Running News Daily

Kenya’s Daniel Ebenyo delivered a masterclass in distance running at the Chicago Half Marathon, producing a dominant front-running performance to rewrite the course record and further cement his status among the world's premier road racers.

From the opening miles, Ebenyo imposed his authority on the race, quickly separating himself from the field and maintaining a relentless pace throughout the morning. Running virtually unchallenged for much of the contest, the Kenyan star powered to the finish line in a remarkable 1:00:39, smashing the previous course record and securing one of the most impressive victories in the event’s history.

The performance highlighted Ebenyo’s exceptional strength, endurance, and tactical confidence. Rather than relying on a late surge, he controlled the race from the front, steadily increasing the gap over his rivals before crossing the line alone in a memorable display of long-distance excellence.

Behind the runaway winner, American distance standout Futsum Zienasellassie claimed second place in 1:01:37, while fellow American Bob Liking completed the podium in 1:01:55 after a strong effort over the 21.1-kilometre distance.

The result adds another significant achievement to Ebenyo’s growing résumé and serves as a reminder of Kenya’s enduring dominance on the global road racing circuit. His record-breaking run in Chicago was not only a victory but a statement performance that left no doubt about who owned the race from start to finish.

Top 10 Men's Elite Results

1. Daniel Simiu Ebenyo (Kenya) – 1:00:39 (Course Record)

2. Futsum Zienasellassie (USA) – 1:01:37

3. Bob Liking (USA) – 1:01:55

4. Kipchirchir Sosten (USA) – 1:02:25

5. Peter Njeru (USA) – 1:02:56

6. Yuki Osaka (Japan) – 1:03:05

7. Justin Kent (Canada) – 1:03:10

8. Kieran Tuntivate (USA) – 1:03:22

9. Athanas Kioko (USA) – 1:03:42

10. Connor Winter (USA) – 1:03:44

For Daniel Ebenyo, Chicago became the stage for a historic run—one that transformed an already impressive morning into a record-breaking showcase of world-class talent.

Just months after blazing to a new world age-group standard in the 1,500m, 90-year-old Dot Sowerby has broken the U.S. half-marathon age-group record, underscoring her message that age isn’t an obstacle to breaking down barriers.

The grandmother and longtime runner from Greensboro, N.C., completed the 2023 Life Time Chicago Half Marathon in 3:33:47, breaking the former 3:46:56 record set by Harriette Thompson six years ago at the Rock N’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon at age 94. (That effort by Thompson months before her death in 2017 still makes her the oldest woman on record to have completed a half-marathon, a record previously set by Canada’s Gladys Burrill in 2012 at age 93.)

Sowerby, who took up running in her late forties, told ABC News Chicago after her record-breaking half-marathon on Sept. 24 that she hopes her latest feat inspires others to chase their dreams, regardless of their age.

“I think older people can do anything, and I just like to keep active, and you’re never too old to get out there and run,” Sowerby said.

Sowerby has been reinforcing this message through her actions as well as her words this year, both in road races and on the track. In July, she thrilled a hometown crowd at the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships in Greensboro by running the 1,500m in 11:30.62, taking more than a minute off the record held by North Vancouver’s Lenore Montgomery, who covered the distance in 12:34.67 at a track meet in Surrey, B.C., in Sept. 2020.

The championships saw Sowerby rack up an impressive collection of medals, including gold in the 400m (2:35.33), 800m (5:52.93), long jump (1.05m) and shot put (4.51m), and silver in the 100m.

Her success at this year’s USATF championships came just one week after she collected six gold medals at the 2023 National Senior Games in Pittsburgh.

“I have a philosophy that you are never too old to do something like running or whatever you want to do,” Sowerby told Greensboro’s News & Record heading into the USATF Masters Outdoor Championships.  “When I came along, they would not let girls in high school and college run because they thought they were too fragile or something. So, I did my first race when I was 50 years old.”

According to the Chicago Half Marathon and 5K website, Sowerby trains almost every day, varying her workouts from running to swimming to exercise classes. She typically begins training at 6 a.m. “One of my motivations is to inspire others to keep exercising, no matter your age or circumstance—just get out there and do something,” she said.

Dathan Ritzenhein‘s injury woes continue. On Monday, Ritzenhein, the fourth-fastest US marathoner ever, announced that he is withdrawing from next month’s Bank of America Chicago Marathon due to chronic foot problems that “flared up some other areas.”

Ritzenhein’s Chicago preparations appeared to be going well. He ran 64:27 to win the Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon on July 21, and ran 47:19 at the Crim 10-Miler in Michigan on August 24, his fastest performance over that distance since 2015. But after that race, Ritzenhein said, a nagging arthritis problem in his foot flared up and caused him to miss a few weeks of running. Fellow American Chris Derrick also withdrew from Chicago after suffering an ankle fracture at Crim.

