Hawi Feysa Returns to Defend Her Chicago Marathon Title on Sunday

Megertu Alemu near mile 25 of the Chicago Marathon on her way to second place, Chicago, October 12, 2025 (Photoguy1212 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0) [file photo]

Hawi Feysa returns to the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, October 11, as the defending women’s champion. She leads a large Ethiopian group at the 48th edition of the race, which starts and finishes in Grant Park.

Hawi won the race by a wide margin last year. World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport, reported her winning time as 2:14:56, more than two minutes ahead of fellow Ethiopian Megertu Alemu. World Athletics said the time made her the fifth-fastest woman in marathon history at that point. The Chicago win came a year after her victory at the 2024 Frankfurt Marathon.

Video: NBC Chicago footage of Hawi Feysa winning the women’s race at the Chicago Marathon, October 12, 2025.

Her 2026 season has been quieter. In their July announcement of the field, race organizers said her best result this year was third place at the Tokyo Marathon, the same place she earned there in 2025. Hawi told organizers that she expects a second win to be harder. “I am preparing very well and am confident I will arrive at the start line in good form,” she said. She added that her most important goal is to fight for a place on the podium.

Brigid Kosgei of Kenya has the fastest personal best in the women’s field. She won Chicago in 2018 and 2019, and she ran her best time of 2:14:04 in the 2019 race. Organizers said she comes to Chicago after winning the Tokyo Marathon this year. They also said Sharon Lokedi of Kenya, who won the Boston Marathon in 2025 and 2026, will race in Chicago for the first time.

Other Ethiopian women also arrive with strong records. Sutume Kebede won the Tokyo Marathon in 2024 and 2025 and finished second in Chicago in 2024, according to Olympics.com. Megertu, last year’s runner-up, has a best time of 2:16:34 from the 2024 London Marathon. Degitu Azimeraw and Fantu Worku are also on the start list.

In the men’s race, Ethiopia has four runners with fast personal bests. Milkesa Mengesha won the Berlin Marathon in 2024 and has a best time of 2:03:17. Olympics.com said that time makes him the third-fastest man in the field. Tadese Takele Bikila has won the Tokyo Marathon in each of the last two years. Asrar Hiyrden ran 2:03:59 in Seville this year, and Boki Diriba ran 2:06:26 in Doha.

The Ethiopian men will face Jacob Kiplimo of Uganda, who won Chicago last year in 2:02:23. Organizers said Kiplimo ran 2:00:28 to finish third in London in April, which is the third-fastest marathon ever run. Kenya’s Amos Kipruto, who finished third in Chicago in 2024 and second in 2025, also returns. In total, six men in the field have run faster than two hours and four minutes.

The Chicago course is flat, and the race has a long history of fast times. Olympics.com said six world records have been set on the city’s streets. Organizers expect more than 55,000 runners to take part this year.

The professional race starts at 7:30 a.m. Chicago time. That is 3:30 p.m. in Addis Ababa, or 9:30 in the afternoon by the Ethiopian clock. For readers in the United States, NBC Sports said the race will air on NBC5 Chicago and stream on the NBC Chicago channel on Peacock, with coverage starting at 8 a.m. Eastern Time.