Izzi Batt-Doyle sets Australian marathon record with 2:20:38 in Chicago

Izzi Batt-Doyle broke the Australian women's marathon record in Chicago on Sunday, finishing sixth in 2:20:38. ABC News reported that the 31-year-old improved Jess Stenson's national mark by 46 seconds and cut two minutes and 21 seconds from her own previous best. The performance gave the Adelaide runner a place alongside earlier Australian record-holders including Sinead Diver and Benita Willis.

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Her fiancé Riley Cocks paced her through a race spent largely between groups. According to ABC, Batt-Doyle reached halfway in 1:10:29 and completed the second half in approximately 1:10:09. That meant she finished the second half about 20 seconds faster, despite feeling the effects of the warmth and accumulated fatigue.

Batt-Doyle's fastest five-kilometre section came between 35km and 40km, in 16:36. She told ABC she used water at available stations to cool herself and only began celebrating after seeing the clock on the finishing straight. She described the achievement as recognition of her training and a source of pride.

At the front, Ethiopia's Hawi Feysa successfully defended her title in 2:13:33, World Athletics reported. Sharon Lokedi was second in 2:14:07 and Brigid Kosgei third in 2:14:55. The governing body said it was the first marathon in which three women had finished in under two hours and 15 minutes, giving the podium a distinction beyond the individual results.

Feysa and Lokedi were still together with little more than a kilometre remaining before the Ethiopian accelerated away. Her eventual winning margin was 34 seconds. The victory also brought an 84-second improvement on Feysa's previous best, set in Chicago last year, and moved her to fourth on the women's world all-time list, according to World Athletics.

Kenya's Amos Kipruto won the men's race in 2:01:09, completing a sequence of third, second and first at Chicago over three successive editions. Tadese Bikila took second in 2:02:56, ahead of Milkesa Mengesha in 2:03:46. Pre-race favourite Jacob Kiplimo, who had forced the pace during the second half, ultimately finished fourth in 2:04:18.