Both the men’s and women’s champions from the 2004 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will return to Chicago on Sunday to battle with a field of world-class athletes to maintain their title. In only his third attempt at the marathon distance, Kenyan Evans Rutto, 27,won his second consecutive LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon last year in 2:06:16 hours. In the course of only two years, Rutto accomplished what only two other marathon runners in the world, Khalid Khannouchi and Steve Jones, had accomplished two consecutive LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon wins. Rutto is ready to accomplish victory number three.
After receiving amazing support last year from the estimated 1.2 million spectators that lined the course, Rutto is thrilled to be back attempting it again. “I am always overwhelmed by the support and excitement of the people in Chicago,” said Rutto. “After protecting my win last year, I hope to keep up the winning tradition.” The athlete from KIMbia will face tough opposition in Sunday, among them his training partners Timothy Cherigat, the BAA Boston Marathon winner from 2004. Debutant Tom Nyariki (both Kenya) is another one to watch.
Other elite entrants include last year’s winner of the real,- Berlin Marathon, Felix Limo (Kenya/PB: 2:06:14), number two on the all-time list Sammy Korir (Kenya/2:04:56) and Daniel Njenga (Kenya/2:06:16).
Romanian Constantina Tomescu-Dita, 35, also joins the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon elite field to defend her title for a second year. After finishing second in 2003, Tomescu-Dita came into 2004 more determined than ever to take home the victory. Even after being bed-ridden with the flu only two days prior to the Marathon, Tomescu-Dita gritted her teeth and focused her eyes on the finish line, winning her first major marathon of her career in 2:23:45.
In August Tomescu-Dita showed her strength again as she took the bronze medal in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics in Helsinki, Finland coming in at 2:23:19. It will be just eight days ago that she had won the gold medal at the World Half Marathon Championships. She is primed and ready to take on Chicago. As Tomescu-Dita puts it, “This year, I will have to pay close attention to the other runners as I again face strong competition. I am hoping to set a new Personal Best and to lower my current Romanian national record of 2:22:50.”
Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski added, “We are very excited to have both our champions back to defend their titles. Evans and Constantina both bring to the Race a brave front-running style that often defines the competition.” Masako Chiba (Japan), Colleen De Reuck and Deena Kastor (both US) will be the main rivals of Constantina Tomescu-Dita.
“All eyes will obviously be on Deena Kastor, but she will have some very strong competition,” stated Carey Pinkowski. Deena Kastor, 32, the 2004 Athens Olympic Marathon bronze medalist, hopes to shatter her American record of 2:21:16. In addition to breaking her own American record, she aspires to join the elite sub-2:20 club of women marathon runners. “I’m training for a sub-2:20 goal,” Kastor commented. “That’s my specific goal this year and I couldn’t think of a more fitting race to accomplish this because The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon is one of the top races in the world—the fast course, the millions of people that line the streets and the competitive field give you that extra motivation and adrenaline to perform at your best.”
