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(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (01-Nov) -- Annie Rodenfels, a national-class steeplechaser with exceptional road racing chops, prevailed for the third consecutive time at this morning's Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, the 10,000-runner warm-up race for tomorrow's TCS New York City Marathon.  Rodenfels, 29, used her knowledge of the course to great advantage today, not wasting any energy and saving her best running for the final 400 meters where she powered past three rivals to get the win in 15:33, the slowest of her three winning times here.  She pocketed $6000 in prize money, half the amount she earned for her two previous wins when the race was a USATF national championship. "I just felt like knowing the course was so helpful," Rodenfels told Race Results Weekly.  She added: "I just kind of had to play my cards just right." Rodenfels, who is sponsored by Salomon, went to the front early just after the race began adjacent to the United Nations on First Avenue.  Making the right-hand turn on to East 42nd Street in the first kilometer, Rodenfels was joined by key rivals Weini Kelati, Elle St. Pierre, and Parker Valby.  That stretch of 42nd Street is downhill, and Rodenfels wasn't pushing the pace. "I didn't want to be the person who led the whole race and just got out-kicked at the end, to be honest," Rodenfels said. Making the right-hand turn to head north on Avenue of the Americas in the second kilometer, Rodenfels was still leading with Kelati just behind her.  The two appeared to be opening a gap on the field, but by the 3K point St.Pierre and Valby had caught up, and the pack of four entered the Central Park service road at West 59th Street together.  That's where the athletes face the race's toughest hill.  Kelati, the 2024 national cross country champion, led the field up the hill, and nobody was dropped. "I knew it was a big hill," Rodenfels explained.  "I knew in the past that sometimes I slowed down a little bit on the hill, and I was anticipating it being a little rough.  But was focused on staying connected, and when I got to the top of the hill and I was like, that wasn't that bad." The four leaders made the sharp left turn onto the Park's loop road, and as they passed the famous carousel on their right Rodenfels started to drift back.  Kelati and St. Pierre were leading with Valby just a step behind running between them.  Rodenfels was looking down and was several steps behind.  It seemed that she was settling into fourth place. "It was just close enough that I was like, you know, I've got to take my shot," Rodenfels recalled.  "I can't just settle here for fourth.  I feel like I have a pretty big kick left." The race shares the same finish straight as Sunday's marathon, and it is notoriously uphill.  Rodenfels was still a few strides back, but put in a surge in the final 400 meters that none of her rivals could match.  Kelati, St. Pierre and Valby were already at their aerobic limits, but Rodenfels had something left. "I was playing it intuitively and went for it," said Rodenfels, who only had one second on Kelati at the finish.  St. Pierre, in her first race back from maternity leave, took third in 15:35, and Valby, who spent nearly all of 2025 trying to come back from a broken navicular bone in her left foot, got fourth in 15:37. Rodenfels, who like national 1500m champion Nikki Hiltz is coached by Juli Benson, said that she was uncertain of her fitness coming into today's race. "Honestly, I felt like I'm less sharp than normal," she admitted.  "I feel like I usually come here and I'm raring to go, ready in shape.  I took my break (after the track season) longer.  We've been trying to slow it down, so I can be in shape more at the right time.  So, I was very surprised winning this. For Valby, finishing today's race marked an important step in her comeback.  Her last race was an indoor 3000m on February 2, and she revealed that she had only been running for about two months.  She has been training in Gainesville, Fla., under her college coach, Will Palmer. "Excited to be back out there and grateful to be healthy," she said after being asked to evaluate her race.  She continued: "I hurt my foot in February and it took a little while to figure out what it was.  It was a pretty bad break.  I had to take a lot of time off to get healthy again." The men's race also came down to the final sprint.  Kenya's Amon Kemboi, who trains with the Puma Elite Running group in North Carolina, used his unique mix of strength and speed to prevail today.  