Nike Athlete Mo Farah Wins Chicago Marathon — and Sets New European Record
Ella Chochrek
Assistant Digital Editor
Mo Farah recorded his first marathon win at the Chicago Marathon today — setting a new European record with his time.
Competing in only his third marathon — and his first on U.S. soil — the British distance runner finished in 2:05:11, enough for new personal and European bests.
The Olympian is the first Brit to win the Chicago contest since Paul Evans in 1996.
Farah won four Olympic gold medals in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter races, but with a win today, he proved he can be just as effective in a road race as he is on the track. He plans to compete in the marathon race at the 2020 Olympics.
Nike Running celebrated the 35-year-old’s achievement on Instagram.
“Don’t just win a marathon, become running royalty,” the post read. “Today in Chicago, @gomofarah broke his PR and the European Record in his first major marathon victory. It was only a matter of time. 2:05:11 #justdoit #chicagomarathon.”
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On the women’s end, Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei finished in 2:18:35 to take home the title. Kosgei, who is also a Nike athlete, finished as runner-up in Chicago last year.
This time around, her aim was to outpace her competition with a finish in under 2:20 — a goal she beat by almost a minute and a half. Recording the third-fastest women’s time in the race’s history, the runner edged out second-place finisher Roza Dereje by more than two and a half minutes.
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