Mary Ngugi during a previous race/ HANDOUTTwo-time World Half Marathon bronze medallist Mary Ngugi hopes to finally land her long-awaited breakthrough at the Chicago Marathon as she prepares to face some of the world’s top female distance runners on October 11.
Ngugi made her first appearance at the Chicago Marathon last year, narrowly missing out on a podium finish after clocking 2:19:26 for fifth place.
Ethiopians dominated the race, with Hawi Feysa storming to victory in 2:14:57 ahead of compatriot Megertu Alemu, who timed 2:17:18 for second place, while Tanzania’s Magdalena Shauri rounded off the podium in 2:18:03.
Ngugi is already relishing another shot at the prestigious Chicago course as she looks to improve on last year’s performance. “Delighted to be going back to the Chicago Marathon. An amazing lineup of super strong women, a beautiful course and an amazing city; can’t wait,” she shared.
She heads into the race in flying form, having opened her season on April 20 at the Boston Marathon, where she placed third in 2:20:07 as Kenyans swept the top four positions. Sharon Lokedi won the race in 2:18:51, ahead of Loice Chemnung, who clocked 2:19:35, as Mercy Chelangat completed the Kenyan sweep in fourth place in 2:20:30.
Ngugii arrives in Chicago with vast experience racing on American soil, where she has built an impressive resume over the years. Her first-ever race in the United States came in 2013, when she finished third at the New Orleans Half Marathon in 1:10:32.
The following year, she won the Spokane Lilac Bloomsday 12km Run in 39:36 and added a third-place finish at the New York 10K in 31:52.
In 2015, Ngugi hit a rich vein of form, securing three straight victories at the Boston 10K in 32:07; the Boilermaker 15K in 48:49; and the Boston Half Marathon in 1:10:21.
Her first marathon appearance in the USA came in 2019 at the Boston Marathon, where she faded to seventh place in 2:28:33. Later that year, she endured another disappointing outing in New York, finishing 10th in 2:27:36. She returned to Boston in 2021 and produced a much-improved performance, finishing second in 2:25:20 behind compatriot Edna Kiplagat, who won in 2:25:09.
Ngugi’s strong Boston form continued in 2022 when she again mounted the podium, securing third place in 2:21:32 behind fellow Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir, who won in 2:21:01, and Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh, who clocked 2:21:05. In 2023, however, she endured a string of disappointing outings, including a ninth-place finish in Boston in 2:24:33 and fifth place in New York in 2:27:53.
