Many thanks to HOKA for sponsoring and supporting CITIUS MAG’s coverage of the Chicago Marathon. Stay tuned for details on our plans to pop up in New York City with them next month.

It was a good day to run fast. Here are some quick reactions and parting thoughts from the 2025 Chicago Marathon.

Jacob Kiplimo Wins The Hard Way

Maybe 1:00:16 for the first half and then 1:02:07 for the second half wasn’t the ideal way to win your first World Marathon Major. However, Jacob Kiplimo needed to do it that way to shake off his toughest competitor in John Korir, who made it to Mile 20 before being broken by the hot pace set by the half marathon world record holder. Kiplimo ended up collecting the victory and moved to No. 7 on the all-time list with his 2:02:23 personal best and Ugandan national record. He ultimately won by 1 minute and 31 seconds over Kenya’s Amos Kipruto.

From the gun, the stars got after an aggressive pace:

• 5K in 13:58
• 10K in 28:25 (14:27)
• 15K in 42:41 (14:56)
• 20K in 57:06 (14:25)
• 25K in 1:11:12 (14:06)
• 30k in 1:25:31 (14:19)
• 35K in 1:39:53 (14:22)

There was a moment after the surge on Korir that Kiplimo looked like he could challenge Kelvin Kiptum’s 2:00:35 world record. However, the pace took its toll and Kiplimo ended up slowing with splits of: 4:32 at Mile 20; 4:38 at Mile 21; 4:46 at Mile 22; 4:50 at Mile 23; 4:55 at Mile 24; 5:05 at Mile 25 and 5:20 at Mile 26. The 35K to 40K stretch was 15:17.

With one more fall World Major to go, Kiplimo could be considered the second-best marathoner in the world right now behind London and Berlin champion Sabastian Sawe. But it’s clear that Kiplimo is only getting started as a marathoner.

Elite Men’s Race Results

1 – 🇺🇬 Jacob Kiplimo – 2:02:23

2 – 🇰🇪 Amos Kipruto – 2:03:54

3 – 🇰🇪 Alex Masai – 2:04:37

4 – 🇺🇸 Conner Mantz – 2:04:43

5 – 🇪🇹 Huseydin Mohamed Esa – 2:04:50

6 – 🇪🇹 Seifu Tura – 2:05:17

7 – 🇰🇪 Geoffrey Kamworor – 2:05:31

8 – 🇰🇪 Philemon Kimaiyo Kiplimo – 2:06:14

9 – 🇨🇦 Rory Linkletter – 2:06:49

10 – 🇧🇪 Bashir Abdi – 2:07:08

11 – 🇲🇦 Zouhair Talbi – 2:07:27

12 – 🇰🇪 Timothy Kiplagat – 2:07:42

13 – 🇰🇪 Daniel Ebenyo – 2:07:52

14 – 🇺🇸 Wesley Kiptoo – 2:09:02

15 – 🇺🇸 Ryan Ford – 2:09:37

16 – 🇺🇸 Galen Rupp – 2:09:41

17 – 🇺🇸 Andrew Colley – 2:09:43

18 – 🇺🇸 Aidan Troutner – 2:10:23

19 – 🇺🇸 CJ Albertson – 2:10:38

20 – 🇺🇸 Colin Mickow – 2:11:24

21 – 🇺🇸 Haftu Knight – 2:11:39

22 – 🇯🇵 Hiroto Inoue – 2:12:26

23 – 🇪🇹 Afewerki Zeru – 2:13:23

24 – 🇺🇸 Casey Clinger – 2:16:05

25 – 🇺🇸 Robert Miranda – 2:16:24

26 – 🇲🇽 Patricio Castillo – 2:19:14

27 – 🇰🇪 Fredrick Juma – 2:22:03

28 – 🇺🇸 Matthew Centrowitz – 2:22:40

29 – 🇨🇳 Erenjia Jia – 2:22:52

30 – 🇺🇸 Tyler Jermann – 2:24:21

Mission Accomplished For Conner Mantz

Conner Mantz was very vocal from the moment he was announced for this race back in June that he was after Khalid Kannouchi’s American record of 2:05:38 from the 2002 London Marathon. Even Ryan Hall’s 2:04:58 has hovered since 2011 as the awkward fastest all-conditions time by an American. Mantz did stats junkies a favor by making it easier to just call his performance on Sunday the overall American record, running 2:04:43. This race was a confirmation of the fitness that he showed at the Boston Marathon, where he finished 4th in 2:05:08 (but it was not record eligible because of Boston’s point-to-point and net downhill course). Mantz matched his Boston performance with another fourth place finish at a Major.

Mantz also restored the North American record to U.S. control. The previous mark was Cam Levins’s Canadian record of 2:05:36 from the 2023 Tokyo Marathon. Rory Linkletter, who said he was looking to keep it in Canadian hands, ended up ninth overall in 2:06:49.

Race Results Weekly’s David Monti shared that in the post-race press conference, Mantz said that he will take a break before shifting his focus on attempting to qualify for World Cross Country Championships next January in Tallahassee, Florida. The selection race for Team USA will be the USATF Cross Country Championships in Portland, Ore. on Dec. 6th.

Mantz will return to The CITIUS MAG Podcast this week to recap his performance in Chicago in full detail.

Hawi Feysa Claims Her First Title

With defending champion Ruth Chepngetich unable to defend her title since she is serving a provisional suspension following a positive test for a banned diuretic, it was a wide-open women’s race. Ethiopia fielded a strong contingent and it was Hawi Feysa, the Frankfurt Marathon champion last year and 2025 Tokyo Marathon third place finisher, who claimed her first World Marathon Major title in 2:14:56. She moved to No. 5 on the all-time list and No. 2 on the Ethiopian list.

Elite Women’s Race Results

1 – 🇪🇹 Hawi Feysa Gejia – 2:14:56

2 – 🇪🇹 Megertu Alemu – 2:17:18

3 – 🇹🇿 Magdalena Shauri – 2:18:03

4 – 🇰🇪 Loice Chemnung – 2:18:23

5 – 🇰🇪 Mary Ngugi-Cooper – 2:19:25

6 – 🇺🇸 Natosha Rogers – 2:23:28

7 – 🇺🇸 Dakotah Popehn – 2:24:21

8 – 🇦🇷 Florencia Borelli – 2:24:23

9 – 🇺🇸 Gabriella Rooker – 2:26:32

10 – 🇫🇷 Melody Julien – 2:27:09

11 – 🇪🇹 Bedatu Hirpa Badane – 2:27:50

12 – 🇪🇸 Marta Galimany – 2:28:23

13 – 🇺🇸 Aubrey Frentheway – 2:28:56

14 – 🇺🇸 Makenna Myler – 2:29:26

15 – 🇺🇸 Maggie Montoya – 2:29:50

16 – 🇪🇹 Ejgayehu Taye – 2:51:35

17 – 🇺🇸 Emily Venters – 3:26:32

Natosha Rogers Gets A PB

Natosha Rogers had a rough start to her marathoning career with a 2:34:51 for 28th place at the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials. She got her redemption with an under-the-radar 2:23:51 personal best at the Nagoya Marathon in March. Her track credentials as two-time World championship qualifier on the track certainly make her an exciting marathon prospect and she backed it up by clocking a personal best of 2:23:28 to take sixth place in her first World Marathon Major. She finished 53 seconds ahead of U.S. Olympian Dakotah Popehn, who took a bit of a more aggressive approach to the start of the race by hitting the halfway point in 1:10:26 whereas Rogers was a little more conservative with a 1:10:44 first half split. Popehn finished 7th overall in 2:24:21.