Remembering Kelvin Kiptum

Sweat was beading down his forehead as his lean, muscular body barreled away from 26.2 miles. He threw his arms up in elation, tearing through the white banner spanning across the finish line. His feet thumped toward race director, Carey Pinkowski, soaring into his arms. 24-year-old Kenyan, Kelvin Kiptum, blasted across the finish line of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon at 2 hours and 35 seconds, the fastest official marathon time ever recorded. That was 2023.

On Sunday, Oct. 13, the city of Chicago hosted a record 52,150 participants in the 2024 Chicago Marathon. Starting and finishing in Grant Park, the marathon route spans through 29 Chicago neighborhoods. As one of six Abbott World Marathon Majors, the marathon is one of the most prestigious in the world, hosting an impressive pool of elite runners each year.

At this year’s Chicago Marathon, Kiptum was absent, tragically lost in a car accident with his coach, Gervais Hakizimana, in February. However, everywhere participants and spectators looked this weekend, they could feel his memory lingering on the streets of Chicago. Pinkowski said, “His spirit will be with us…He’s indelibly etched in our minds and our heart and on the streets of Chicago.” The entire Chicago Marathon Event Team ensured Kiptum’s spirit was kept alive throughout the weekend.

At the Abbott Health and Fitness Expo, where participants received their event shirts, bibs and any last-minute race day supplies, Kiptum’s signed uniform and bib from his record-breaking race last year were displayed in a glass case beside a memorial detailing his career highlights.

As participants anxiously lined the start line on Sunday morning, organizers held a moment of silence to honor Kiptum and his coach, which, despite high levels of anxiety and excitement, was widely respected by participants before the race. Thousands of runners, including winners Ruth Chepngetich and John Korir, wore stickers with his name and 2:00:35 time on their bibs as they wove through the streets of Chicago.

Chepngetich, who set a new world record for the women’s marathon at 2 hours, 9 minutes and 57 seconds, dedicated her race to the late Kiptum, a fellow Kenyan athlete. As the first woman to run under two hours and ten minutes in the marathon, she said, “Kiptum inspired me to break the world record…I'm proud of my country. The world record has come back there.”

Korir, the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon winner with a finish time of 2 hours, 2 minutes and 44 seconds, explained that he was inspired by Kiptum as well. When asked about his Kiptum-like splits throughout the race, he said, “That motivated me…when I was running, I was thinking…if Kiptum run the fastest time last year, I would…try to run my personal best.”

At the press conference on Friday, Oct. 11, Pinkowski recounted Kiptum’s impact on the running community and the city of Chicago. He believed Kiptum’s immense victory last year put Chicago back on the map and revitalized the community’s support for the event. Runner Tim Brangle, a ten-time Chicago Marathon participant recognized this shift as well. Brangle said, “The crowd was absolutely stunning all the way through…there was an electricity to a level that I haven’t seen in a long time, if ever.”

Kiptum’s presence was felt by all who walked the streets of Chicago on Sunday, Oct. 13. His legacy was kept alive by Pinkowski and the Chicago Marathon Event Team and will not soon be forgotten.