He put in the first big surge of the race on East 42nd Street, then surged again on the uphill into Central Park where he was followed by Americans Cole Sprout (in his professional road racing debut), Anthony Rotich, and Drew Bosley, and Britain's Adam Fogg.  Another Kenyan, Patrick Kiprop, had been dropped on the hill. "The main thing was staying comfortable for the first two miles," Kemboi told reporters.  "I was ready for quick, or tactical race.  It was kind of tactical; that was good." Running downhill past the Carousel on the park's loop road, Kemboi decided to wait to strike.  Like Rodenfels, he thought the last 400 meters would be the best place to make his move.  He waited for the final uphill to the finish line, then surged a final time.  He clocked 13:50, beating Sprout by one second.  Rotich was third in 13:52, and Fogg got fourth in 13:53.  Bosley, who was with the leaders the entire race, finished fifth in 13:58. "The main thing was, I know I had the kick to get to the finish," said Kemboi who finished third in the New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile here in 2024 (sixth this year).  "That was the main thing.  Getting to the last 800 and seeing how the body feels, then execute the last 400." American Abdi Nur, the defending champion, ran near the front of the race early, but fell back mid-race and finished seventh in 14:14.  He explained that he did not feel well this morning, and that he was also in the early stages of his training for 2026. "This morning I didn't feel the best waking up," he told Race Results Weekly.  "I don't know if it was something I ate yesterday, but it was hard to get food down this morning.  At two miles... I felt so weak.  Right now I'm building mileage, I'm building fitness and getting back to regular volume.  I'm not quite there yet, but I'm getting close.  I'm really proud of myself for finishing." PHOTO: Annie Rodenfels winning the 2025 Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5-K in New York (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)  

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (31-Oct) -- Although he's the fastest American entered in Sunday's TCS New York City Marathon, Biya Simbassa is hardly a household name.  A late bloomer, Simbassa didn't start running seriously until he was a freshman in 2012 at Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge, and after moving to the University of Oklahoma in 2014 he never broke 14 minutes for 5000m nor qualified for an NCAA Championships in track or cross country. Nonetheless, the 32 year-old ran a personal best of 2:06:53 at the Valencia Marathon last December and is the fifth-fastest American of all time behind only Conner Mantz, Khalid Khannouchi, Galen Rupp and Ryan Hall.  He's also the national road 10-K record-holder with a 27:32 personal best (set this year in May), and has won five national road running titles.  He feels that he is still young as a runner, still growing.  Sunday will be his fourth marathon. "In college, I was like in high school, just starting," Simbassa told Race Results Weekly in an interview today.  "So, now is like in college and my career is getting better.  I'm doing a lot of things I've never done before, like mileage, longer workouts.  So, it's like I'm new to the sport.  I'm growing." In Sunday's race --where he'll face international stars like Eliud Kipchoge and Benson Kipruto of Kenya, Abdi Nageeye of The Netherlands (the defending champion), and Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia-- Simbassa won't be trying for a fast time.  New York's hilly and often windy course makes fast running difficult, and the race will not have any pacemakers.  Instead, Simbassa will be trying for the highest possible finish, a big step in his career as Sunday's race will be Simbassa's first ever Abbott World Marathon Majors event.  He said he feels very comfortable racing here. "New York, because I've done a lot of New York road races," Simbassa explained.  "I've done (NYC) Half, I've done (Abbott Dash) 5-K.  I just wanted to do New York.  I wanted New York to be my first Major.  That's why I chose to do New York." Simbassa, who represents Asics, is particularly excited by the chance to race under championship conditions without pacemakers, which he thinks plays to his strengths.  Under coach Ian Carter at his base in Flagstaff, Ariz., Simbassa upped his mileage to increase his strength. "I can do a really good job with championship race," Simbassa said.  He continued: "One thing I did different (in training) is I increased my mileage.  My mileage has been higher, and longer workouts and long runs.  The last seven weeks I've reached 125 (miles per week), I did one 130-mile week then dropped down to 125.  So, I've never done this high mileage.  