WR That Counts, Now Focus Shifts to Chicago

In the crazy world of marathons, world records (Geoffrey Mutai's 2:03:02 for instance) at Boston aren't counted because the IAAF thinks there is too much downhill running on the famed Beantown course. So what happened Sunday? A 2:03:38 was run at Berlin by Patrick Makau and will be recognized as the world record because the course is not "downhill." Kudos to Makau. That is a fantastic time. He is to be commended. But in a sport barely followed in the mainstream media, we don't need world records that don't count (Mutai in Boston). I have news for the IAAF that means nothing to them. There is a lot of uphill in Boston that makes it one of the toughest, not easiest, courses in the world. Back to Berlin. Florence Kiplagat debuted with a 2:19:44 to win the women's race. That's quite a first act! Yes, the Kenyans are in control as always. What does all of this mean for Chicago? The lead pack has a fresh 2:03:38 to shoot at. Oct. 9 will be an interesting day here if the weather cooperates.