Chicago Marathon Sets New Records Under Autumn Skies
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon’s elite athletes start at 7:30 a.m. on October 9, 2022 (Photo credit: the Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris)
The 44th Bank of America Chicago Marathon was held on Oct. 9, welcoming 40,000 runners from more than 100 countries around the world.
Blessed with perfect autumn weather, the race saw some records set in the categories of the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions.
Since the race was inaugurated in 1977, more than 900,000 runners crossed the finish line, according to the organizers.
Photo from left: Kyohei Hosoya, Riki Nakanishi (behind), Kiyoshi Koga (front), Hiroto Fujimagari and Sho Watanabe (Photo Credit: All except Watanabe are courtesy of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris
Kyohei Hosoya from Japan (team: Kurosaki Harima) finished sixth in the men’s race in 2:08:05. Other Japanese runners include Riki Nakanishi of Toenec who came in 14th (2:09:59); Hiroto Fujimagari of Toyota Kyushu in 20th (2:13:04); and Kiyoshi Koga of Yasukawa Electric in 23rd (2:13:42). All four runners are already qualified for Japan’s Marathon Grand Championship, which will determine the member of the national team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Sho Watanabe of Toppan Inc. won the fourth spot in the men’s wheelchair competition in 1:34:55.
Fans’ attention was on American runner Conner Mantz, who was poised to break the American marathon debut record. He completed the race in 2:08:16, missing the record by 20 seconds. Still, he secured the position as the seventh fastest man in U.S. history.
Photo right: Conner Mantz (Photo credit: the Bank of
America Chicago Marathon/Kevin Morris)
After the race, Mantz showed up at the Media Center, looking for Hosoya. The two athletes at times competed in the same group during the race. Mantz said he remembered Hosoya as a courteous guy and wanted to have a few words with him.
Mantz and Hosoya had a chance to meet and take photos together at their hotel the following morning, according to Hosoya’s manager.
Kenya’s Ruth Chepngetich, the 2019 Marathon World champion and 2021 Chicago Marathon winner, dominated the women’s race. She sped through the first mile in 4:47 and maintained that world-record pace through 40K, to the amazement of spectators and commentators. Although slowing down a little in the last two kilometers, she finished first in 2:14:18, defending her title with the second fastest time in history.
Emily Sisson, the American half marathon record holder, remained in the leading pack with a steady pace. She picked up the pace in the last four miles, coming home in second in 2:18:29, breaking the American women’s marathon record.
In the men’s wheelchair competition, two-time Paralympic gold medalist and 2016 and 2017 Chicago Marathon champion Marcel Hug from Switzerland grabbed his third victory in Chicago. Remaining on top all along, he crossed the finish line in 1:25:20, breaking Chicago’s course record.
Susannah Scaroni from the United States secured the women’s wheelchair championship in 1:45:48, beating her contender by four minutes.
Interviews with Japanese Athletes
Kyohei Hosoya
Hosoya, 27, debuted in the racing world at the Lake Biwa Mainichi Marathon in March 2020. He finished the race 120th, in 2:28:47. In the same race in 2021, he surprised everyone with his sudden leap to the number-three spot, setting his personal best in 2:06:35. This made him the sixth fastest runner in Japan. In the Fukuoka Marathon that year, he won the second place in 2:08:16. He came in sixth in Chicago in 2:08:05.
Now, he is the top contender for the slots to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Q: You were at the half in 1:03:46 today. How did you plan your pace?
Hosoya: Our pre-set pace for passing the halfway point was either 62 minutes or 63 minutes. I chose 63 minutes, considering my conditions, and I ran at that pace.
I tried to pull ahead at 30K, but a few still followed behind me. At around 33K, I shed them off, with a couple of them behind at some distance. From then on, I kept passing the people in front of me, until the finish line.
My head coach told me to move my body well and use all my strength in the second half of the race, and I think I was able to do so. I missed a spot in the top five, which get prize money, and I couldn’t break the 8-minute wall [finishing time], so I’m not satisfied. But I think I gained a lot in this race.
Q: Why did you decide to begin your Abbott World Marathon Majors [international marathon races held in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, New York and Chicago] challenge in Chicago?
Hosoya: I had a little trouble with my leg earlier this year, so I was going to skip the Tokyo Marathon [in March] and focus on the Asian Games race in September. Then, the Games were postponed, so we decided to come to Chicago instead.
My leg has gotten better 100% and I trained quite a lot during the summer, so I felt pretty good about myself at the starting point here. Still, this was my first AbbottWMM race, and I really felt it’s completely different from any race in Japan.
Q: What did you think about Chicago’s course?
Hosoya: Some parts of the road were pretty rough. There are ups and downs and at some points it gets windy. I heard about these conditions in advance, so I paid attention to them during the race. The course conditions are the same to all runners.
This is a very popular AbbottWMM race and there were quite a lot of people on the roadside cheering for us. You get encouraged by them a lot. It felt like a party.
Q: How difficult was it for you to condition yourself for the first overseas race?
Hosoya: Jet lag was the first issue for me to pay attention to. I tried to adjust to the time difference by managing my sleep cycle and hours.
I brought some Japanese food with me, but I felt this would be a good opportunity to see how well I can adjust to local food, so I [tried to eat local food as much as I could].
It was great to experience a lot of things that I have never experienced in Japan, things that are customary in Japan but not so outside.
Q: What’s your plan after Chicago?
