Kenyan runner Kelvin Kiptum isn’t lacking confidence as he gets ready to participate in the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
“In Chicago, I need to go for the fastest time,” Kiptum said.
The Kenyan runner won the 2023 London Marathon — one of the six major marathons in the world — in 2:01:25, 16 seconds short of breaking fellow Kenyan Eluid Kipchoge’s world record set at the 2022 Berlin Marathon.
Kiptum enters the race with the fastest time recorded in 2023, but this is only his third marathon and his U.S. debut. To break the course record — set in 2013 by Dennis Kimetto with a 2:03:45 time — Kiptum will have to run faster than last year’s champion, Benson Kipruto. Kipruto knows he has steep competition, but he feels that his experience in this race gives him a leg up on the competition.
“I have the advantage of knowing the course,” Kipruto said. “It’s like you’re at home, so you know each corner of your house. That’s an added advantage for me.”
Kipruto and Kiptum have the fastest personal-best times in the men’s division. They have set the standard for Wesley Kiptoo, who graduated from Iowa State and is making his U.S. debut.
“It means a lot to me,” Kiptoo said about running with fellow Kenyans. “It’s good when you run with the best in the world; you’re going to find yourself in a better place.”
Kiptum was more effusive in his praise of Kenyan runners.
“I feel good because in Kenya, we have a lot of runners, and I love competing with them,” Kiptum said. “They are the best in the world.”
There’s a bond that exists between runners. That shared experience between the professional runners and the amateurs connects them because they all have gone through arduous training for the race.
“There is a kinship because the interesting thing about the marathon is there aren’t many sporting events where you are on the same field as the elite,” said Henry Kozlowski, who has competed in every Chicago Marathon. “You can’t go to [Soldier Field] and play on the football field.’’
Kiptoo loves being able to run with people for long distances and hours. He started running when he was around 12, and though he’s making his debut, knowing Kipruto won the race last year gives him added confidence.
“I mean, it just guides me, and I just think it’s an open race,” Kiptoo said. “You know, everyone can win. This event is how hard you end up in training, but I think it’s just possible for everyone to win.”
Kiptoo said that having runners such as Kipruto and Kiptum is beneficial for him.
“It’s good to have Kenyan competitors who are fast here,” Kiptoo said. “It helps to push us toward our limits, toward our personal best. So it’s a huge advantage to have those strong Kenyan runners.”
Kipruto said he wants to return to the podium and set a personal-best running time. If he wins, he will be the first repeat winner since Sammy Wanjiru in 2010.
Kiptum declined to say who his biggest competitor is, not even Kipruto. He won his first marathon in Valencia, Spain, in 2022, setting a course record with a time of 2:01:53.
“My competitor is me right here,” he said.
Kiptum knows there’s pressure on him, but he invites it. He’s just trying to remain focused on Sunday.
