Brigid Kosgei, a 24-year-old from Kenya, dominated the 2018 Chicago Marathon on Sunday, leaving little doubt early on that she would finish one spot better than she did last year and claim the title.
On a rainy, 60-degree day in Chicago, which also offered a challenging headwind at times, Kosgei made a break from a pack of six women—three Kenyans and three Ethiopians—between 30K and 35K, building a 45-second lead over that distance and never looking back.
Kosgei finished in 2:18:35, which is just shy of a two-minute personal record and the third-fastest time on the course. She was second in Chicago last year, but is happy to be taking the top prize this year, which is a $100,000 paycheck. Her time also makes her the seventh fastest female marathoner ever.
“I just moved alone in order to make a good time and position,” Kosgei said, adding that a knee injury has been a challenge in training and on race day. “I was having pain and injuries in my knee, so I was swallowing a painkiller to allow me to move like I had no injury.”
Sarah Crouch, 29, from Flagstaff, Arizona, was the top American, finishing sixth in 2:32:37. Taylor Ward, 28, from Ogden, Utah, was just five seconds behind Crouch, ending up seventh in 2:32:42.
“I’ve been here five years in a row and this is by far the worst conditions I’ve run in,” Crouch said. “I did not expect to be top American. There was a fair amount of hype about the other American women. But I woke up this morning and I saw the forecast and said, ‘I can do this. I’m tough.’”
A performance that was highly anticipated was that of Gwen Jorgensen, who is the 2016 Olympic gold medalist in triathlon. She switched to full-time professional running after giving birth to her son, Stanley, in August 2017. While making that transition, she stated her goal is to win another gold medal in 2020—in the marathon.
The race on Sunday didn’t go in Jorgensen’s favor. She said she had a fever in the week leading up the race, and while she hoped to stick to a 5:40 per mile pace, which would have led to a 2:28:34, she was unable to sustain it.
“From mile one it was huge struggle,” she said. “I’m disappointed with how the day went and I’m going to go back and see what we can do differently.”