Ethiopia’s Kebede shatters course record in winning Chicago Marathon

By Philip Hersh, Tribune reporterChicago – With a stunning effort over the second half of the race, Tsegaye Kebede became the first Ethiopian man to win the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and broke the year-old course record by nearly a minute.

Kebede clocked 2 hours, 4 minutes, 38 seconds.  Moses Mosop of Kenya clocked 2:05:37 last year.

Kebede, the 2010 runnerup, pounded out five straight sub-4:40 miles to shred the pack down to two runners and pulled inexorably away from countryman Feyisa Lilesa in the 26th mile.  Lilesa clocked 2:04:52.

The winner covered the second half in 61:53 after a first half in 62:55.

“I don’t believe it,” Kebede said of the time. Read more