Canadian distance runner Rory Linkletter achieved a personal best finish by placing ninth in the Chicago Marathon this past Sunday. Hailing from Calgary, Linkletter completed the 42.2-kilometer race in two hours, six minutes, and 49 seconds, only a little over a minute away from Cam Levins’s Canadian record of 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 36 seconds.
In the professional men’s category, Uganda’s Jacob Kiplimo emerged victorious with a remarkable time of 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 23 seconds, setting a new personal best. Kiplimo secured a comfortable lead, finishing one minute and 31 seconds ahead of Kenyan Amos Kipruto, the winner of the 2022 London Marathon. Following Kipruto was Alex Masai from Kenya, who took third place with a time of 2 hours, 4 minutes, and 37 seconds.
Conner Mantz of the United States broke Levins’s North American record, previously held since the 2023 Tokyo Marathon, by shaving off 53 seconds with a fourth-place finish in the Chicago Marathon.
Earlier this year in Boston, Linkletter achieved his previous personal best by finishing sixth in 2 hours, 7 minutes, and 2 seconds. Linkletter recently claimed the Canadian half marathon title by beating Levins by a mere one second in August, ending Levins’s three-year reign as the champion from Black Creek, B.C.
Kiplimo, who holds the men’s half-marathon world record for finishing in under 57 minutes in Barcelona last February, also finished second in his marathon debut in London in April. He is a bronze medalist in the Olympic and world championships for the 10,000 meters event.
Sunday marked Linkletter’s participation in the third of seven marathon majors. The 29-year-old, who resides in Flagstaff, Arizona, and is a father of two, previously supported the pro women’s group as a pacesetter in the Chicago Marathon.
In the professional women’s race, Ethiopian runner Hawi Feysa clinched the victory with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes, and 56 seconds, achieving a 1-2 finish for Ethiopia. She outpaced Megertu Alemu by 2 minutes and 22 seconds, with Tanzanian athlete Magdalena Shauri securing third place in 2 hours, 18 minutes, and 3 seconds.
