FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Defending Champions and Abbott World Marathon Majors Series X Winners
Tatyana McFadden and Marcel Hug Lead Professional Wheelchair Field
Featuring 24 Paralympians From 12 Countries
Top Athletes in the Global Chase for the Abbott World Marathon Majors
Series XI Title to Race in Chicago
CHICAGO - Today, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon announced that
15-time world champion, four-time Paralympian and seven-time Chicago
Marathon champion Tatyana McFadden (USA) and 20-time world champion
medalist and four-time Paralympian Marcel Hug (SUI) will return to compete
for the top spot on the podium at the 40th annual event.
McFadden and Hug stand out among one of the most internationally diverse
and talented professional wheelchair fields in Chicago Marathon history.
Twenty-four Paralympians from 12 countries will descend upon the windy city
on October 8 to vie for the Chicago Marathon crown, and to score points in
the global chase for the AbbottWMM Series XI title.
"Tatyana became the most decorated champion in Chicago Marathon history
last fall. When she comes to Chicago to race, people understand that they
are watching one of the greatest champions in sport perform," said Bank of
America Chicago Marathon Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. "And
Marcel won an unprecedented six consecutive major marathons last year. We
are excited to have him competing again in Chicago for the third time. The
entire field is truly outstanding, and we expect to see photo finishes on
both sides."
Women's field
McFadden, a 17-time Paralympic medalist (including seven gold medals) and
the Chicago Marathon course record-holder (1:41:10), made history in 2013,
2014, 2015 and 2016 as the only athlete to win four AbbottWMM races in one
year: London, Boston, Chicago and New York City. She closed out her 2016
season as the 2016 17 AbbottWMM Series X champion, and she returns to the
windy city to capture her seventh consecutive Chicago Marathon title and
her eighth in the last nine years. McFadden's 2017 season got off to a
rocky start. She suffered from blood clots before the Boston Marathon and
competed just a few weeks after having surgery. .
Although she set a new personal best (1:35:05), she finished in fourth
place after being undefeated in Boston since 2013. She skipped the World
Para Athletics Marathon World Cup in London, but she made a valiant
comeback on the track, winning four gold medals in the 200m, 400m, 800m and
1,500m. Her performance on the oval sends a strong message that she is back
and ready to win.
McFadden's run through 29 dynamic Chicago neighborhoods will be strongly
contested by Manuela Schär (SUI) and Amanda McGrory (USA). Schär and
McGrory are first and second, respectively, on the AbbottWMM Series XI
leaderboard, with Schär leading McGrory by nine points. Also in the mix -
and ranked third on the AbbottWMM leaderboard - is University of Illinois
Urbana-Champaign alum Susannah Scaroni (USA).
Schär, a four-time Paralympian, made her Bank of America Chicago Marathon
debut in 2013 in convincing fashion, finishing second by two seconds behind
McFadden. The pattern between McFadden and Schär continued in Chicago, with
Schär finishing as the runner-up again in 2014, 2015 and 2016,; but this
could be the year she finally tastes victory, given her 2017 season. After
finishing second in Tokyo, she rose to the top, finishing first in Boston
(in a new personal and world best, 1:28:17) and first at the 2017 World
Para Athletics Marathon World Cup in London. She also competed well on the
track at the world championships, finishing with a silver medal in the
800m, fifth in the 400m and 5,000m, and seventh in the 1,500m. Schär's
1:38:07 in Oita is recognized as the current world record (run on a
record-eligible course; she and Wakako Tsuchida share the record - they
finished first together in Oita).
McGrory, a three-time Chicago Marathon champion (2007, 2008, 2010), a
three-time Paralympian and a seven-time Paralympic medalist, started her
2017 season on a positive note, picking up wins at the Tokyo Marathon, the
Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle 8K and Grandma's Marathon (her eighth time
winning in Duluth). She finished second in Boston in a new personal best,
1:33:13, and she was second at the 2017 World Para Athletics Marathon World
Cup in London. At the 2017 world championships on the track, she scored two
bronze medals in the 800m and 1,500m and a silver in the 5,000m. Combined,
McFadden and McGrory have won every Chicago Marathon since 2007, a
testament to the strength, influence and impact of the University of
Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Wheelchair Track and Road Racing Program.
