Galen Rupp has become the first American to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in more than a decade.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon has been a longstanding tradition in Chicago, but this year’s race hit a major milestone as the global event marked its 40th anniversary. And the history-making continued in 2017 with American Galen Rupp becoming the first US runner to win the race in more than a decade.
Olympian Tirunesh Dibaba, of Ethiopia, took the women's victory and Marcel Hug and Tatyana McFadden took victories in the men's and women's wheelchair events,
Jordan Hasay became the fastest American woman to run the course, finishing in third with an official time of 2:20:57 and capping off the unbelievable marathon magic for this anniversary race.
The last 40 years of the Chicago Marathon have seen stunning photo finishes, heartbreaking falls, historic victories and moments of both pride and compassion on the course.
The race first stepped off with more than 4,200 runners in 1977, titled the Mayor Daley Marathon - the “people’s race anyone can come and enjoy.”
Fast forward to 2017, where more than 40,000 racers hit city streets.
The years in between saw plenty of ups and downs, but Chicago’s status as “the running capital of the world” could not be denied.
U.S. & World
The race will look to once again raise millions of dollars for charities and bring stories of heroism and triumph through Chicago’s 29 neighborhoods.
The city’s storied history was on full display as hundreds of thousands of spectators lined the 26.2 mile course.
“When the Bank of America Chicago Marathon began, it was known as ‘The people’s race anyone can come and enjoy,’” marathon organizers wrote on Facebook in the days before the event. “Everything we do here at the Chicago Marathon is to make sure that sentiment holds true. We love our participants, our spectators, our volunteers and this city for cheering on our community of runners for the last 40 years.”
Stepped up security precautions were in place for this year’s event following the tragic Las Vegas concert shooting that shook the nation earlier this week.
Police added 1,000 additional undercover officers to their team as Grant Park becomes the center of one of the city’s largest outdoor events.
Marathon organizers said Vegas remained at the top of their minds heading into the major outdoor event.
Runners, spectators, volunteers and organizers stood in complete silence at the starting line in a moment of silence to honor the victims of the heartbreaking massacre.
