‘Magnificent athlete’: Chicago Marathon honors legacy of world record holder Kelvin Kiptum

As excitement builds ahead of the 2024 Bank Of America Chicago Marathon, one elite runner will be missing from the starting line.

Kelvin Kiptum of Kenya shattered the marathon world record in Chicago in 2023, clocking in at just 2 hours and 35 seconds. The 24-year-old captivated the audience and set new limits in long-distance running.

Just four months later, Kiptum and his coach Gervais Hakizimana died in car accident in Kenya near a popular distance running training site.

The news sent shockwaves through the running community.

“Magnificent athlete, also a magnificent individual,” said BOA Chicago Marathon Executive Director Carey Pinkowski. “He is indelibly etched in my mind and my heart, and the heart of our team in the city and obviously the streets of Chicago.”

Galen Rupp, an elite runner who ran the 2023 Chicago Marathon with Kiptum, agrees.

“He lived his life with so much joy, and I think his running demonstrated that. He was not scared to just go for it,” Rupp told NBC Chicago. “For him to push the boundary of what’s possible in distance running, that to me I think is going be part of his legacy, that there are no boundaries.”

Kiptum had accomplished so much in so little time, leaving the world to wonder what could have come next for a young man with so much promise.

“He was on the front-end of his career, 24 years old; he had so much more to offer. There’s no doubt in my mind in his next marathon or coming back here to Chicago he would have run under two hours,” Pinkowski said. “There’s no doubt in my mind he would have gone to Paris and ran away with the Olympic medal. For me it’s what could have been. What he did was historic and amazing, but what he had to offer he would have been the face of marathon running.”

The Bank of America Chicago Marathon will honor Kiptum this year in several ways, including a moment of silence at the starting line before the race.

At the Abbott Health & Fitness Expo, runners can also view his uniform, bib and a memorial dedicated to him. Each runner is offered a sticker with his name and world record time they can wear on their bib.