Diego Estrada took the running world by storm when he won the 2015 U.S. Half Marathon Championships in Houston. He has since made his mark in Chicago, but this year's race will hold even bigger importance.

Name: Diego Estrada

Country of Origin: Mexico

Standout Race: 

He made his first appearance in Chicago in 2016 and quickly wowed fans with a courageous run – after slipping on a water bottle at the 10K aid station and badly twisting his ankle, he mustered the strength to get back up, run hard to the tape and finish as the top American in his still standing PR, 2:13:56. He came back to Chicago twice in 2017 – once to finish second at the Shamrock Shuffle and again to finish 16th in the marathon. Estrada has been working hard on the track this summer, but it has been two years since he has raced a marathon – it will be exciting to see what he brings on race day.

More About Diego Estrada: Although he was born in Mexico, Estrada grew up in California and gained American citizenship in 2011. His dream of representing the U.S. at the Olympics came to a screeching halt in 2016 when he sustained an Achilles injury at the Chicago Marathon and was unable to compete at the Olympic Trials to qualify for Rio. With his health fully restored, Estrada hopes to redeem himself at the 2019 Chicago Marathon and hopefully qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on the American team.