganbare!” which cheered me up. I ran while responding to them by raising my hand a little.
Q: How about your condition today?
Sadakata: I came into Chicago ready to compete with confidence, so I was in good shape. My time was not where I expected it to be, but it was a good experience for me to compete well for the first time overseas.
Q: Did you feel jet lag?
Sadakata: The time difference was also a new experience for me. I arrived in Chicago on the 9th, so I was still stuck in jet lag, but I also learned that foreign athletes experience this kind of thing when they come to Japan and achieve results. It was a good experience for me because this kind of experience is necessary when you compete in the world championships.
Q: What is your plan for the future?
Sadakata: Next year, the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo will be held in Tokyo. My goal was to break the participation standard record of 02:06:30 here in Chicago, but I am disappointed that I could not reach it. I will do my best to break that record again in the winter marathons and aim to represent Japan in the World Athletics Championships.
Q: Thank you very much.
Yuichi Yasui (Credit: Bank of America Chicago Marathon)
Yuichi Yasui
Yuichi Yasui has distinguished records in track and field since his high school days, placing 8th in the 1500m at the All Japan High School Championships. During his college years, he competed in Ekiden (road relay race) and participated in two marathons. After joining Toyota, he continued to run consistently in the low 02:10's. He ran well in the 2019 Berlin Marathon, placing 11th in 02:10:26.
He ran a personal best of 02:08:48 at the Beppu Oita Marathon in February 2023, and also ran well in Prague in May of the same year with a time of 02:10:33, qualifying him for the MGC as a wild card. At the MGC on October 15 of the same year, he finished 19th in 2:12:11, and although he was not qualified for the Paris Olympics, he ran well at Beppu-Oita in February this year, finishing 5th in 02:09:30.
In his first Chicago Marathon, he attempted to run the 2:07:00 mark, but finished 11th in 2:10:11. He happened to encounter a rare moment just before the finish line.
Q: How was today’s race?
Yasui: I followed the pacemaker's time of 1:03:30 until the half, and after the 30 km mark, I was alone for the rest of the race, so I thought it would be tough with the wind, but the cheering along the way was tremendous, and I was really energized as I ran.
Q: How was the last uphill of the course?
Yasui: Yeah, that was tough. You can tell how much leeway you have by whether that hill is tough or not.
Here is a story. I actually noticed Ruth Chepgetich was running ahead of me for the women’s world record and thought it was bad. I wanted to spurt the rest of the way to the finish line, but Chepgetich was running with a historic record in sight, and if I spurt and finish with her, she and I would be in the big picture on the historical scene on TV. What should I do? I thought.
It might not be good to do, but I was a little reserved at the end and slowed down a bit. It was difficult to make a good decision in that situation, and I thought I should not cut the tape in front of Chepgetich.
Q: I know it is a marathon world where every second counts, but I think you have shown Japan’s great sportsmanship to the world. Will you be thicker next time?
Yasui: If have another opportunity to try the Chicago Marathon again. After experiencing Chicago once like this, I think I can do it with more confidence next time. I thought this course was really easy to run, so I am really disappointed this time (not reaching my goal).
Q: Do you have any reflections?
Yasui: My body was moving well up to about 35 km, and I thought I could make it. However, there was a headwind for the remaining 5 km, and I also felt a bit tight, so I slowed down a bit. That was one thing I regretted.
Q: What is your plan for the future?
Yasui: I entered the race with one goal in mind: to break my personal best of 2:08:40 and finish in 2:07:00. I thought that challenging myself in a world competition and achieving results would give me confidence so that I would be able to race with more confidence when I returned to Japan. I couldn’t clear my goal, but I think I gave it my all to the race.
Q: Thank you very much.
From left: Tatsuya Maruyma, Toshiki Sadakata, and Tomoki Yoshioka
Tatsuya Maruyama
Tatsuya Maruyama has been active in long-distance and Ekiden races since his student days. After his school days, he participated in the 2019 Kyoto Marathon as a citizen runner and won with a new event record of 02:16:27. He also won the 2020 Osaka Half Marathon with a new event record of 01:01:58, and in December of the same year he won the Hofu Yomiuri Marathon in 02:09:36. In the Berlin Marathon in September 2022, he recorded a personal best of 02:07:50 and placed 8th. This qualified him for the MGC.
In 2023, Maruyama was plagued by injury, but in 2024, he shaved 45 seconds off his record at the Kagawa-Marugame International Half Marathon and finished 6th in the Osaka Marathon in 02:07:52. Maruyama then ran his second major world marathon, the Chicago Marathon. Although he did not break his personal best, he finished in 16th place with a time of 02:11:07.
Q: How was your race in Chicago?
Maruyama: I feel truly honored to have been able to run in the great city of Chicago. I have never had the opportunity to run in such a great place, so I think it was a great race.
