CHICAGO, Oct 6: Defending champions Robert Cheruiyot of Kenya and Berhane Adere of Ethiopia headline the field for the 30th Chicago Marathon on Sunday.

Cheruiyot arrives in Chicago aiming to defend another 2006 title, after winning his second straight Boston Marathon crown in April in bitter cold and heavy rain.

He currently tops the World Marathon Majors men’s leaderboard with 75 points, a lock for the inaugural championship.

Regardless of his place finish in Chicago this weekend, Cheruiyot will become the first series champion following the ING New York City Marathon in November.

Evans Rutto of Kenya, winner in Chicago in 2003 and 2004, and 2005 winner Felix Limo of Kenya are among those challenging Cheruiyot, along with South Korean Korean Bong-ju Lee, Moroccan Jaouad Gharib and Kenyan Daniel Njenga Muturi – who has finished in the top three in Chicago the last five years.

Cheruiyot won the men’s 2006 Chicago title in 2hr 07:35, while Adere topped the women’s field in a national record of 2:20:42.

Although her career spans a decade, Adere spent the majority of that time on the track, making her marathon debut in Rotterdam in 2001. Since then, she has twice held the Ethiopian record and earlier this year, she won the Fortis Rotterdam Half Marathon as part of her preparation for Chicago.

She’ll be challenged by Australian record holder Benita Johnson, who returns to the course where she set the 2:22:36 mark in 2006, along with Romanian Nuta Olaru and Russian Alevtina Ivanova.—AFP