Chicago Marathon’s remarkable past is honored with a Heritage Plaque

2024.09.25

The Chicago Marathon (1977) has been recognized with the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in the Competition category, honoring the city of Chicago, Illinois’s rich heritage of marathon running spanning over a century.

The announcement is made today to honor the anniversary of the first edition of the existing race which took place on 25 September 1977.

Awarded for an exceptional contribution to the global history and development of track and field athletics as well as non-stadium athletics disciplines like cross-country, mountain, road, trail, ultra-running, and race walking, the World Athletics Heritage Plaque is a location-based honor.

Later today, the plaque will be permanently installed at the Bank of America Tower, a 56-story skyscraper in downtown Chicago that houses the race’s main sponsor and is situated next to the Chicago River.

In 1905, Chicago hosted its first marathon. Chicago, like many other US cities, adopted Boston’s 1897 model, which had started an annual marathon the year after the marathon event was introduced at the first modern Olympic Games in Athens. Rhud Metzner, a native of Chicago, won the first race, which was organized by the Illinois Athletic Club. The race was held every year until the early 1920s.

The modern Chicago Marathon was established on September 25, 1977, in response to the Olympic triumph of USA road runner Frank Shorter in 1972 and the swift growth of road running throughout the country. The race bears the name of the city’s mayor, Richard J. Daley, who supported the marathon’s founding but passed away in office in December of the year prior.

In what was a record-breaking turnout of almost 4,000 participants, Dan Cloeter (2:17:52) won the men’s race while Dorothy Doolittle (2:50:47) won the women’s.

The Chicago Marathon now attracts 50,000 participants who have six hours and thirty minutes to finish the course, which starts and ends in Grant Park.

Chicago’s quick, level track has set six world records. Three world records have been set by men: 2:08:05 (1984) by Steve Jones GBR, 2:05:42 (1999) by Khalid Khannouchi MAR, the current world record holder, Kelvin Kiptum KEN, 2:00:35 (2023), and 2:18:47 (2001) by Catherine Ndereba KEN, 2:17:18 (2002) by Paula Radcliffe GBR, and 2:14:04 (2019) by Brigid Kosgei KEN, 2:14:04 (2019), whose course record was broken by Sifan Hassan last year.

The list of winners of the Chicago Marathon is akin to a history book for marathon runners. Legendary women’s racers like Rosa Mota, Joan Benoit, and Ingrid Kristiansen emerged victorious, while notable men’s race winners include Toshihiko Seko, Samuel Wanjiru, and Eliud Kipchoge.

@Charith Rajapaksha