The highlight of the Chicago marathon may have been Kelvin Kiptum’s world-record-breaking 2:00:35 marathon or even Sifan Hassan’s 2:13:44 course record. But, there was no shortage of other records being shattered.
Jeannie Rice (75), Gene Dykes (75), and Jenny Hitchings (60) are no strangers to bringing down records, and they did just that at the Chicago Marathon.
Rice was also at the start of this year’s Boston Marathon, where she would take down the marathon world record in the 75-79 age division with a time of 3:27:50
Earlier this year, Dykes took to the line at Pennsylvania’s Dawn to Dusk to Dawn Track Ultra, a 12-hour race where he set seven American master’s records in his age group.
Dykes wrote his name in the 75-79 division record books for 25k (2:48:33), 30k (3:24:08), 50k (5:40:39), 20 miles (3:41:28), 50 miles (9:25:10), and 100k (11:56:26), alongside the record for the longest distance run in 12 hours (100.48k).
Jenny Hitchings competed at the 2023 London Marathon. Although at the time she was 59, she managed to set the 55-59 age group marathon world record, running a time of 2:45:27.
At the Chicago Marathon this past weekend, Rice, running a time of 3:34:32, took down the women’s masters world record in the marathon for the 75-79 age group. Over the course of the race, she also set American records in the 10k (49:14) and in the half marathon (1:43:09).
Dykes, covered the Chicago Marathon course in 3:17:01, securing him the American marathon masters record for the 75-79 age group.
The Chicago Marathon served as the World Marathon Majors Age Group World Championship, a title both Rice and Dykes claimed in the 75-79 age division.
Jenny Hitchings, now 60, managed to set a world record in the marathon and an American record in the half marathon for her 60-64 age group after completing the Chicago Marathon in a time of 2:49:43, crossing the half marathon mark in 1:23:39.
Rice came away from Chicago happy with her performance but wanted a bit more from herself.
After the race, she spoke to Runner’s World: “The weather was perfect, but somehow I didn’t have my best race! I thought I’d run 5 minutes faster than what I did. But I’m looking forward to breaking my own record at my next marathon.”
Rice has upcoming plans to race in the USATF Masters 8k Championships as well as two half marathons in Florida. Her next full marathon will be at the London Marathon in April of next year.
