by Larry Eder
The 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon is the 45th edition of the famous race. Begun in 1977 as the Mayor Daley Marathon, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon is one of the finest marathons in the world.
The world record for men was set in 2023 by the late Kelvin Kiptum in 2:00:35.
This year, we have a very fast field. Perhaps not a world record, but do not be surprised if we have two men at 2:03 this year!
In this column, we are focusing on the American men.
Zach Panning is the fastest American man in the field, with his PB of 2:09:28, run in Chicago in 2022. Zach’s last marathon was the 2024 US Olympic Trials, where he finished sixth after leading for 23 miles. Zach told this writer yesterday that training has gone well and that he wants to improve his performance in Chicago in 2022.
You can enjoy our interview of Zach Panning right here:
Brian Schrader runs for the Saucony Racing team. Brian has a PB of 2:09:46 and is self coached. Brian ran his PB also in Chicago, but in 2023. He is confident that his training has gone well, and he credited the strong support he has from his fiance, his family, his friends and the running community in Boston, who encourages him, as he trains at high altitude to be as fast as his body will allow him to go!
Please enjoy our interview with Brian Schrader, who we interviewed on Friday:
CJ Albertson is one of the most prolific marathoners in the elite mens’ field. A cross country and track college coach, CJ lives near Fresno and was the fastest finisher in the 2024 US Olympic Trials, finishing fifth. You might have seen CJ lead the Boston Marathon for miles, running PBs there. CJ told us that he is well prepared and that he is hoping for a fast time. I always find CJ very interesting, as he guts it out, and then, has a tremendous finish in his major marathons.
Last year, CJ ran a marathon in Mexico. CJ told me that he enjoyed it immensely, and that many of the runners came up to him afterwards to talk running with him. He loved it.
CJ Albertson has a 2:09:53 PB, which he ran in Boston 2024.
Please enjoy CJ’s interview with RunBlogRun:
The fourth of our top Americans is Reed Fischer. Reed runs with Tinman Elite and trains in Boulder.
Reed has a marathon PB of 2:10.34, which he ran at the 2022 Boston.
Reed has competed in both the 2020 US Olympic Trials (97th, 2:24:48) and 2024 US Olympic Trials (9th, 2:11:34).
What will Reed do in Chicago, his second time here? Reed ran 2:14:41 in the 2021, Bank of America Chicago Marathon taking 9th place.
Here’s our interview with Reed:
You should probably see the Top Americans running close together. Remember to put their names into the Chicago Marathon app!
We will update you post race!