I'm happy. My body is doing well; that's what I did different for this race." As far as race goals, Simbassa said that just wants to execute his race plan well, stay alert, stick to a reasonable pace, and react to any important moves. "My goal is to stay in it, you know, as long as I can and stay patient," Simbassa said.  "You know, this course you never know what's going to happen.  I'm going to stay patient and stay with the group that I'm supposed to be with, take my nutrition, and all that stuff.  Like I say, I'm excited for the championship racing.  Valencia is just a pace; you're locked-in, you're trying to stay with them as long as you can."  He continued: "I think Sunday is going to be a good one." In the last ten editions of the TCS New York City Marathon only one American man, Abdi Abdirahman, has reached the podium (third place, 2016).  The top American finisher last year was Conner Mantz, who finished sixth.  Mantz's time of 2:09:00 was the fastest-ever by an American in New York.  Simbassa could challenge for the podium and definitely has the chops to break Mantz's time, but he said he won't be focused on the clock. "The pace can change any time," he said.  "It's all about how strong you are as you work your way up to the finish line." PHOTO: Biya Simbassa finishing third at the 2025 USATF 10-Mile Championships at the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-Mile in Washington, D.C. (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. NEW YORK (30-Oct) -- Last March in Atlanta, Amanda Vestri finished third at the USATF Half-Marathon Championships and earned a berth on Team USATF for the World Road Running Championships which were scheduled for September in San Diego.  The Brooks-sponsored athlete clocked 1:08:17 on a hilly course, and was thrilled to make her first national team after struggling late in the race. "By the grace of God," Vestri said, when asked how she maintained her composure in the final stages of the competition.  "That was the only thing I was holding on to towards the end.  I was like, God, just get me through this.  Miles eight to twelve I was suffering pretty bad." But only three days later, World Athletics said that those championships would be moved from San Diego to another venue, and a few weeks later cancelled them altogether.  Vestri's fall plans had to be changed, and she felt the pull of the marathon, a distance her coaches in both high school and college said she was destined for. "When the World Half-Marathon Championships were not going to happen in September in San Diego, which I qualified for, I was like, you know what?  We've got other options," Vestri told Race Results Weekly in an interview at a midtown hotel.  She continued: "I watched the Boston Marathon this past year and I think watching so many people, so many athletes I know, race that marathon, I just got really inspired by it.  I just wanted to be a part of that." The performances of two of those athletes, Jessica McClain and Annie Frisbie, really lit a fire under Vestri.  They finished seventh and eighth, respectively, and were the first and second Americans in the race. "Jess McClain, like she's a Brooks athlete, and just seeing her out there being top American was great," Vestri continued.  "Annie Frisbie, who was my old roommate at Iowa State, seeing her get second American was just inspiring.  That's when I knew I really wanted to run a marathon." Working with her coach Pete Rea and agent Josh Cox, Vestri decided that New York made the most sense for her debut, despite the hilly course, all-women's format, lack of pacemakers, and a stacked international field.  Vestri grew up in Webster, N.Y., about a 20 minute drive from Rochester, and competing in New York just felt right to her.  She already had a relationship with the race organizer, New York Road Runners, and had raced successfully in three of their events. "Me and Pete, my coach, went back and forth between Chicago and New York," Vestri explained.  "To be honest, it wasn't too long of a decision before we came to the conclusion of New York."  She continued: "Number one, I grew up in New York so it has somewhat of a home feel to it.  I've run many, many New York Road Runners events, and they've always treated you (like) the best athletes in the world.  I've just liked the experiences that I've had here where I started my pro running career.  I've run well at the New York Mini (10-K), I saw the marathon running here at Abbott (Dash 5K) two years ago, and it was just really cool to see." But there was a bigger reason for Vestri to choose New York: the championship-style format which emphasizes head-to-head racing over achieving fast times. "I didn't want to time-trial my first marathon," Vestri said.  "I wanted to run it on my own terms and race it.  