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Kenenisa Bekele To Run Chicago Marathon

Published by
RunnerSpace.com/RoadRacing   Aug 12th 2014, 6:40pm
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World Record Holder and Olympic Gold Medalist Kenenisa Bekele Ready to 
Showcase His Speed at the 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO – The Bank of America Chicago Marathon today announced that three-time 
Olympic Gold medalist, 18-time World Championship medalist and current World 
Record holder in the 5,000m and 10,000m, Kenenisa Bekele (ETH), will compete in his 
second marathon and first World Marathon Major in Chicago on October 12. In a career 
spanning nearly 15 years, Bekele, 32, has only raced on American soil – and always on 
the track – five times. 

In one of the most anticipated marathon debuts in history, Bekele raced into the record 
books, clocking the sixth-fastest marathon debut time while setting a new course record, 
2:05:03, at the 2014 Schneider Electric Paris Marathon. Over a challenging course with 
several uphill climbs, Bekele ran uncontested from 30K to the finish. 

“I am looking forward to coming back to America, and to running fast,” says Bekele. “I 
have heard great things about the fans in Chicago and the course. After my win in Paris,
I understand the marathon distance a lot better and I will bring that experience to 
Chicago. I know Chicago has a very fast course and, therefore, my goal is to break the 
course record of 2:03:45. After that, everything is possible.” 

Throughout its storied history, the Chicago Marathon, widely recognized as one of the 
fastest marathons in the world, has witnessed four World Records. Bekele is the ideal 
candidate to threaten Wilson Kipsang’s 2013 World Record set in Berlin, 2:03:23.
“Kenenisa Bekele is one of the best, most versatile and exciting athletes competing on 
the global stage today,” says Bank of America Chicago Marathon Executive Race 
Director Carey Pinkowski. “Any time an athlete of Bekele’s caliber lines up to race, 
course records and world records are in jeopardy. We expect Bekele to put on a speed 
show, and it’s not out of the question to think that Bekele could bring the World Record 
back home to Chicago.”

From 2003 to 2012, Bekele never lost a 10,000m that he finished (he recorded one DNF 
in 2011). In 2002, he became the first man in history to win both the long course (12K) and short course (4K) at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships, a feat he 
continued for the next four years. To date, Bekele’s 12 World Cross Country titles (not 
including his four team wins) are more than any other athlete in history. At the 2008 
Beijing Olympics, he doubled in the 5,000m and 10,000m, taking home gold in both 
events. Earlier that year in Eugene, Oregon, he fell short of breaking his own World 
Record in the 10,000m, but still ran the fastest time ever recorded in the U.S., finishing 
in 26 minutes and 25.97 seconds.

Bekele announced his most recent transition from the track and mud to the roads by 
winning his debut half marathon at the 2013 Great North Run in a sprint finish.

About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon

In its 37th year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of America
Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 participants, including a world-class elite 
runner and wheelchair athlete field, and an estimated 1.7 million spectators. As a result 
of its national and international draw, the iconic race assists in raising millions of dollars 
for a variety of charitable causes while generating $243 million in annual economic 
impact to its host city. The 2014 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish
in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 12, 2014. In advance of the 
race, a two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be held at McCormick Place Convention 
Center on Friday, October 10, and Saturday, October 11. For more information about 
the event and how to get involved, go to chicagomarathon.com.

Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
chicagomarathon.com
###



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