Jacob Kiplimo returns to Chicago Marathon seeking a second straight victory

Jacob Kiplimo is returning to the 2026 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with a chance to win the race for a second consecutive year. The Ugandan runner arrives as the defending champion, giving Chicago spectators a returning winner to follow in the elite field.

Kiplimo’s 2025 victory came after he separated from the competition at the 18-mile mark. He finished in 2 hours, 2 minutes and 23 seconds, leaving more than a minute and a half between himself and the next finisher. That performance is the Chicago result he will look to build on when he returns to the city.

His success has extended beyond the marathon distance since that win. In January 2026, Kiplimo won the World Athletics Cross Country Championships in Florida. It was his third straight world cross country title, adding another championship to his record before the spring road-racing season.

Two months later, he set a half-marathon world record in Lisbon. The March performance added a shorter-distance milestone to a season that would also include a notable result over the full marathon distance. His return to Chicago therefore follows achievements across cross country, the half-marathon and the marathon.

At April’s TCS London Marathon, Kiplimo placed third while recording the third-fastest marathon time in history and setting a Ugandan national record. For Chicago running fans, those results provide useful context for his title defense: the returning champion has continued to reach major competitive milestones since his victory here. A repeat Chicago win is now the next goal identified for his return.