I think it's really cool to have a super-fast marathon PR, but I don't think that's what New York is all about.  I think New York is about the place, the experience, being patient in the race, and getting to do something that's incredibly rare, running through all the boroughs.  It's the opportunity of a lifetime.  That's why I chose New York and I'm excited about it." Vestri ran several summer road races, and even won her first national title at the USATF 6-K Championships in Canton, Ohio, on July 12.  After that, she competed in the 10,000m at the USATF Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., on July 31 where she finished eighth.  She took a little time to recover, then got right into her marathon build in August. "We had decided that I would just take ten days of, like, easy running, (and) a few days off," Vestri said.  "Then we got right into it.  I did my first long run of the build in August, and we've just been non-stop since then.  Pete's approach to marathon training is just building very, very slowly.  I think that has helped me feel like I'm still climbing now." Vestri said that her weekly mileage peaked at about 115, and her 23-mile long run was the longest run of her life.  She also did a 16-mile race-pace run as part of a 22 mile day.  On October 5, she raced the Twin Cities 10 Mile in Minneapolis on thoroughly tired legs and ran a very solid 53:14.  That's equivalent to a 2:29:12 marathon using the time-tested Riegel Formula, but with absolutely no taper. "I did the 10-mile at Twin Cities and that was a very good... check-in point," Vestri said.  "We were nowhere near the fitness that we worked to be at four weeks later, which is now.  I think we timed it pretty well.  Running on tired legs was a different stimulus that I haven't really conceptualized until I ran that race." For Sunday, Vestri prefers to keep her specific goals private.  But she already knows how she plans to execute the race, by staying both vigilant and patient. "I'm typically not very patient in races, so in training we've been practicing patience," Vestri said.  "I think New York is the definition of being patient in a race.  I watched a few of the marathons back in the last few weeks to get an idea of how it plays out, and it's very much patience, patience, patience. Then the real racing starts with about 10K to go." By making her debut in New York, Vestri joins a super-elite group of American women who have chosen the TCS New York City Marathon for their first marathon: Deena Kastor in 2001 (seventh in 2:26:58), Marla Runyan in 2002 (fourth in 2:27:10), Kara Goucher in 2008 (third in 2:25:53), Shalane Flanagan in 2010 (second in 2:28:40), Laura Thweatt in 2015 (seventh in 2:28:23), Molly Huddle in 2016 (third in 2:28:13), and Annie Frisbie in 2021 (seventh in 2:26:18).  Flanagan won the race in 2017, which Vestri watched on television as an 18 year-old. "It's surreal for sure," said Vestri as she thought about the great history of American debuts in New York.  "You've got Kara Goucher, who I've been lucky enough to speak to a couple of times about the marathon distance."  She continued: It's going to be a great opportunity.  I'm excited to debut in New York and take in the crowds, to be honest." Vestri has already accomplished her first goal for Sunday's race: getting to the starting line healthy.  From there, she could feel successful with any number of outcomes. "I think a good day is the fact that I got to the start line healthy, and mentally and physically ready.  I enjoyed the build and I get to go out and celebrate.  If I can cross that line and say I did everything I could, that will be successful for me.  Running smart and running brave is my main goal." PHOTO: Amanda Vestri finishing third at the 2025 USATF Half-Marathon Championships in Atlanta (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Published with permission. (23-Oct) -- The ninth edition of the Kalakaua Merrie Mile (KMM), scheduled for Saturday, December 13 in Honolulu, will be the strongest-ever edition of the iconic beach-side road race held one day before the JAL Honolulu Marathon.  Organizers have assembled an elite field of 20 athletes representing seven nations which includes four world champions, twelve international medalists, twelve Olympians, and both American record holders in the mile.  Moreover, the athletes will compete in a unique "chase" format where competitors in the women's category are given a head start over the men and prize money is paid based on the overall order of finish.  