Hosoya: My first target is the Tokyo Marathon, which I’ve never run. Plus, overseas experiences are pretty important for me, so I’ll continue to participate in races outside Japan.
Riki Nakanishi
Nakanishi, 26, ran the 2022 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon in February and finished sixth in 2:08:51. His first overseas race, he completed the Chicago Marathon in 14th place in 2:09:59.
Photo right: from left, Kiyoshi Koga, Riki
Nakanishi and Hiroto Fujimagari
Q: How do you think you did today?
Nakanishi: I didn’t do as well as I hoped, so I feel disappointed. But I think this race did me good. I hope to participate in more overseas races, as well as races in Japan.
Q: What did you think about the course in Chicago?
Nakanishi: It was level and easy for me to run.
Q: How did you like the atmosphere of Chicago Marathon?
Nakanishi: It was like the whole town was behind it, so we could feel part of the festivity. Running was pretty hard, but it was fun at the same time. That makes this marathon special. This is my first overseas experience, and I think I’ve learned quite a lot.
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Hiroto Fujimagari
Fujimagari, 25, ran the 2022 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon, finishing third in 2:08:20. This year’s Chicago Marathon was his first overseas experience, and he came in 20th in 2:13:04.
Q: Were you able to run as you planned today?
Fujimagari: Not at all. I wasn’t in a perfect condition from the very beginning, and it was like I wasn’t running a marathon in the second half.
Q: What did you think about the course?
Fujimagari: It’s basically level – I would say it might be the easiest among all the courses I’ve run so far.
The last few miles of uphill were hard for sure, but I wasn’t really competing with it by then anyway.
Q: Was it difficult to condition yourself, flying in from Japan?
Fujimagari: I did have some trouble with jet lag and sleep. But it’s something [to overcome] through experience, so I hope I’d do better the next time.
Q: What’s your plan after Chicago?
Fujimagari: I have domestic races like an ekiden [a long-distance relay road race] on my list. I’m hoping to make up for [today’s result] in these upcoming races.
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Kiyoshi Koga
Koga, 26, ran the 2022 Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon for the first time and came in fourth in 2:08:30, leading the top group at a time. In his first overseas competition in Chicago, Koga finished 23rd in 2:13:42.
Q: What’s your impression about the course today?
Koga: I don’t remember much about it. I prefer running a race after first test-running the course, so [because I didn’t have a chance to do it in Chicago,] it was like I didn’t know where I was during the race, to be honest.
Q: How did you become interested in running?
Koga: I watched marathon races on TV, and I thought those runners were amazing.
Q: What’s next on your list?
Koga: The Tokyo Marathon, if things go as planned.
Sho Watanabe
The 2017 Tokyo Marathon champion, Watanabe, 30, is a veteran wheelchair competitor. He came in second in the 2020 Tokyo Marathon and fourth in London the same year. Watanabe competed in this year’s Chicago Marathon, his fourth, after running in Berlin and London. He grabbed the fourth spot in 1:34:55.
Q: What did you think about your performance today?
Watanabe: My top priority today was to hold onto the leading pack, but [Marcel] Hug sprinted off from the start. I tried to grab him during the first 5K, and I felt like I ran out of gas. I was spent for the rest of the race.
Q: Hug finished in 1:25:20.
Watanabe: Ah, a new course record, right?
Q: Right. You did well, too.
Watanabe: I did what I could. This is the third race in my tour this year – from Berlin, to London, and then Chicago. I think I did best here.
After I became part of the second group, I knew I had a chance for the fourth spot because I was a better sprinter than anyone else in the pack. I would have liked to push harder, but I remained the leader in the group, so I’d say it was good enough.
Q: What’s it like for a wheelchair racer to finish the final uphill?
Watanabe: That’s the highlight of the entire race. Everyone knows that the uphill is coming, so they all prepare themselves and conserve energy before the hill starts. And then they go for it at full power at the foot of the hill. It’s the last stretch of the course, so it feels really long and hard.
You use every part of your body to climb the hill – abs, back, and everything that you can use. Arms alone can’t do the job.
Q: What did you think about the road conditions?
Watanabe: Not very good. Cracks from last year were still there. There were some manhole covers sticking out. You really have to be careful – it’s generally the same thing in America, in New York or Boston. But I’m good at navigating rough surfaces, so I don’t mind it too much, personally.
I like the geographical arrangement here in Chicago, including the distance between the start and finish and between the hotel and the race course. Those are a walking distance and easy to move in between, before and after the race. In some races, you have to ride a bus for more than an hour to go from the hotel to the course and vice versa.
Q: What’s your regular training like?
Watanabe: I am a full-time employee player at Toppan Inc. since 2014, so I’m allowed to train around the clock if I want to. The hardest day would be when I run in the morning, do weight training in the afternoon, and then run again afterward. It’s different day by day, depending on my conditions.
Q: How did you begin wheelchair racing?
Watanabe: I was injured in a car accident. I can walk if I have something to hang onto, so I usually walk around the house in everyday life.
I was always active and liked to play baseball. After the accident, while I was in the hospital, I ran into Kota Hokinoue, a wheelchair athlete, who happened to come to pick up his medicine. That led me to wheelchair racing. I was 19.
The exhilarating feeling you get from the speed, when zipping through the outdoor air, was something I never experienced in my life. I was amazed that I got this experience only after I was disabled. Now I’m dedicated to the sport.
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Q: Thank you all very much.