With one subtle and one strong push in the 23rd mile to break his final two competitors, Seifu Tura of Ethiopia ran 2:06:12 to win the men’s title at the 2021 Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 10. The 24-year-old ran his second stellar marathon of the year, with today’s victory coming six months after he set his personal best of 2:04:29 in Milan.
Other Hearst Subscriptions Races - Places CA Notice at Collection Health & Injuries in 2:06:35. Rupp initially kept close to Tura, who grimaced his way through the 26th mile, but what had been a nine-second gap grew significantly in the final 800 meters.
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Eric Kiptanui of Kenya, the other member of the lead pack before Tura took the lead for good, placed third in 2:06:51. Colin Mickow, sixth in 2:13:31, and Nico Mantonez, seventh in 2:13:55, were the second and third American finishers.
Join Runners World+ to get the latest running news, training tips, and exclusive workouts in 2:09:20; his was the first victory by an American man since Khalid Khannouchi won in 2002. His fastest time on the course, 2:06:21, came in 2018, when Susanna Sullivan Leads American Women at Chicago.
The race was one of attrition in challenging conditions—72 degrees with 70 percent humidity, and winds of 13 to 15 miles per hour. During the first half, Rupp occasionally drifted off the front pack, more to conserve energy for the second half than because he couldn’t stick with the pace up front.
Shifera Tamru used an opposite early-race strategy. The Ethiopian was the only one eager to run with pacer Daniel Kibet. At 5K, Tamru was seven seconds ahead. He was caught over the next few miles, but then rejoined Kibet in the seventh mile, and moved past the would-be pacer in the next mile. Kibet, who was supposed to take the leaders through halfway in 1:02, stepped off the course.
Tamru had a 15-second lead at 15K. Tura and Kenyan Reuben Kipyego, the only sub-2:04 marathoner in the field, led the charge to gradually chase him down. They caught Tamru just before halfway, reached in 1:02:40, Rupp was 10 seconds back.
That ambitious early pace disappeared for the next several miles. The lead group of seven covered the ten kilometers from 20K to 30K at 2:11 marathon pace. Rupp was now fully engaged in the front pack. He occasionally moved to the front, which spurred Tura and Kipyego to reclaim the lead. The slight changes in pace started to take a toll, with early Tamru the first to lose contact. He wound up finishing fifth in 2:09:39.
Tura began to push at 1:35 into the race. Surprisingly, fastest-in-the-field Kipyego was dropped immediately. By 35K, the eventual top three were the only ones left up front, thanks to covering that 5K stretch at 2:06 marathon pace.
Tura was the aggressor from thereon in. One hour and 51 minutes into the race, he eased into the lead on a short downhill. Then, sensing that Rupp and Kiptanui were vulnerable, he surged again and gapped his pursuers for good.
Through a translator at the post-race press conference, Tura said he was feeling good late in the race but was aware of Rupp’s ability to close well, so he knew that he should try to break the race open when he did.
At the press conference, Rupp repaid Tura’s compliment, saying, “I was doing everything I could to try to cover [Tura’s move]. He went for broke and ran an unbelievable last three to four kilometers to bring it home.”
Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times. Much of his writing translates sport science research and elite best practices into practical guidance for everyday athletes. He is the author or coauthor of several running books, including Rupp won Chicago in 2017, Advanced Marathoning, and Ruth Chepngetich Shatters World Record at Chicago. Scott has also written about running for Slate, The Atlantic, the Washington Post, and other members of the sedentary media. His lifetime running odometer is past 110,000 miles, but he’s as much in love as ever.