The overall winner will earn $10,000 in prize money, the highest first place prize of any road mile in the United States, and there is also a $10,000 bonus on offer for a world record. "With the deepest and most acclaimed international field yet, along with an increase in prize money, the KMM is rapidly becoming the most prestigious road mile in the world," said Honolulu Marathon Association president Dr. Jim Barahal, who oversees the event.  "We are excited to welcome these incredible athletes to kick off the Honolulu Marathon weekend on December 13." Among the four world champions there are three Americans --Donavan Brazier, Josh Hoey and Hobbs Kessler-- and one New Zealander, Geordie Beamish.  Brazier was the 2019 world 800m champion; Hoey is the reigning world indoor 800m champion; Kessler is the reigning world road mile champion; and Beamish is both the 2024 world indoor 1500m and 2025 world 3000m steeplechase champion.  Brazier and Hoey are running the KMM for the first time, while Kessler will be competing for the fourth time and Beamish for his second. Among the twelve international medalists, American Yared Nuguse stands out.  The 26 year-old was the 2024 Olympic 1500m bronze medalist, and is also the American record holder in the mile both outdoors (3:43.97) and indoors (3:46.63).  Training in Boulder, Colo., with the On Athletics Club, Nuguse will be making his second appearance at the KMM.  He was the overall winner in 2023. "It was a really intense race," said Nuguse. "That whole chasing-the-women format had me on edge for a lot of that race. It ended up being such an exciting race at the finish, so I'm very happy to be here." In the women's category, American mile record holder Sinclaire Johnson (4:16.32) has a lifetime best just a touch faster than the previous national record holder, Nikki Hiltz (4:16.35).  At the 2024 KMM Johnson was third overall, while Hiltz was the overall champion.  Hiltz also competed in 2023, 2022 and 2019. "This race is special if you're first or last and it's the cherry on top to walk away with some prize money and a gold plate," said Hiltz after last year's race, clutching the special gold winner's plaque. Other Olympians in the field include Neil Gourley of Great Britain, the 2023 European Indoor Championships 1500m silver medalist; Oliver Hoare of Australia, the 2022 Commonwealth Games 1500m champion; Nico Young of the USA, the national outdoor 5000m record holder; Susan Ejore-Sanders of Kenya, sixth in the 2024 Olympic 1500m; Weini Kelati of the USA, the 2024 national 10,000m champion; and Nozomi Tanaka of Japan, the Japanese record holder for every distance from 1500m to 5000m. The out-and-back, World Athletics-certified course is flat, fast and record-eligible.  The course records are 3:53.3 for the men (Edward Cheserek of Kenya, 2019), and 4:22.6 (Mirriam Cherop of Kenya, 2018).  Prize money will be paid five-deep ($10,000-5000-3000-1500-1000) and the top finisher in the men's or women's category who is not the overall winner will receive a special bonus of $2500 (that's new for 2025).  Race organizers expect about 3000 athletes to run in the KMM across all categories. The head start given to the women in 2024 was 32 seconds and three athletes in the women's category --Hiltz, Kelati and Johnson-- finished one-two-three.  Kessler was fourth overall.  The overall spread between the top-four finishers last year was less than sixth tenths of a second. ** The LIVE and FREE broadcast of the 2025 Kalakaua Merrie Mile will air on the CITIUS MAG and Honolulu Marathon YouTube channels. This will be the race's first year partnering with CITIUS MAG to provide live coverage and interviews, and will feature Chris Chavez on the call for the professional race.  The first wave of the mile goes off at 7:00 a.m. HST (12:00 p.m. EST, 5:00 p.m. BST, and 6:00 p.m. CET), and the professional race will begin at approximately 7:45 a.m. HST. The links for the race broadcast are: https://www.youtube.com/@honolulumarathon https://www.youtube.com/c/CitiusMag/ The complete elite field for the 2025 Kalakaua Merrie Mile is below (with dates of birth and 1500m and mile personal bests): MEN'S CATEGORY:  Donavan Brazier, USA, 15-Apr-1997, Nike Swoosh TC, 3:35.85, 3:59.30 Geordie Beamish, NZL, 24-Oct-1996, On Athletics Club, 3:34.47, 3:49.09 Vince Ciattei, USA, 21-Jan-1995, UA Dark Sky Distance, 3:31.67, 3:49.37 Neil Gourley, GBR, 7-Feb-1995, UA Dark Sky Distance, 3:30.60, 3:47.74 Oliver Hoare, AUS, 29-Jan-1997, On Athletics Club, 3:29.41, 3:47.48 Josh Hoey, USA, 1-Nov-1999, adidas, 3:29.75, 3:52.61 Hobbs Kessler, USA, 15-Mar-2003, adidas, 3:29.45, 3:46.90 Festus Lagat, KEN, 10-Oct-1996, UA Baltimore Distance, 3:29.03, 3:48.93 Yared Nuguse, USA, 1-Jun-1999, On Athletics Club, 3:27.80, 3:43.97 Nico Young, USA, 27-Jul-2002, adidas, 3:34.56, 3:50.89 WOMEN'S CATEGORY: Susan Ejore-Sanders, KEN, 9-Nov-1995, UA Dark Sky Distance, 3:56.07, 4:20.61 