Q: You were running with Yasui up to the halfway point.
Maruyama: Yes. It was easy to run behind Yasui, so I followed him.
I could not enough practice to build good shape prior to Chicago, so I had some elements of uneasiness. I think those were the reasons for today’s result.
Q: In Berlin and Osaka, you were running in the low 02:07’s. Did you have any difficulty running today, such as road conditions?
Maruyama: I had created an image of the race by watching last year's race, but today was the first time I actually ran the race. The road was not so rough and I thought it was easy to run. I didn't have much leeway to see the people along the course, and I was just trying to keep up with Yasui.
Q: You and Yasui-san are both from Toyota, and you trained together.
Maruyama: Yasui was able to practice better than I did, so I believe the race results were as we had practiced.
Q: What is your plan for the future?
Maruyama: I don't have any race schedule at this moment, so I will take a rest for a while. However, the team in Toyota will have Ekiden, so even if I am not involved in that race, I would like to run in a way that I can contribute to the team so that we can improve the team's bottom line.
Q: Thank you very much.
Interview with athletes in Wheelchair Marathon
Marcel Hug
Marcel Hug
Marcel Hug was born in 1986. He was born with a lifelong spinal condition that has left him in a wheelchair.
He started wheelchair athletics at the age of 10 and represented Switzerland for the first time at the Athens Para Olympics in 2004, winning bronze medals in the 800m and 1500m. Since then, he has competed in track and field and wheelchair marathon since the 2012 London Para Olympics, winning silver medals in both, gold in the 2016 Rio Para Olympics, gold in the 2021 Tokyo Para Olympics, and gold in the 2024 Paris Para Olympics.
He has also won most of the major world championships over the past decade, including the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon in 2021, where he set a world record with a time of 01:17:47.
Q: You always win, never lose a race. How do you keep your spirit so strong?
Hug: It is always having good motivation to continue to work hard and build a lot of confidence for the future. But this time in Chicago, it was a very close race with other athletes behind me. We had a sprint to the finishing line, so it was a quite close one. But I hope I can continue to compete with them.
Q: I think you have given other athletes motivations to defeat your record. Athlete Sho Watanabe often says, “We want to win somehow too.”
Hug: I hope they are motivated to win, to go to the podium. It’s very important to us. They never give up and yeah, they continue to challenge winning because I believe that one day they will come, future will bring them the first place.
Q: Thank you very much.
Tomoki Suzuki
Tomoki Suzuki suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident when he was eight months old and started wheelchair running in the first year of elementary school at the suggestion of his parents. He specializes in middle-distance and marathon running.
He has competed in the Tokyo Wheelchair Marathon since 2015 and placed 2nd, won the 800m at the 2016 Japan Para Athletics Championships and Kanto Championships, placed 2nd at the Oita International Wheelchair Marathon that year, 3rd at the 2017 Tokyo Wheelchair Marathon, 5th in the 800m and 7th in the 1500m at the World Para Athletics Championships that year, 3rd at the 2019 London Marathon (and World Championships), and won the 2020 Tokyo Wheelchair Marathon with an event record of 1:21:52.
He competed in the 2021 Tokyo Para Olympics, winning a bronze medal in the 400-meter universal relay, and was seventh in the marathon at the Tokyo Para Olympics.
This year, he won the Tokyo Wheelchair Marathon and took bronze in the Paris Para Olympics
Wheelchair Marathon.
Q: You have great records. Is it the first time running in Chicago?
Suzuki: This is my third time in Chicago, although I have not been here since the COVID-19 pandemic. This race came after the Paris Para Olympics, so I came here after a long time.
Q: Congratulations on your 3rd place.
Suzuki: There were not so many competitors who had competed in Paris, so I think I focused on how I could develop my race in that situation.
Q: You were running in the top group until the half. What do you think about the course in Chicago?
Suzuki: Just as world records have been set by able-bodied people, I believe that this course is easy to set records on as a wheelchair.
Compared to the Para Olympics course in Paris, Chicago has a cleaner surface, so it is easier to get a good time, depending on the wind direction.
Q: All athletes compete at high speed. What do you do to avoid accidents?
Suzuki: I don't have anything special to say about that. We don't want to collide with each other, so I try to run in safe areas as much as possible, and I’m careful in corners where the road surface is worse than in Japan.
Q: You were disabled at 8 months old. Have you been playing sports since you were a little boy?
Suzuki: Well, since I was 4 or 5 years old, I tried not only track and field but also basketball and tennis.
Q: When did you start running wheelchair marathons?
Suzuki: I started it seriously when I was fifth grade in elementary school. I think it was in the upper grades of elementary school that I began to take track and field seriously.
Q: You have a long career.