Scaroni, a two-time Paralympian, has come a long way since her debut
marathon at the 2011 Chicago Marathon. Since then, she has raced
internationally in London, Rio and Tokyo and nationally in Boston, New
York, Los Angeles, Minneapolis and Duluth. After finishing second to
McFadden at the 2012 Chicago Marathon, she turned around and won the 2013
Los Angeles Marathon and then broke the course record at the Twin Cities
Marathon. She started 2017 with podium finishes all around: she was third
in Tokyo, third in Boston (in a personal best, 1:33:17) and third at the
2017 World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup in London. She continued her
success on the track - finishing with a pair of sixth-place finishes at the
world championships in the 800m and 5,000m. Scaroni should be in the hunt
for the win in Chicago.
Madison de Rozario (AUS), Jenna Fesemyer (USA), Katrina Gerhard (USA),
Sandra Graf (SUI), Sammi Kinghorn (GBR), Chelsea McClammer (USA) and
Arielle Rausin (USA) are also taking a run at a podium finish.
Men's field
Hug leads a crowded field of stars as more than 20 of the world's best
professional wheelchair athletes set the stage for another year of
thrilling sprint finishes down Columbus Drive. Four of the top five men
(Hug, Fearnley, Van Dyk and Botello Jimenez) commanding the AbbottWMM
Series XI leaderboard will face off on October 8.
Hug, nicknamed the "silver bullet," won the Boston Marathon for the fourth
time this spring, and then one week later, he took home second place in
London at the 2017 World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup (he was one
second away from first). He continued his dominance on the track, picking
up three gold medals in the world championships in the 800m, 1,500m and
5,000m. He enters Chicago after a historic 2016 season that included wins
in Boston, London, Rio, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Hug is an eight-time
Paralympic medalist, and he has also won the Berlin Marathon (2011, 2012,
2016), Oita Marathon (2010, 2011, 2012), Schenkon Marathon (2012, 2014) and
Seoul Marathon (2013, 2015).
Kurt Fearnley (AUS), a veteran of more than 50 marathons (with over 30
career victories) and Chicago's most decorated male champion, became a
household name in Chicago after completing the three-peat from 2007 2009
and then adding two more victories in 2011 and 2015. At the 2014, 2015 and
2016 Chicago Marathons, Fearnley was part of historic sprint finishes. In
2014, the top 11 professional wheelchair athletes finished within 11
seconds; in 2015, the top 11 men finished within 13 seconds; and in 2016,
the top nine men were within 16 seconds. Hug edged out Fearnely at the
finish by one second last fall, and then repeated the feat at the New York
City Marathon. Fearnley opened his 2017 by finishing third at the World
Para Athletics Marathon World Cup (behind David Weir and Hug). One week
earlier, he finished fourth in Boston. Throughout his career, Fearnley has
captured 13 medals across five Paralympic Games, including a pair of gold
medals in the 2004 and 2008 Paralympic Marathon (he won the silver in
2016). He also won four consecutive TCS New York City Marathons from 2006
to 2009.
Josh George (USA) competed in his first Chicago Marathon in 2002 at 18
years old, finishing fourth among a talented field that included U of I
coach Adam Bleakney. He has finished in the top five of the race 11 times,
and he is a four-time Chicago Marathon champion, including back-to-back
victories in 2003 and 2004, another in 2006 and a nail-biting victory in
2014 where he was chased to the line by 10 men in a sprint finish. George
missed defending his 2014 title by two seconds, and he followed Hug and
Fearnley to the line in both 2016 and 2017. He started 2017 with a
fifth-place finish in Tokyo, a sixth-place finish and a PR in Boston
(1:21:47), and an eighth-place finish in London at the World Para Athletics
Marathon World Cup. He is a six-time world champion and a four-time
Paralympian.