Nikki Hiltz, USA, 23-Oct-1994, lululemon, 3:55.33, 4:16.35 Sage Hurta-Klecker, USA, 23-Jun-1998, On Athletics Club, 4:01.79, 4:19.89 Sinclaire Johnson, USA, 13-Apr-1998, Nike Swoosh TC, 3:56.75, 4:16.32 Dani Jones, USA, 21-Aug-1996, New Balance, 4:00.64, 4:22.45 Weini Kelati, USA, 1-Dec-1996, UA Dark Sky Distance, 4:10.88, 4:28.49 road Emily Mackay, USA, 30-Apr-1998, New Balance, 3:55.90, 4:23.79 Heather MacLean, USA, 31-Aug-1995, New Balance, 3:57.79, 4:17.01 Aurora Rynda (pacemaker), CAN, 26-Oct-2000, Very Nice Track Club, 4:17.77, 4:28.9 road Nozomi Tanaka, JPN, 4-Sep-1999, New Balance, 3:59.19, 4:23.4 road You can also link to the elite field here: https://www.honolulumarathon.org/2025-kalakaua-merrie-mile-elite-field PHOTO: Nikki Hiltz winning the 2024 Kalakaua Merrie Mile over Weini Kelati (second), Sinclaire Johnson (third) and Hobbs Kessler (fourth) (photo by Jason Suarez for the Honolulu Marathon Association)

(c) 2025 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved CHICAGO (12-Oct) -- Uganda's Jacob Kiplimo and Ethiopia's Hawi Feysa dominated today's 47th Bank of America Chicago Marathon, recording fast winning times of 2:02:23 and 2:14:56, respectively.  Kiplimo, 24, running in only his second marathon, was on world record pace through 35-K, but slowed in the final kilometers and had to settle for the win and the second-fastest time ever at Chicago.  He was also the race's first Ugandan winner.  Feysa, 26, ran nearly identical halves of 67:30 and 67:26 to set a personal best of 2:14:56 and got her first-ever Abbott World Marathon Majors title.  Both winners won $100,000 in prize money. Also, two-time NCAA cross country champion Conner Mantz finished fourth setting a North American record of 2:04:43.  He also smashed Khalid Khannouchi's 23 year-old USA record of 2:05:38 set at the London Marathon in 2022, and even eclipsed Ryan Hall's all-conditions American best of 2:04:58 set in Boston in 2011. MEN START (TOO?) FAST The men's race got off to a blistering start which no doubt ruined the chances of several of the race's top contenders.  After a scorching first mile of 4:25, the lead group went through the 5-K checkpoint in 13:58, on pace for a sub-1:58:00 marathon.  Mantz, who was only another five seconds back, knew the race had gone out too hard, and quickly tried to settle himself down. "Well, I guess I warmed up well enough," he joked in his post-race broadcast interview when asked about the fast first mile. Three pacemakers --Kenya's Barselius Kipyego and Amon Kemboi and Britain's Patrick Dever-- led the contenders through the first 5K split.  In addition to Kiplimo, defending champion John Korir of Kenya was right near the front along with compatriots Timothy Kiplagat, Philemon Kiplimo, and Amos Kipruto.  Mantz was in the second group 25 seconds back. The pace moderated in the next 5K segment (14:27), and Kemboi dropped out.  Kipyego and Dever continued to shepherd the five contenders through 15K in 42:41 and halfway in 1:00:16.  Only Kiplagat would drift off the pace by that point, but he was just four seconds back. Surprisingly, Korir decided to make an early bid for victory.  He surged after the halfway point (where the pacers dropped out) and the lead pack immediately fell apart.  Kiplimo initially went backwards, but slowly caught up to Korir.  The pair went through 25K in 1:11:12 meaning their last 5K split was a snappy 14:06.  That fast segment ended up killing the races of Korir, Philemon Kiplimo, and Kiplagat.  Korir, who also won the Boston Marathon last April, only made it to 20 miles before dropping out; Philemon Kiplimo would finish 8th (2:06:14); and Kiplagat would finish 12th (2:07:42). Running side by side, Kiplimo and Korir kept the pace high and the world record in play.  Kiplimo ran 14:19 from 25 to 30K.  That was too fast for Korir who fell back and would record his last split at the 20 mile mark before dropping out.  Kiplimo was still on world record pace through 30K (2:00:16 predicted time), but he said later that he wasn't thinking about that. "It was not something easy to prepare for this race," he told reporters later on.  He continued: "I think to me my coming here was just to run a good race." Kiplimo ran the next four miles in 4:32, 4:38, 4:46, and 4:50 (15:17 from 35 to 40-K).  The world record had slipped away, but Kiplimo was happy. "For me I was just keeping the pace to finish the race well," he said.  "The legs were a little bit tired.  I was just trying to keep the pace." Kipruto, who was part of the original lead group, held on to finish second in 2:03:54.  Alex Masai --the former NCAA athlete for Hofstra University who is now part of the Flagstaff-based Hoka Northern Arizona Elite-- finished third in a personal best 2:04:37 after running much of the race with Mantz.  