Chicago

Brigid Kosgei Breaks World Record at 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon

Kosgei has literally been unbeatable in 2019

Brigid Kosgei has just won the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in world record fashion. 

Kosgei, of Kenya, finished with an unofficial time of 2:14:04 (pending ratification), which puts her more than a minute faster than the all-time record of 2:15:25 set by Paula Radcliffe in the 2003 London Marathon. She also broke the course record set by Radcliffe in 2002 in Chicago. 

"When I was going I feel my body is moving, moving, moving and so I tried to go," she said. 

Kosgei’s personal record time was previously 2:18:20, which she set earlier this year in the London Marathon. 

The 25-year-old was congratulated at the Chicago finish line by Mayor Lori Lightfoot, men's winner Lawrence Cherono, and the very woman whose record she broke - Radcliffe. 

"It is a great achievement," Cherono said. "She deserves to be congratulated."

Radcliffe acknowledged that 17 was her "lucky number" and Sunday marked 17 years since she set the course world record in the city. 

"That was a very special day for me and it's a very special day for Brigid," she said. 

Kosgei has literally been unbeatable in 2019. 

She wowed fans in 2017 with a second-place finish, but she made an even bigger splash last fall when she won the race with third-fastest time in Chicago's history.

She was followed in the 2019 race by Ababel Yeshaneh and Gelete Burka, both of Ethiopia, and the first American finisher Emma Bates, who was racing in only her second marathon. 

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