South Africa’s Adriaan Wildschutt made his marathon debut at Sunday’s Chicago Marathon, clocking 2:11:23 after a challenging second half of the race.
Wildschutt showed his potential over the opening stages, reaching halfway in 1:02:32 and running at a pace that put the South African marathon record within reach.
However, the 27-year-old was unable to maintain that pace over the second half and finished in 2:11:23 – which was good enough for 25th place overall.
National record
Wildschutt posted a 59:13 half marathon debut in Valencia – a South African national record earlier this year and won the NYC Half in March.
Despite falling short of his stated pre-race goals, the performance marked an important milestone in his transition to marathon running.
For Adriaan Wildschutt, the 2:11:23 finish offers a benchmark for future races as he looks to build on his achievements on the track and over shorter road distances.
Brother Nadeel also faces tough Chicago race
Wildschutt’s brother, Nadeel, also lined up for the Chicago Marathon with hopes of producing a personal best.
He passed the halfway mark in 1:03:41 and was on course for a strong performance before being unable to finish the race.
However, shortly after the 25km mark he cramped badly and was forced to step off the course.
Although the Chicago Marathon did not deliver the results either brother had hoped for, their attempts marked another step in their development as long-distance runners.
Meanwhile, Amos Kipruto of Kenya won the men’s race in 2:01:09, while Ethiopia’s Hawi Feysa clocked 2:13:33 to win her second straight women’s title.