“I’m feeling better now,” Ritzenhein told LetsRun.com, “but missed a few weeks of running and need a few more rebuilding.”

Ritzenhein said he still plans on being in Chicago on October 13 supporting fellow pro Parker Stinson, whom Ritzenhein has been coaching since last fall.

After making three consecutive Olympic teams in 2004, 2008, and 2012, injuries have consistently derailed the 36-year-old Ritzenhein in recent years. He was forced to drop out of the 2016 Olympic Trials and 2016 New York City Marathon and withdrew from the 2018 Boston Marathon just days before the race with a sacroiliac joint injury.

He has finished just one marathon in the last four years, placing 19th in Boston in April in 2:16:19 after attempting an abbreviated eight-week buildup in order to stay healthy.

While Ritzenhein officially broke the news of his withdrawal on social media on Monday, a poster on the LetsRun messageboard — who claimed to be the same person who correctly predicted that both Amy Cragg and Jordan Hasay would withdraw from Chicago last year — started a thread on Sunday predicting that Ritzenhein would withdraw from the race.

Nearly 13,000 registered runners from age 12 to 81 took to the streets of the Windy City this weekend to participate in the 11th running of the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon.

With a renewed focus on the core pillars of great music in a community environment, runners of all athletic levels enjoyed the sights and sounds of Chicago.

The best-in-class running event kicked off on Sunday morning. The half marathon and 10K hosted runners from all 50 states and 38 countries taking off on a tour of Chicago. Both courses started in Grant Park taking runners on a scenic tour of downtown Chicago with epic views of the Chicago skyline, Lake Michigan, Chicago River and more. 

In the half marathon, Dathan Ritzenhein (Grand Rapids, Michigan) won the race with his first-place effort clocking a time of 1:04:27.

Colin Mickow (Naperville, Illinois) was second with a time of 1:05:22. Noah Corbett (Columbus, Ohio) followed in third place finishing in 1:11:03.

Kaylee Flanagan (Louisville, Illinois) was the women’s champion with a final time of 1:18:14 with Elizabeth Northern (Fort Worth, Texas) with a time of 1:21:44 and Kelley Gallagher (Buffalo Grove, Illinois) rounded out the podium in 1:24:02. In the 10K, Ryan Duffy (Chicago, Illinois) won the race with his first-place effort time of 37:11, Lucas Creek (Mapleton, Illinois) finished second at 37:19 and Scott Kandelman (Chicago, Illinois) finished third at 38:05.

Margarita Masias Guineo (Temuco, Chile) finished first for the females at 39:20, Marissa Lovell (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) at 42:25 and Allison Lampert (Indianapolis, Indiana) finished with a time of 42:33. Due to the continued excessive heat warnings which had been issued in the Chicago area over the past week and athlete safety being paramount, race officials made the decision to cancel Saturday’s 5K race which was a part of the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon event weekend.

 

With the help of her mom, 8-month-old Sadie Rose Stroud was the first female to cross the finish at the Vintage Park Half Marathon in Houston on April 14.

She and her mom, local runner Lauren Stroud, not only took the women’s win in 1:22:29, they also set a pending stroller half marathon Guinness record while doing so.

Stroud took more than five minutes off the previous official Guinness record of 1:27:34 held by Lindsy James of the United Kingdom. Julia Webb beat this time at the 2016 Rock ’n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon with a 1:22:57, but this record appears to have never been ratified by Guinness.

To make the victory all the more dominating, Stroud won the women’s division of the race by nearly six minutes, averaging a 6:18-mile pace.

There is a first-time runner in this year's Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marthon that is hoping to inspire others to take on new challenges. Melissa Manak is doing her first 10K at the Rock 'n' Roll Chicago Half Marathon. "It has music and even though I'm deaf, I want to feel the music," said Manak. "That's more fun to me, feeling the music than listening to music. So I pity everyone that can hear it, but I can feel it, so I'm listening to them that way." Manak doesn't let her hearing impairment stop her and needs no modifications to take on this new challenge. She's been training since last fall and says running helps clear her mind. "It's a mental health thing for me," she said. "People listen to music, I don't. I'm deaf.  When I'm running, I'm thinking about life, fixing my problems." Manak wants to encourage other people with hearing impairments to take part in running and if you're coming out next week, stop and say hello. "If there are other deaf people, come up to me. I want to see other deaf people running. I enjoy other people like me running. You see a lot of hearing people, so hopefully I see other deaf people come."