It could be fascinating to watch Galen Rupp trying to break Mo Farah over the final miles in Chicago

In 2015, the Chicago Marathon abandoned the use of pacemakers to assist elite athletes, so it's unlikely to produce winning times that compare with those at the Berlin Marathon and London Marathon anymore, but when the weather cooperates, Chicago is still very fast for a record-quality course. (Obviously, there are some absurdly fast point-to-point courses, for those who are into that sort of thing.) But regardless of finishing times, the absence of pacemakers makes this race much more interesting, and probably makes Mo Farah much more of a threat in world-class competition. It could be fascinating to watch Galen Rupp trying to break Mo Farah over the final miles of an honest, unpaced race.

posted Thursday May 31st
by Walter H. Sargent