by Larry EderThe men’s race pace is still under 2:05 pace and the field has gone from fifteen to nine to three. The women’s pack is down to nine and the weather is getting warmer….
Miles 6 to 13.1–the battle widens
Oh, as an update, 32,889 is the official number of starters who got across the line…in the thirty-first running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon..
Men’s elite
The pace is getting hotter and hotter in the men’s race….Mile seven was hit in 33:31, 8 miles in 38:24, nine miles in 43:11 and 15 kilometers in 44:43, with ten miles in 47:53. Those miles were run all in 4:43-4:48 pace.
Then, boom! A 4:38 mile for mile eleven, hit in 52:35, 12th mile in 57:11, and thirteen miles in 1:o1:54, with the half marathon in 1:02:27. Emmanuel Mutai, David Mandago and Evans Cheruiyot are together, Limo is ten seconds back.
Also note that the last pace setter dropped out at ten and one half miles, so the lead pack is beating itself up and the weather is getting warmer and warmers. Watch for Richard Limo or William Kipsang to make a late race move…
Women’s elite
Seven miles was passed in 40:52, eight miles in 46:48 and nine miles in 52:30. The pack is Adriana Portea of Romania, Constantina Tomescu-Dita, the Olympic gold medalist, Alevtina Biktimorova of Russia, Worknesh Toal of Ethiopia, Berhane Adere of Ethiopia and Bezunesh Bekele of Ethiopia, with Kate O’Neil, Page HIggins and Colleen De Reuck of the US, with Zoila Gomez, the fourth placer from the US Trials, in close attendance.
The nine women in the lead pack hit ten miles in 58:16, eleven miles in 64:21, twelve miles in 69:41, and the half way hit in 1:16.03!
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