Marist Girls Cross-Country Coaches Complete 2024 Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO — Two cross-country coaches from Marist High School were among more than 50,000 runners in this weekend’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon, contributing to the largest field in event history.

Nora Doyle, head coach of the Marist girls cross-country team and Marist alumni from the class of 2018, completed the 26.2-mile marathon in 04:45:53 time in the 20-24 age group. She placed 14,250 for her gender, and placed 36,225 overall.

Doyle’s assistant coach, Amanda Tracy, of Orland Park, also a 2020 Marist alumni, ran the grueling course in 03:09:48, placing 48th in the 20-24 age group, 562 for gender and 5,322 overall.

Both coaches ran the 26.2-mile course with their team cheering them on at the finish line. Coach Doyle credits her "Marist Girls" as her support team getting her through this marathon. (See all the Chicago Marathon results)

Local athletes were part of the historic marathon, where world records fell and thousands took to Chicago’s streets.

This year’s marathon, the 46th edition of the event, solidified Chicago’s reputation as a record-setting race.

The race, which saw a world record broken in the women’s division, attracted runners from all 50 states and over 100 countries.

The 26.2-mile race started and ended in Grant Park, with runners traversing 29 of Chicago’s neighborhoods.

This year’s event also set a record with more than 50,000 finishers, the largest field in race history, and was supported by over 1.7 million spectators lining the streets.

Local athletes competed alongside elite runners from around the globe, including Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya, who smashed the women’s world record with a time of 2:09:56, and John Korir of Kenya, who ran the second-fastest men’s time in the event’s history at 2:02:44.

Chepngetich’s 2:09:56 finish made her the first woman to break the 2:10 barrier, shattering the previous world record of 2:11:53 set in Berlin in 2023 by Tigst Assefa.

After the race, Chepngetich said setting a new record Sunday was part of her plan.

“I was not worried [about the pace]," she said. "I was feeling good. I decided we will go with that pace. My plan was 2:09 or 2:10. The world record is not easy. You need focus and determination.”

Chepngetich's performance in Chicago now gives her the first, fourth, and fifth fastest times ever run in the marathon.

Seven and a half minutes after Chepngetich’s record-breaking finish, Sutume Kebede of Ethiopia crossed the line in 2:17:32, and Irine Cheptai of Kenya finished third in 2:17:51. American Susanna Sullivan was the top American finisher on the women’s side, placing seventh in 2:21:56.

On the men’s side, Korir pulled away from the pack between the 30- and 35-kilometer marks — about 20 miles in — running back-to-back miles in 4:25 and 4:22 to secure his victory in 2:02:44, a personal best and the second-fastest time ever in Chicago.

“I knew I was in 2:02 shape," Korir said after the race. "I knew I wanted to close the season with my PB [personal best], and I did. My training was good and when I was training, my coach told me, ‘You can run 2:02.’ I believed him.”

Huseydin Mohamed Esa of Ethiopia finished second with a time of 2:04:39, and Amos Kipruto of Kenya rounded out the top three at 2:04:50. Fresno native CJ Albertson was the top American male finisher, placing seventh with a time of 2:08:17, setting a personal best by more than 90 seconds.

In the wheelchair division, five-time champion Marcel Hug of Switzerland, known as the "silver bullet," defended his men's title, finishing the race in 1:25:54.

"It was a tactical race," Hug said after a tight finish with Daniel Romanchuk. "I attacked countless times and then we had a finish sprint and luckily I won."

And Catherine Debrunner of Switzerland broke her own 2023 course record in the women’s wheelchair race, finishing in 1:36:12, far ahead of the competition, after Susannah Scaroni of the United States had to drop out due to a flat tire.

“I was super excited to come back here to Chicago. It was just really unfortunate that Susannah got a flat tire really early," Debrunne said. "There was a lot of wind and of course, it's always tough when you do all yourself. And I struggled quite often, so I was really happy when I was in the finish."

The 47th running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is scheduled for Oct. 12, 2025. The four application period opens on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024.

The Associated Press and Patch staff contributed reporting.