Thousands of participants run across city for 2024 Chicago Marathon

CHICAGO (WLS) -- 50,000 athletes took over the streets of the Windy City for the 46th Bank of America Chicago Marathon on Sunday, including world-record breakers and other runners who completed the intense journey at their own pace.

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"The world comes here for personal bests, whether that be a world record or just getting your personal record," 2005 Chicago Marathon winner Deena Kastor said.

Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya won the Chicago Marathon in 2:09:56 to break the world record by nearly two minutes.

The 30-year-old bested the record set by Tigist Assefa of Ethiopian in 2:11:53 at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

READ MORE | Chicago Marathon street closures ramp up along marathon route for Sunday's 2024 race

Chepngetich became the first woman to break 2:10 in the marathon. She also won the Chicago Marathon in 2021 and 2022 and finished runner-up last year.

Runners converged on Chicago from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to place the city on the international stage again.

The course led runners on a tour of the city, weaving through 29 different neighborhoods.

ABC7 Chicago caught up with Galen Rupp. He won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2017.

"One of the things I love about this marathon is that it highlights so many of the different and great neighborhoods in Chicago," Rupp said. "The support you receive from the crowd along the way is just fantastic"

Plainfield's Chris Colon is a Bank of America employee and part time firefighter. He ran the course to raise support for local firehouses.

"Like anything, one baby step, one food forward. Put your health first and foremost. Do it for the right reasons. It's okay to walk, it's okay to stretch," Colon said.

SEE ALSO | 3 runners continue to participate in every Chicago Marathon for 46th year

Last year, Kelvin Kiptum finished the marathon in 2:00:35 with an overall pace of 2:52 minutes per kilometer

He broke the marathon world record. Sadly, Kiptum was killed in a car crash in Kenya in February.

Organizers held a moment of silence for Kiptum before the race and offered the nearly 50,000 runners a memorial sticker to add to their bibs.

More than a million spectators lined city streets to cheer on the athletes taking on the 2024 Bank of America Chicago Marathon.

While the pros were finishing the marathon in just over two hours, some resilient runners spent nearly 12 hours on the race course before crossing the finish line.

While the pros were finishing the Chicago Marathon in just over two hours, some resilient runners spent nearly 12 hours on the race course before crossing the finish line.

Some of those runners ABC7 spoke to Sunday evening said it wasn't about being first place. They said it was about completing what they trained months for.

Edison Park native Lauren Antosz crossed the finish line to cheers, applause and a well-deserved medal hours after the first-place winner was called at the Chicago Marathon.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without my friends and family cheering me on," Antosz said.

Antosz completed the 26.2-mile course mere minutes before the 6 p.m. deadline.

"I also, in 2023, saw other bodies like mine finish, and so, anybody can run," Antosz said. "You just have to slow down."

By 4 p.m., crews had began tearing down the course while some runners were still creeping their way along the sidewalk to make it to Grant Park.

Antosz had some sound advice for those participants who were still making their way to the finish line.

"It's hard being in the back of the pack, because you don't have a lot of cheer sections, but you do the distance no matter the time," Antosz said.

Marathon officials said runners who crossed the finish line after 6 p.m. would still get a medal.

SEE ALSO | Chicago Marathon charity runners raising money for Northern Illinois Food Bank

One man ABC7 spoke with said he is on a personal journey to run a marathon in all 50 states... this year!

David Wyatt Moss said he has run 39 marathon's so far this year, including Sunday's race in Chicago.

Moss says he wears a different costume for every race. Sunday's theme was a Greek toga, a nod to the ancient origins of the marathon.

To find a list of results, click here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.