Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru outran Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia in the final half mile on Sunday to win a second straight Bank of America Chicago Marathon.
The 33rd running of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon witnessed a record 38,132 participants start the race and 36,159 runners cross the finish line, two defending champions, and a course record in the men’s wheelchair competition.
Wanjiru made three moves against Kebede, the last finally breaking his Ethiopian rival as he won by 19 seconds in 2 hours, 6 minutes, 24 seconds.
The victory likely was worth $615,000 to Wanjiru, the 2008 Olympic champion.
That includes $75,000 for winning, a $40,000 time bonus and $500,000 as winner of the 2009-10 World Marathon Majors trophy.
Wanjiru, 23, will get the last payoff unless Kebede makes the unlikely decision to run the New York Marathon four weeks from now and finishes first or second.
The temperature had risen to 73 degrees when Russia's Liliya Shobukhova won her second straight title, giving Chicago back-to-back men's and women's titles for the first time since the race began in 1977.
Shobukhova clinched the $500,000 as World Marathon Majors champion. She also got $75,000 for the win and a $40,000 time bonus for her winning time.