Ernst Van Dyk (RSA) won the 2013 Chicago Marathon after an exciting dash to
the finish, and he almost became a back-to-back champion in 2014, but
George and Fearnley beat him at the line. He finished fourth in 2015 and
sixth last year. Van Dyk has won the Boston Marathon a record 10 times,
including six in a row from 2001 to 2006. He started 2017 with a
second-place finish in Boston (his fourth runner-up finish in Boston) and a
fourth-place finish at the World Para Athletics Marathon World Cup in
London. He has competed in every Paralympic Games since 1992.
Rounding out the list of top competitors is 2017 Tokyo Marathon winner Sho
Watanabe (JPN), Japanese record-holder Kota Hokinoue (JPN), 2016 Chicago
Marathon fourth-place finisher Gyu Dae Kim (KOR), Spanish record-holder
Rafael Botello Jimenez (ESP), 2005 Chicago Marathon champion Krige Schabort
(USA), and two-time Ironman World Champion Thomas Früwirth (AUT).
For more information on the 2017 Bank of America Chicago Marathon elite
field, click here.
Women's Field
Name Personal Best
Manuela Schär (SUI) 1:28:17
Amanda McGrory (USA) 1:33:13
Susannah Scaroni (USA) 1:33:17
Tatyana McFadden (USA) 1:35:05
Sandra Graf (SUI) 1:35:44
Chelsea McClammer USA 1:37:09
Katrina Gerhard (USA) 1:40:34
Arielle Rausin USA 1:41:26
Madison de Rozario (AUS) 1:53:44
Jenna Fesemyer USA 1:59:52
Sammi Kinghorn (GBR) Debut
Men's Field
Name Personal Best
Marcel Hug (SUI) 1:18:04
Ernst Van Dyk (RSA) 1:18:04
Kurt Fearnley (AUS) 1:18:51
Hiroki Nishida (JPN) 1:20:28
Kota Hokinoue (JPN) 1:21:14
Josh George (USA) 1:21:47
Rafael Botello Jimenez (ESP) 1:22:09
Aaron Pike (USA) 1:22:09
Ryota Yoshida (JPN) 1:23:18
Jun Hiromichi (JPN) 1:23:23
Kozo Kubo (JPN) 1:23:24
Jordi Madera Jimenez (ESP) 1:23:26
Krige Schabort (USA) 1:23:44
Simon Lawson (GBR) 1:25:06
Adam Bleakney (USA) 1:26:03
Tomoki Suzuki (JPN) 1:26:03
Brian Siemann (USA) 1:26:46
Sho Watanabe (JPN) 1:28:01
Patrick Monahan (IRL) 1:29:10
Thomas Frühwirth (AUT) 1:29:39
Gyu Dae Kim (KOR) 1:30:08
Jose Jimenez (CRC) 1:31:36
Alexandre Dupont (CAN) 1:33:14
Jose Pulido (USA) 1:37:22
Fidel Aguilar (USA) 1:38:28
Christian Clemmons (USA) 1:39:02
Brendan Quinn (USA) 2:15:08
Stephen Koziel (USA) 2:41:35
Tye DeWald (USA) 3:19:36
Joey Gibbs (USA) Debut
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 40th year, the Bank of America Chicago Marathon welcomes thousands
of runners from more than 100 countries and all 50 states, including a
world-class elite field, top regional and Masters runners, race veterans,
debut marathoners and charity runners. The race's iconic course takes
runners through 29 vibrant neighborhoods on an architectural and cultural
tour of Chicago. Annually, an estimated 1.7 million spectators line the
streets cheering on more than 40,000 runners from the start line to the
final stretch down Columbus Drive. As a result of the race's national and
international draw, the Chicago Marathon assists in raising millions of
dollars for a variety of charitable causes while generating $277 million in
annual economic impact to its host city. The 2017 Bank of America Chicago
Marathon, a member of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, will start and
finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday, October 8. In
advance of the race, a two-day Abbott Health & Fitness Expo will be held at
McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday, October 6, and Saturday,
October 7. For more information about the event and how to get involved, go
to chicagomarathon.com.
Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
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