Kiplimo and Feysa seek repeat Chicago Marathon wins

Jacob Kiplimo has history in his sights ahead of the Chicago Marathon, which will take place on Sunday in the USA.

The national record holder has kept himself free ever since he raced in the record-breaking London Marathon, where Sebastian Sawe set a new world record of 1:59:30 and became the first man, alongside second-placed Yomif Kejelcha, who clocked 1:59:41, to dip below two hours in the marathon.

Kiplimo also ran inside the old world record but could only register a time of 2:00:28, making him the third-fastest man in history.

Upon announcing his participation a few weeks ago, he wrote on his social media platforms: "Back where unforgettable memories were made. I am excited for the opportunity to defend my title and compete again on this special course."

Chicago will not have Sawe or Kejelcha, but the field will still be heavy with Amos Kipruto, the 2019 world champion and 2022 London Marathon winner, Milkesa Mengesha, Tadese Takele and Bashir Abdi all expected to line up.

While the field is not as exciting as that of the London Marathon, Kiplimo has not participated in any race over the last six months, meaning he is well rested and ready to have a go at the flat course.

Historically, many records have fallen in Chicago and last year, when Kiplimo secured his first-ever marathon victory, the world record was also within reach.

He has kept his powder dry, which could work in his favour. Last year he raced in a half marathon in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which may have hindered his world record attempt then, but this time he has tried to stay out of the action and focus on this one race.

He has ambitions after falling short in London, but he may have to take it step by step by first overcoming his own personal records in Chicago.

Running a sub-two-hour marathon would be incredible for Kiplimo because it would be a course record and an improvement on his current personal best, but he would need to pace himself almost from the word go.

In London, Sawe took charge of the race and dictated how things would go for the duration of the two hours. While Kiplimo stayed with the two eventual record-breakers, he could not hang with them over the final 10km. He needs to go out like a bullet on the streets of Chicago and try to push the limits of the race.

This year, the organisers are still looking at the possibility of another world record, but it will come down to how the Ugandan feels during the race. There is up to sh400m on the line for the race winner, but if a world record were to fall in Chicago, Kiplimo could easily double that, making this not just an interesting race on paper but a potentially valuable payday.

When Sawe won the London Marathon, set a new world record and ran a sub-two-hour time in a men's senior marathon, it was reported that the Kenyan earned about USD355,000, which is roughly sh1.4 billion. This is why most elite athletes want to compete in the major city marathons.

Whatever Kiplimo and his fellow competitors were able to accomplish in London could be eclipsed if another world record were to fall in Chicago, where the late Kelvin Kiptum set the previous world record.