British interest in this year's race on October 12 includes Philippa Bowden and Eden Rainbow-Cooper too

Calli Hauger-Thackery and Marc Scott will lead the British challenge at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 12.

Hauger-Thackery was preselected earlier this year for the marathon at the World Championships but she is hoping to get picked for the 10,000m in Tokyo before racing in Chicago a month later.

With her 2:21:24 from Berlin last year she sits No.2 on the UK all-time marathon rankings behind Paula Radcliffe, while her 30:50.64 from Oslo this summer puts her No.5 on the UK all-time 10,000m lists.

Marc Scott has raced lightly in 2025 but will hope to improve on his marathon best of 2:11:19 set in London last year.

Elsewhere, three of the four reigning Chicago Marathon champions are in the line-ups. They include John Korir of Kenya, whose 2024 victory in 2:02:44 was the second fastest time in race history.

In April, Korir showed his Chicago victory was no fluke with a convincing win at the Boston Marathon.

“I am confident that I will be able to defend my title at the 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon this October,” said Korir. “My training is going well, and I am focused on achieving another personal best time.”

Korir will have company up front from six men who have broken 2:04. Kenya’s Timothy Kiplagat, second at last year’s Tokyo Marathon, is the second fastest man in the field with a personal best of 2:02:55. Fellow Kenyans Amos Kipruto (2:03:13), who was third in Chicago last year, and CyBrian Kotut (2:03:22), who took third in Boston, will look to replace Korir atop the podium, as will two-time Olympic marathon medalist Bashir Abdi (2:03:36) of Belgium.

Jacob Kiplimo (2:03:37) of Uganda, the world record holder in the half marathon, will come to Chicago for his second career marathon start after finishing runner-up in the London Marathon this spring. Two-time New York City Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya makes his Chicago debut after setting a personal best of 2:04:33 with a victory in the Rotterdam Marathon in April.

As previously announced, the American contingent will be led by Conner Mantz, who will attempt to break the American record of 2:05:38 set by Khalid Khannouchi in 2002. Mantz ran his personal best of 2:05:08 at the 2025 Boston Marathon, which is not record eligible.

He’ll be joined by Galen Rupp (2:06:17), the 2017 Chicago champion and third fastest American of all time, and local runner Matt Richtman (2:07:56) who won the 2025 Los Angeles Marathon.

The 2025 Bank of America Chicago Marathon will welcome a new women’s winner to its history books. The field features Hawi Feysa (2:17:00), who took third at the Tokyo Marathon earlier this year, making her Chicago debut. Also coming from Ethiopia is the 2023 Chicago Marathon third place finisher Megertu Alemu (2:16:34) who will be looking to claim her first victory on American soil.

The women's race last year was won by Ruth Chepngetich in a world record of 2:09:56 but she has since been banned after testing positive for drugs.

"I look forward to returning to the Chicago Marathon to try and improve on my previous performance there,” said Alemu, winner of the 2024 Valencia Marathon. “The course is very flat and fast and with my good training this year I feel that I am fit to run better this time in Chicago and move higher up on the podium. I look forward to the race and the energy that the city gives you."

Other notables on the women’s side include Irine Cheptai (2:17:51) of Kenya, who was third here last year, Bedatu Hirpa (2:18:27) of Ethiopia, who earned her personal best in Dubai earlier this year, Haven Hailu Desse (2:19:17) of Ethiopia, who finished fourth in the 2025 London Marathon, plus Ethiopia’s Ejgayehu Taye, the 2023 World Championships bronze medalist in the 10,000m, who will make her marathon debut.

The American race will be led by 2024 Paris Olympian Dakotah Popehn (2:24:40) who set her personal best in Chicago in 2023. Popehn will be joined by Lindsay Flanagan (2:23:31), ninth-place finisher at the 2024 Chicago Marathon, Natosha Rogers (2:23:51), who set a massive personal best in Japan last spring, and former University of Utah standout Emily Venters, who will make her marathon debut.

The reigning champions of the men’s and women’s wheelchair divisions, Switzerland’s Catherine Debrunner and Marcel Hug, will return to defend their Chicago Marathon titles in 2025. Debrunner will look to make it a three-peat after winning here in 2023 and 2024, while Hug will chase his fourth consecutive and sixth overall Chicago victory.

British wheelchair racers Eden Rainbow-Cooper and JohnBoy Smith are among the challengers.

