Women's Chicago Marathon 2026: Hawi Feysa Defends in a Three-Way Elite Thriller

• Hawi Feysa Gejia wins in 2:13:33, defending her 2025 Chicago title and becoming the first back-to-back women's champion in the editions we have — crossing 34 seconds ahead of Sharon Lokedi (2:14:07).
• Sharon Lokedi surged to the lead at 25K–30K, posting the fastest women's split on that segment, only to be reeled back in by Feysa's relentless final push.
• Brigid Kosgei rounds out the podium at 2:14:55, running the 2nd-fastest women's split on the opening 5K–10K stretch and never relinquishing 3rd after the early miles.
• Mary Ngugi-Cooper's late charge — the fastest women's split from 21 miles to 35K — lifted her from 6th to 4th (2:17:23), the biggest move of the race in the final stretch.

Hawi Feysa arrived in Chicago as the defending champion, and she wasted no time announcing her intentions. She surged into 2nd within the first 10K, clocking the fastest women's split on that segment, and moved to the front shortly after — a lead she would hold through most of the race at a searing 5:06-per-mile average. Her one moment of vulnerability came late, when Lokedi's 25K–30K hammer briefly pushed Feysa to 2nd. She responded with authority, reclaiming the lead and holding it through Grant Park for a 2:13:33 finish — a full 34 seconds clear of Lokedi and a successful title defense in one of the Abbott World Marathon Majors.

Sharon Lokedi ran the race of a hunter. Sitting patiently in 3rd through the opening half, she moved to 2nd by the 25K checkpoint and then threw down the fastest women's split of the entire field on the 25K–30K leg to briefly take the lead. That bid ultimately fell short, but her 2:14:07 was a commanding performance — 48 seconds ahead of a podium that was never truly in doubt. Brigid Kosgei, meanwhile, was a model of consistency: 4th at the gun, 2nd by 10K, and locked in 3rd from there to the finish in 2:14:55.

Behind the podium, the racing was fierce. Joan Jepkosgei Kilimo ran a remarkably disciplined race — 5th at every single checkpoint — finishing in 2:18:39 for 5th. Mary Ngugi-Cooper was the day's biggest mover in the late miles, posting the fastest women's split from 21 miles to 35K to climb from 6th to 4th (2:17:23). The American contingent had its moments too: Emma Grace Hurley (7th, 2:20:47) and Dakotah Popehn (12th, 2:24:00) led the domestic charge, while Sara Hall — 3rd here in 2021 — returned to finish 19th in 2:32:35 across a women's field of nearly 25,000.