Mosop sets course record in Chicago; Shobukhova sets new Russian record in three-peat

CHICAGO, October 9, 2011­�Under sunny skies, Moses Mosop of Kenya led the way to a decisive victory on Sunday, October 9 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon winning in 2:05:37, surpassing the late Sammy Wanjiru's 2009 record by five seconds.

Mosop led a Kenyan podium sweep, with Wesley Korir finishing second in a personal best time of 2:06:15 and Bernard Kipyego finishing third less than fifteen seconds later in 2:06:29 in his first race on American ground.

American Ryan Hall finished fifth in in 2:08:04. Ryan previously ran the fastest marathon time by an American at this year's Boston Marathon, finishing fourth in 2:04:58.

In the women's race, Russia's Liliya Shobukhova ran alone with a monumental lead for nearly the entire second half of the race, winning easily in 2:18:20 and besting her nearest competitor Ejegayehu Dibaba of Ethiopia by almost three minutes (2:22:09). Japan's Kayoko Fukushi finished third in 2:24:38.

Shubokova became the first runner to win a third straight Chicago Marathon title. Her personal best time of 2:18:20 also makes her the second fastest woman in marathon history, behind Great Britain's Paula Radcliffe.

Shubokova sealed the 2010-11World Marathon Majors series women's title and $500,000 jackpot. It was announced last week, concurrently with Edna Kiplagat's withdrawal from the ING New York City Marathon 2011.

The lead for the men's race was not affected by the outcome of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and the new world record holder Patrick Makau of Kenya still holds the lead after the Berlin Marathon. The men's 2010-2011 series will be decided during the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6.

The top five men and women finishers at the Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, New York World Championships, and Olympic Marathons will earn points in a $1 million two-year series to crown the World Marathon Majors championship. The 2010–11 series will conclude at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 6. The men's and women's champions will each win $500,000. The points breakdown is 1st 25, 2nd 15, 3rd 10, 4th 5, and 5th 1.

The current 2010–2011 World Marathon Majors standings are:

Men

1. Patrick Makau (KEN), 60pts
2. Emmanuel Mutai (KEN), 55pts
3. Tsegaye Kebede (ETH), 41pts
4. Geoffrey Mutai (KEN), 40pts
5. Gebre Gebremariam (ETH), 35pts

Women

1. Liliya Shobukhova (RUS), 90pts
2. Edna Kiplagat (KEN), 60pts
3. Mary Keitany (KEN), 35pts
4. Bezunesh Bekele (ETH), 30pts
5. Teyba Erkesso (ETH), 25pts