The two worked together, Mantz said. "Alex and I were communicating quite a bit," said Mantz, who had raced Masai during his collegiate career.  "I owe him a lot." MAGICAL DAY FOR MANTZ For Conner Mantz, the race could not have gone any better.  He didn't get swept up in the super-fast pace of the leaders in the first half, and instead stuck with his plan to run about 62 minutes for the first half (his official split was 62:19).  In the second half, he kept his pace consistent which allowed him to move up from eighth position to fourth as other athletes faltered.  He had his eyes on the podium in the final kilometers (he called a top-3 finish one of his "stretch goals"), but could not match Masai's sprint speed in the final 200 meters.  Still, fourth place and the North American record was a huge accomplishment for the 28 year-old. "I had been eyeing this record for a long time," said Mantz, who already had the national half-marathon record of 59:17.  He continued: "It feels really good." Mantz revealed after the race that his fall season isn't over.  After a brief recovery period, he plans to re-boot his training so he can compete in the USATF Cross Country Championships in Portland, Ore., the national selection race for Team USATF for the 2026 World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Tallahassee, Fla., on January 10th. "That's been on the plan for me for a long time," Mantz said of World Cross.  "Even during the race I was like, as long as I get this record I'm doing World Cross." FEYSA BANKED ON A STEADY PACE For women's champion Hawi Feysa, who was sixth at the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in 2023, she had no interest in fast starts or mid-race surges.  Instead, she chose to run at a level pace and hoped that by targeting a 2:15:00 finish time she would end up first. "I felt pretty confident," she said through a translator.  She added: "That was pretty much the plan.  We work on this kind of consistent pacing (in training)." With the help of a male pacemaker, Chala Beyo Techo of Ethiopia, she and Tanzania's Magdalena Shauri went through halfway in 1:07:30, exactly on 2:15 pace.  Two other Ethiopians, Mergertu Alemu and Ejgayehu Taye were seven seconds back and were the only other athletes in contention for the podium. Feysa and Shauri were still together through 25K (1:19:59), but Shauri would soon fall back.  By 30-K Feysa was alone and without speeding up increased her gap to two minutes and 22 seconds by the finish line.  Remarkably, Feysa ran the second half just four seconds faster than the first. "The race conditions were good, the course was good," Feysa said matter of factly through a translator.  "My coach gave me a lot of good preparation heading into this race.  I only just learned that I broke 2:15 and I'm really happy about that." Alemu took second in 2:17:18, Shauri got third in 2:18:03, and two Kenyans --Loice Chemnung and Mary Ngugi-Cooper-- rounded out the top-5 in 2:18:23 and 2:19:25, respectively.  It was the first time at this race that five women broke 2:20:00. Natosha Rogers, 34, was the top American in sixth place.  She backed up the 2:23:51 she ran in Nagoya last March with a 2:23:28 personal best here. "Based on my training I actually went out conservative," Rogers told reporters.  She continued: "I was hoping for a 2:22, but I was feeling it out there; I got some bad waves and I got some good waves.  But, it's so much mind over matter.  It's so much mental.  Every part of that course was just so beautiful." Paris Olympian Dakotah Popehn, who was targeting 2:20:00, finished seventh (second American) in 2:24:21 after hitting halfway in 1:10:44. CHICAGO SHOWS UP The people of Chicago have always embraced the marathon, and after some politicians made disparaging remarks about the city (President Trump called the city a "death trap" last month) the city's citizens turned out en masse to support today's race.  Large groups of spectators could be seen along the route on the race's broadcast. "For me, what I was so impressed with was the outreach from the community," said executive race director Carey Pinkowski, when asked to reflect on today's race.  He added: "This is an amazing ecosystem.  Just about every city agency was involved." PHOTO: Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda just before the halfway point of the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with Amos Kipruto of Kenya (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly) PHOTO: Conner Mantz after setting the North American marathon record at the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon (photo by Jane Monti for Race Results Weekly)