Elite men

• John Korir, KEN, 2:02:44 (Chicago, 2024)
• Timothy Kiplagat, KEN, 2:02:55 (Tokyo, 2024)
• Amos Kipruto, KEN, 2:03:13 (Tokyo, 2023)
• CyBrian Kotut, KEN, 2:03:22 (Berlin, 2024)
• Bashir Abdi, BEL, 2:03:36 (Rotterdam, 2021)
• Jacob Kiplimo, UGA, 2:03:37 (London, 2025)
• Philemon Kiplimo, KEN, 2:04:01 (Hamburg, 2025)
• Geoffrey Kamworwor, KEN, 2:04:23 (London, 2023)
• Huseydin Mohamed Esa, ETH, 2:04:39 (Chicago, 2024)
• Conner Mantz, USA, 2:05:08 (Boston, 2025)
• Daniel Ebenyo, KEN, 2:06:04 (Chicago, 2024)
• Galen Rupp, USA, 2:06:07 (Prague, 2018)
• Hiroto Inoue, JPN, 2:06:14 (Tokyo, 2025)
• Zouhair Talbi, MAR, 2:06:39 (Houston, 2024)
• Matt Richtman, USA, 2:07:56 (Los Angeles, 2025)
• Ryan Ford, USA, 2:08:00 (Boston, 2025)
• Rory Linkletter, CAN, 2:08:01 (Seville, 2024)
• CJ Albertson, USA, 2:08:17 (Chicago, 2024)
• Hideyuki Tanaka, JPN, 2:09:27 (Tokyo, 2025)
• Patricio Castillo, MEX, 2:10:40 (Seville, 2023)
• Marc Scott, GBR, 2:11:19 (London, 2024)
• Colin Mickow, USA, 2:11:22 (Chandler, 2020)
• Kevin Salvano, USA, 2:11:26 (Chicago, 2023)
• Nick Hauger, USA, 2:11:55 (Sacramento, 2024)
• Robert Miranda, USA, 2:12:07 (Sacramento, 2024)
• Afewerki Zeru, USA, 2:18:54 (Porto, 2023)
• Casey Clinger, USA, Debut
• Tai Dinger, USA, Debut

Elite women

• Megertu Alemu, ETH, 2:16:34 (London, 2024)
• Hawi Feysa, ETH, 2:17:00 (Tokyo, 2025)
• Irine Cheptai, KEN, 2:17:51 (Chicago, 2024)
• Bedatu Hirpa, ETH, 2:18:27 (Dubai, 2025)
• Haven Hailu Desse, ETH, 2:19:17 (London, 2025)
• Mary Ngugi-Cooper, KEN, 2:20:22 (London, 2022)
• Calli Hauger-Thackery, GBR, 2:21:24 (Berlin, 2024)
• Lindsay Flanagan, USA, 2:23:31 (Chicago, 2024)
• Natosha Rogers, USA, 2:23:51 (Nagoya, 2025)
• Florencia Borelli, ARG, 2:24:18 (Seville, 2024)
• Gabi Rooker, USA, 2:24:29 (Chicago, 2024)
• Dakotah Popehn, USA, 2:24:40 (Chicago, 2023)
• Melody Julien, FRA, 2:25:01 (Valencia, 2023)
• Philippa Bowden, GBR, 2:25:47 (Berlin, 2024)
• Aubrey Frentheway, USA, 2:27:14 (Duluth, 2025)
• Maggie Montoya, USA, 2:27:50 (Rotterdam, 2025)
• Loice Chemnung, KEN, Debut
• Ejgayehu Taye, ETH, Debut
• Emily Venters, USA, Debut

Men's wheelchair race

• Marcel Hug, SUI, 1:17:47 (Oita, 2021) World Record
• Aaron Pike, USA, 1:20:02 (Duluth, 2022)
• Johnboy Smith, GBR, 1:20:05 (Duluth, 2022)
• Hiroki Nishida, JPN, 1:20:28 (Boston, 2017)
• Daniel Romanchuk, USA, 1:21:36 (Boston, 2019)
• Rafael Botello Jimenez, ESP, 1:22:09 (Boston, 2017)
• Jetze Plat, NED, 1:24:28 (Dubai, 2023)
• Simon Lawson, GBR, 1:25:06 (Boston, 2017)
• Brian Siemann, USA, 1:26:46 (Boston, 2017)
• Geert Schipper, NED, 1:26:51 (London, 2025)
• Evan Correll, USA, 1:27:19 (Duluth, 2022)
• Jason Robinson, USA, 1:29:01 (Duluth, 2022)
• Rob Smith, GBR, 1:55:51 (Dubai, 2017)
• Ethan Burkhart, USA, 2:00:53 (Duluth, 2019)

Women's wheelchair race

• Susannah Scaroni, USA, 1:27:31 (Duluth, 2022)
• Manuela Schär, SUI, 1:28:17 (Boston, 2017)
• Tatyana McFadden, USA, 1:31:30 (Duluth, 2019)
• Catherine Debrunner, SUI, 1:34:16 (Berlin, 2023) World Record
• Eden Rainbow-Cooper, GBR, 1:35:11 (Boston, 2024)
• Vanessa De Souza, BRA, 1:40:21 (Seville, 2020)
• Jade Hall, GBR, 1:41:44 (Boston, 2017)
• Hoda Elshorbagy, EGY, 1:58:38 (Chicago, 2023)
• Hannah Dederick, USA, 2:02:23 (Chicago, 2022)
• Rachel Cleaver, USA, 2:46:48 (Chicago, 2024)