Kenya and Ethiopia have traded marathon bragging rights for decades, and on Sunday they simply split the prize. The Chicago Marathon 2026 produced a Kenyan men’s winner in Amos Kipruto and an Ethiopian women’s champion in Hawi Feysa, and both ran times that will be discussed in training camps from Kapsabet to Addis Ababa.
Kipruto’s third-time-lucky win
Chicago had been teasing Kipruto for two years. He finished third in 2024, second in 2025, and on Sunday finally won in 2:01:09, a personal best. He made his move around the 35-kilometre mark and never looked back, finishing almost two minutes clear of Ethiopia’s Tadese Bikila. Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo, the defending champion, could not hold on to his crown.
Kipruto trains with the 2Running Athletics Club in Kapsabet, in the Rift Valley highlands that have shaped generations of Kenyan champions. For a runner who also won London in 2022, this was the missing piece on his major-marathon résumé.
Feysa holds her nerve
The women’s race was tighter. Feysa had to fight for it, winning in 2:13:33 and finishing just under a minute ahead of Kenya’s Sharon Lokedi, who has two Boston titles of her own. Former world record-holder Brigid Kosgei took third. The time was another personal best for Feysa and, according to dpa, lifts her to fifth on the all-time list. She said afterwards she was delighted to defend her title.
Notice what she did: she did not panic when Lokedi pushed. She stayed patient, waited for the closing kilometres and then pulled away. That is the kind of racing that wins majors.
Why this matters back home
For young athletes in Eldoret, Bekoji or Kampala, Sunday’s results carry a simple message: the road to the world’s biggest marathons still runs through East Africa. Kiplimo’s presence on the start line also shows that the region’s talent pool is no longer limited to Kenya and Ethiopia.
Chicago’s flat, fast course keeps attracting the sport’s deepest fields, and African runners keep answering. If Sunday is any guide, the next generation is already watching the replay and planning its own trip to Michigan Avenue.
Read More
Road Closures Alert: Two Oceans Marathon Returns to Cape Town This Weekend
Kenya’s Marathon World Record-Holder Kelvin Kiptum Killed In Car Crash
Ntsindiso Mphakathi Breaks 12-Year Drought At Soweto Marathon
Ruth Chepngetich Aims For 3rd Consecutive Win In Chicago Marathon
Cape Town Marathon 2026: Why This Race Is Becoming Africa’s Biggest Running Event
