Ethiopian, Sutume Asefa Kebede, finished second in the 2024 Chicago Marathon, clocking 2:17:32. The performance was seven and a half minutes shy of the world-record win by Ruth Chepngetich of Kenya. Post-race Kebede garnered almost zero interest from international media due to the gregarious nature of Chepngetich’s run of 2:09:56.
The two athletes were just 14 seconds apart at halfway, splitting 64:16 and 64:30, respectively. Coming through the halfway mark, Sutume improved her previous personal best from the 2024 Houston Marathon (64:37) by seven seconds. She wisely let Chepngetich go, so as to not hit the wall past 32 kilometres or over 20 miles.
Big news! Sutume Asefa Kebede is officially On’s newest marathon runner.📣
— On (@on_running) October 12, 2024
With a marathon win in Tokyo earlier this year and a record-breaking time of 2:15:55, Sutume has established herself as one of the world’s fastest women. And now, she’s taking on her next challenge in… pic.twitter.com/XmeAgmmm7N
Despite the anonymous, but strong performance, sportswear brand, On, out of Switzerland, announced that Kebede was inked to a sponsorship agreement.
Kebede, however, hit the headlines seven months ago when the 29-year-old won the Tokyo Marathon in the time of 2:15:55, which represents her best run. She is the 12th-fastest half marathon runner of all time, with a tied 13th-fastest performance. The world record is 62:52 in a mixed-gender race and 1:05:16 by Kenyan Peres Jepchirchir in a women’s-only field. Jepchirchir’s happened in 2020 at the World Half Marathon Championships in Gdynia, Poland, while in 2021 Gidey achieved her in Valencia.
On was considered an upstart brand just a few years ago is now a major player in the sports apparel world. The company now has an elite program in the US, and outfit some of the best athletes in Europe and North America.
Sutume won the 2019 Beijing Marathon, took second at the 2022 Seoul Marathon, and finished third at the 2020 Tokyo Marathon in a time of 2:18.11.