Ruth Chepngetich just misses world record at Chicago Marathon; Emily Sisson breaks American record

Kenyan Ruth Chepngetich ran the second-fastest women’s marathon in history, and Emily Sisson broke the American record at the Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

Chepngetich repeated as Chicago champion in 2:14:18, which was 14 seconds off the world record.

“I wanted to break the world record … but I’m happy,” she said. “Next time, I will not miss it.”

Through 40 kilometers of the 42.1-kilometer race, Chepngetich was on pace to break the world record of 2:14:04 set by countrywoman Brigid Kosgei in 2019, also on the flat roads of Chicago.

Sisson finished second in 2:18:29, breaking the American record of 2:19:12 set by Keira D’Amato in Houston on Jan. 16. Sisson, 30, ran her first mass marathon since dropping out of the Tokyo Olympic Trials as a pre-race favorite.

CHICAGO MARATHON: Results

“I actually didn’t know what pace I was on the whole time,” Sisson said in a press conference. “I just was given instructions to go off my pacers and not think about time at all, so I had no clue what pace I was running until, I think, like a mile to go. A few people told me to pick it up, so I thought, oh, I must be close to either breaking 2:20 or the American record, but I didn’t know which one.”

Her “main goal” going into the race was 2:20, and if she felt good, she would go for the American record. After she crossed the finish line, Sisson asked her husband, Shane Quinn, “What did I run?” and then “Where did I finish?”

“I never saw a vehicle or a camera,” during the race, she said, “so I was like, I must not be on American record pace, because I figured they’d show it if I was.”

Kenyan Benson Kipruto won the men’s race in 2:04:24, tacking another major marathon title on top of his win in Boston last year. Conner Mantz was the top American