Tatyana McFadden speaks to NBC Chicago after crossing the finish line for her seventh Chicago Marathon victory.
Tatyana McFadden won yet another Chicago Marathon in the women’s wheelchair race Sunday, becoming the most accomplished champion in marathon history.
McFadden, a 17-time Abbott World Marathon Majors winner and seven-time Chicago Marathon champion finished first in a highly contested race against Manuela Schar.
The pair raced almost side-by-side for much of the race, with McFadden edging out Schar just before the finish line.
"I could really feel the fatigue more than usual climbing that last hill," she said. "I just kind of gave it all that I had and just really raced with my heart today."
McFadden won her fifth consecutive Chicago Marathon in the 2015 women’s wheelchair race, finishing with an unofficial time of 1 hour, 41 minutes and 10 seconds.
Dubbed the fastest wheelchair racer of all time she has won 17 Paralympic medals, including seven gold medals, and set the world record in every track event.
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She most recently competed in the Rio Games, where she finished with six medals, four gold and two silver, the most medals by a U.S. track and field athlete at a Paralympics since 1992.
Competing in the Rio Games left her with only six weeks to train for the marathon in Chicago.
"This was a really tough race especially coming after Rio," she said.
In 2013, McFadden made history when she was the first person — able-bodied or otherwise — to win all four major marathons, Boston, New York, Chicago and London, in a single year. She then repeated the feat two times over for a grand total of 12 marathon titles in three years.
"It’s really good to have a win, especially being back at home," she said.
