Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda won the Chicago Marathon after being under world record pace for about 22 miles, while Conner Mantz finished fourth with the fastest time ever run by an American.
Kiplimo clocked an unofficial 2 hours, 2 minutes, 23 seconds, distancing Kenyan Amos Kipruto by 91 seconds. He was under world record pace until about the 22nd mile, then lost two minutes in the last four-plus miles.
The world record of 2:00:35 was set by the late Kenyan Kelvin Kiptum at the 2023 Chicago Marathon.
Kiplimo, who was running his second career marathon after accolades on the track and in the half marathon, is now the seventh-fastest marathoner in history.
Mantz clocked an unofficial 2:04:43, breaking the American record of 2:05:38 set by Khalid Khannouchi at the 2002 London Marathon, which was the world record at the time.
“It’s fair to say it was a great day,” said Mantz, a Utah native and BYU grad who made his marathon debut in Chicago in 2022. “I’ve been eyeing this record for a very long time.”
His “stretch goals” were to finish in the top three and break 2:04. No American male runner has made a major marathon podium since Galen Rupp in Chicago in 2021.
Khannouchi met Mantz after the finish.
“What took you so long?” to break the record, Khannouchi joked to him.
Mantz’s time also bettered Ryan Hall’s 2:04:58 from the 2011 Boston Marathon, which was the fastest marathon ever run by an American. Boston times are ineligible for record purposes as the course is point-to-point and net downhill.
Mantz ran 2:05:08 at this past April’s Boston Marathon, giving him confidence to break the record in Chicago, a historically fast, flat course.
He was the top American men’s finisher at his last six marathons, including winning the 2024 Olympic Trials and placing eighth at the Paris Games.
Fastest Men’s Marathons in U.S. History
| Runner | Time | Race |
| Conner Mantz | 2:04:43 | Chicago 2025 |
| Ryan Hall | 2:04:58 | Boston 2011* |
| Conner Mantz | 2:05:08 | Boston 2025* |
| Khalid Khannouchi | 2:05:38 | London 2002 |
| Khalid Khannouchi | 2:05:56 | Chicago 2002 |
| Galen Rupp | 2:06:07 | Prague 2018 |
*Not record eligible due to course layout.
Also in Chicago, Hawi Feysa of Ethiopia won the women’s race in an unofficial 2:14:56 — the sixth-fastest women’s marathon in history — for her first major marathon title.
She prevailed by 2:22 over countrywoman Megertu Alemu.
Natosha Rogers was the top American woman in sixth in 2:23:28.
The next major marathon is New York City on Nov. 2, featuring Olympic gold medalists Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands in their debuts in the five-borough race.
