Galen Rupp was hoping to capture his second career Bank of America Chicago Marathon title on Sunday, and although he dropped back in the closing stages of the race, he still put up a strong time as he finished in the runner-up spot.
Rupp, who won the 2017 Chicago Marathon in 2:09:20, broke that time by nearly three minutes on Sunday, finishing the race in 2:06:35.
That time was 23 seconds behind Ethiopian racer Seifu Tura’s time, but it marked one of the best marathon times in Rupp’s career, and represented a step forward from his eighth place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Rupp was one of five racers from the United States to finish in the top ten in Chicago. Colin Mickow finished in 2:13:31 for a sixth-place finish, followed closely by Nico Montanez.
Reed Fischer and Wilkerson Given finished in ninth and tenth places, respectively.
The race was ultimately won by Tura, who captured his first career title in an Abbott World Marathon Majors revent. Tura was in the lead pack for much of the race, ultimately racing down the stretch with Rupp and Eric Kiptanui of Kenya.
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In the final kilometers of the race, Tura broke away from the pack and raced hard to the finish, and although he finished behind his career best time of 2:04:29, set earlier this year in Milan, he still captured the title for the first time in his career.
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