The winners of the 2009/2010 World Marathon Majors (WMM) titles could be decided at the 2010 Chicago Marathon.
Russia's Liliya Shobukhova and Germany's Irina Mikitenko will go head to head on October 10, in one of the strongest race fields ever assembled. Magdalena Lewy Boulet, Colleen De Reuck, Desiree Davila, Lidiya Grigoyeva and Naoko Sakamoto will also race in Chicago.
Shobukhova, who won the London Marathon last April and the Chicago Marathon last year, currently sits on top of the WMM leader board with 60 points.
Mikitenko, winner of the last two WMM titles, is in second place with 40 points. Mikitenko needs some mathematical help to take the title. She'd have to win Chicago, and Shobukhova would have to place no higher than fourth.
The only other woman who has a chance at the top spot is Kenya's Salina Kosgei with 36 points. She has yet to announce her fall marathon.
The men's field in Chicago is even deeper than the women's. Top US marathoner Ryan Hall will battle defending Chicago champ and Olympic marathon gold medalist Sammy Wanjiru, 2010 Virgin London Marathon champ Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia and 2010 Boston Marathon champ Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya.
Wanjiru is also the defending WMM champion. He's currently tied with Kebede on top of the men's WMM leader board with 50 points each. Deriba Merga and Emmanuel Mutai are tied for second with 35 points each. Jaouad Gharib is in third with 30 points.
A win by either Wanjiru or Kebede in Chicago would seal the men's WMM title and the $500,000 prize that comes along with it.
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