Kirui wins men’s event, Kiplagat gets women’s at Chicago Marathon

Abel Kirui held off fellow Kenyan and defending champion Dickson Chumba to win the 39^th Bank of America Chicago Marathon Sunday in 2:11:23.

Three Kenyans — Kirui, Chumba and Gideon Kipketer — pulled away around mile 20 in a curiously up and down race, and a slow one, on the men’s side, perhaps because of the year without pacesetters.

Defending champion Florence Kiplagat seized control around 30K and raced to a dominating victory in the women’s race.

The Kenyan finished in 2:21:32, more than two minutes faster than her 2:23:33 in 2015, when she waited until 40K to take control.

It was 52 degrees at the start and near calm. The race stayed in the 50s, a bit cool, for the elites and a lake breeze built in spots.

In a photo finish that required a check of video, Marcel Hug was ruled the winner of the 2016 Chicago Marathon men’s wheelchair race Sunday, edging out defending champion Kurt Fearnley.

Tatyana McFadden won her sixth consecutive Chicago Marathon in the 2015 women’s wheelchair race, edge out Manuela Schar.

Marathon officials say there were more than 40,000 participants from all 50 states and more than 100 countries participating in this year’s marathon.

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