Suzuki: Yes. I also compete in track events such as 800m and 1500m, so I run shorter distances compared to the marathon.
Q: You already have medals at the Para Olympics. What is your plan for the future?
Suzuki: I will be 30 years old this year. Many of the legends in this wheelchair athletics world are in their 50s, so I think I can try and improve my career in my 30s.
Q: What do you think about the strength of Marcel Hug?
Suzuki: On the hexagonal barometer, the secret to his strength is that he has a very high overall score. I believe that his true strength lies in the fact that he is capable of running any course in the low of 1 hour and the first half of 20 minutes.
From left: Tomoki Suzuki, Sho Watanabe, and Hiroki Nishida
Q: Thank you very much.
Sho Watanabe
Sho Watanabe was born in 1991. He played on the baseball team during his junior and senior high school years. At the age of 19, he was involved in a traffic accident that left him in a wheelchair. While rehabilitating in the hospital, he was inspired by Kota Hokinoue and started wheelchair racing. In just two years, he was selected to represent Japan and won a silver medal at the World Championships. He got 3rd place in the 2023 and 2024 Tokyo Marathon. He has a personal best of 01:24:00.
Q: How was today’s race?
Watanabe: The key point was to see how far I could hang on to the first 10 runners, but unfortunately I ran out of time in the last 5 kilometers. I wish I could have held on a little longer, because there were many strong competitors in the race, including Suzuki.
Q: You did well in this year's Tokyo Marathon, coming in third.
Watanabe: There were not many foreign runners in Tokyo. I would like to be a little higher in a race like this where strong foreign players participate in. Basically, my goal is to make at least the top 5 in major races, but it is not easy.
Q: So this time, you hang on to the top group. Did you feel the last uphill was tough to clear?
Watanabe: I am not the type of person who hates climbing, so possibly I can take advantage of the uphill in a race.
Q: What is your plan for the future?
Watanabe: I’m going to run all the six majors this year, so I’ll compete in New York this fall.
Q: Now, please train more to get through the last 5 kilometers and be ready for the next one.
Watanabe: I’ll do my best. I like Chicago Marathon, and that’s why I come to Chicago every year. See you everybody next year!
Q: Thank you very much.
Hiroki Nishida
Hiroki Nishida, born in 1984 in Osaka, Japan, was paralyzed in a traffic accident at the age of 20, which came as a shock to Nishida, who had devoted himself to baseball from elementary school through college. However, during his rehabilitation, his doctor told him, “Don't think about what you can't do. Think about what you can do now.” Inspired by the doctor’s words, he began to think about his life positively.
After graduating from college, Nishida got his driver's license and worked for the local city hall. At age 22, he discovered wheelchair sports and was drawn to it. Nishida's skills grew as he ran the wheelchair and decided to turn pro in 2013.
The results showed immediately: he won the 2014 and 2015 Osaka Wheelchair Marathon with unrivaled solo performances. His records in Osaka were 1 hour and 29 minutes and 1 hour and 27 minutes, respectively. His world ranking for 2016 is 4th, and 3rd in Japan with a personal best of 01:25:16. He is the first Japanese to win the Paris Wheelchair Marathon in 2018.
He was aiming for the 2016 Para Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but couldn’t make it by a mere 3 seconds. He was aiming for the Tokyo Para Olympics to make up for his close loss, but narrowly missed making it, finishing 4th at the Challenge Tokyo Para in Tachikawa in 2021.
However, with a well-trained body, he finished 3rd in the 40th Anniversary Oita International Wheelchair Marathon in 2021, 7th in the Berlin Marathon, 3rd in the 2021 Tokyo Marathon in 2022, 9th in the Boston Marathon, winner of the Hokkaido Marathon, 2nd in the 2023 Osaka Marathon, 9th in the 2023 Tokyo Marathon, 10th in the 42nd Oita International Wheelchair Marathon. He has shown tenacious strength.
Q: What happened in today's race? It was an unexpected 18th.
Nishida: About a kilometer from the start, there was a bump in the road, and my tire was caught on it, and I fell. From there, I broke away from the group and just managed to finish the race.
Q: Isn't it the place where Hokinoue-san fell down last year?
Nishida: It seems the same. I was cautious about bumps, but running in a cluster with accelerated speed, I missed it.
Q: Were you injured?
Nishida: I have some scratches, but it looks fine for now. I'm a bit excited right now after the race, so maybe tomorrow I'll be able to see (the damage.)
I used to play baseball, but after the accident, I was attracted to the speed of this wheelchair marathon. I have no feeling from the navel down due to the car accident. I am 40 years old this year and feel a bit tired today.
Q: In recent years, even in their 70s and 80s, they are in their prime. Today you were just unlucky, but you cannot stop running. Gambatte! Chicago is rooting for you!