Lawrence Cherono enters this year’s Chicago Marathon as the reigning Boston Marathon champion, and as someone with a consistent record, including seven victories over 14 career marathons.

Name: Lawrence Cherono

Country of Origin: Kenya

Standout Race:  

This spring he battled two-time Boston Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa down Boylston Street in an epic duel that produced one of Boston’s closest finishes in history. After the race, a surprised Cherono admitted, “Personally, I am poor in finishing. But today I did my fantastic job. It was no man’s race to win, I am so grateful and so happy.”

More About Lawrence Cherono: 

Prior to gaining worldwide fame after seizing the laurel wreath, Cherono, a two-time champion of both the Honolulu and Amsterdam marathons, destroyed course records in both Hawaii and the Netherlands. He clipped more than a minute from Amsterdam’s course record in 2018 and set the Dutch all-comers record en route to his win. The Chicago Marathon will be his third Abbott World Marathon Major event, and if it comes down to a sprint finish, Cherono will be extremely hard to beat. To date, he has only finished off the podium twice.