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September 9, 2013
Reporters May Contact:
Jeremy Borling, Bank of America Chicago Marathon, 1.312.992.6614
jeremy.borling@bankofamerica.com
Diane Wagner, Bank of America, 1.312.992.2370
diane.wagner@bankofamerica.com 
University of Illinois’ Tatyana McFadden Headlines Elite Wheelchair Athlete Field
at 2013 Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Men’s Race Features Returning Champions Josh Cassidy,
Kurt Fearnley and Heinz Frei
CHICAGO – The Bank of America Chicago Marathon today announced that Paralympic
gold medalist and defending champion Tatyana McFadden headlines a star-studded
wheelchair athlete field at the 36th annual race on October 13. McFadden is vying for
her third Chicago title in a row and fourth in the last five years. Since winning her first
marathon at the 2009 race, the 23-year-old Champaign, Ill.-based athlete has rapidly
ascended to the highest levels of the sport. A student at the University of Illinois (U of I),
she’s the latest in a long line of world-class athletes to emerge from the storied U of I
wheelchair racing team.
“Tatyana arrived at the 2009 Bank of America Chicago Marathon having never
competed in a marathon and she won in a thrilling sprint finish. She’s never looked
back,†said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. “We’re proud of our relationship
with the University of Illinois racing team and continually impressed by their
performances on what has become their home course. Several athletes, like Tatyana,
have gotten their start here and gone on to win all over the world.â€
After accumulating bronze and silver medals at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing
Paralympic Games, McFadden struck gold at the 2012 London Games, winning the
400-, 800- and 1,500-meter races. This summer, she became the first woman to win six
gold medals at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France, sweeping the
100- through 5,000-meter races. In April, she won the Boston and Virgin London
marathons within the same week. With victories at the Chicago and ING New York City
marathons this fall, she could become the first racer to win four World Marathon Majors
within the same year. For her groundbreaking accomplishments, McFadden was a 2013
ESPY Award finalist, and is a Women’s Sports Foundation’s 2013 Sportswoman of the
Year nominee.
“I am very excited to run the Chicago Marathon,†said Tatyana McFadden. “The field
coming into this marathon is going to make the race fast and extremely tough. We will
have a deep field of elite athletes who are experienced record holders and Paralympic
gold medalists. This year’s race will be exciting to watch and I am looking forward to
being a part of it again this year.â€Challenging McFadden will be her U of I teammate and fellow three-time Chicago
Marathon champion Amanda McGrory of Savoy, Ill., as well as Shirley Reilly of Tucson,
Ariz., the 2012 Paralympic Games Marathon gold medalist and 2012 Boston Marathon
winner. The Americans will face stiff competition from Australia’s Christie Dawes,
runner-up at the 2011 Chicago Marathon and bronze medalist in the 5,000-meters at
the London Paralympics; Canada’s Diane Roy, the 2009 runner-up and 2011 third-place
Chicago finisher; and Switzerland’s Manuela Schaer, the 2013 IPC World
Championships Marathon gold medalist.
The men’s division will feature a showdown of the last three Chicago Marathon
champions − Canada’s Josh Cassidy, Australia’s Kurt Fearnley and Switzerland’s Heinz
Frei. Defending champion Cassidy owns the world’s fastest marathon time with his
1:18:25 victory at the 2012 Boston Marathon. Fearnley is Chicago’s most decorated
male wheelchair champion with four titles, including three in a row from 2007 to 2009.
He is also a three-time Paralympic Games gold medalist and past winner of the London
and New York City marathons. Frei is the Chicago course record-holder from his 2010
victory in 1:26:56. He was runner-up to Fearnley in 2011 and is a three-time London
Marathon champion.
The competition also includes two other former Chicago champions − three-time winner
Joshua George and 2002 champion Adam Bleakney, both of the U of I racing team.
Bleakney is head coach of U of I’s wheelchair athlete program and was runner-up to
Cassidy last year. South Africa’s Ernst Van Dyke returns after a fourth-place showing in
2010. He’s the most decorated athlete in Boston Marathon history with nine victories in
a 10-year span from 2001 to 2010.
About the Bank of America Chicago Marathon
In its 36th year and a member of the World Marathon Majors, the Bank of America
Chicago Marathon annually attracts 45,000 participants, including a world-class elite
runner and wheelchair athlete field, and an estimated 1.7 million spectators. As a result
of its national and international draw, the iconic race assists in raising millions of dollars
for a variety of charitable causes while generating $243 million in annual economic
impact to its host city according to a report by the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign’s Regional Economics Applications Laboratory (R.E.A.L.). The 2013 Bank
of America Chicago Marathon will start and finish in Grant Park beginning at 7:30 a.m.
on Sunday, October 13. In advance of the race, a two-day Health & Fitness Expo will be
held at McCormick Place Convention Center on Friday, October 11, and Saturday,
October 12. For more information about the event and how to get involved, go to
www.chicagomarathon.com
Visit the Bank of America newsroom for more Bank of America news.
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