European record-holder will return to race the 42nd edition of the event in October

Britain’s Mo Farah is to defend his Bank of America Chicago Marathon title on October 13.

The 10-time global track gold medallist broke the European record with his winning time of 2:05:11 last autumn and recently placed fifth at the Virgin Money London Marathon with a time of 2:05:39.

That performance in the UK capital qualified him for the IAAF World Championships in Doha but he declined selection for the GB marathon team which increased speculation that he might target the 10,000m in Doha or another autumn marathon such as Berlin, New York City or Chicago.

The Doha world 10,000m final takes place just seven days before the Chicago race, on October 6, and Farah has since confirmed that his focus for 2019 is solely on the roads.

“Winning the Chicago Marathon last year was very special for me,” said Farah. “It was my first time to win a World Marathon Major and my time was a European and British record.

“I am looking forward to returning in 2019 to defend my title on the streets of Chicago.

“It is a fast course with good organisation. I expect they will recruit a strong field to make it a great race.”

Also announced for the men’s race is Farah’s former training partner Galen Rupp, the 2017 winner in Chicago.

“I am thrilled to announce that I will be running the 2019 Bank of America Chicago Marathon,” said USA’s Rupp. “I could not be more excited to return to a city and marathon that is so special to me.

“After undergoing surgery following last year’s race, I have been pouring all of my energy into my recovery and returning strong in 2019. I look forward to being at my best again and giving it all I have in October.”

Jordan Hasay headlines the women’s race, while defending champions Daniel Romanchuk and Manuela Schär are returning to target back-to-back victories in the elite wheelchair races.

“We are thrilled to have so many champions in this year’s field,” said executive race director Carey Pinkowski.

“Every elite field we put together tells a broader story about the sport – about the pressure to defend a title, the day in and day out commitment and grit of the world’s best athletes, and the pain and beauty of a comeback.

“Mo is an Olympic champion and he put on quite a show here last year, and we are excited that Galen has chosen the Bank of America Chicago Marathon as his comeback race.

“The American record is in play with Jordan, and Daniel and Manuela are unstoppable. I’m confident we are going to see great races up front on October 13.”