Three Americans—Natosha Rogers, Dakotah Popehn, and Gabi Rooker—secured top 10 finishes at the 2025 Chicago Marathon, with Rogers and Popehn both setting personal bests in the process.
Rogers, 34, was sixth overall in 2:23:28, a 5:28 pace and 23 seconds faster than her personal best, set in Nagoya, Japan, this past March. Popehn, 30, a 2024 Olympian in the marathon, placed seventh in 2:24:21 (5:30 pace), improving on the 2:24:40 she ran here in 2023. And Rooker, 38, took ninth in 2:26:32, a 5:35 pace.
Rogers ran a patient race, gradually moving up from the halfway point on. By the 30K split, she passed Popehn and was leading the American contingent in eighth place. At mile 20, she moved into seventh when Ejgayehu Taye of Ethiopia fell back. By 35K, Rogers was in sixth place and held her position all the way through the finish line.
She told reporters after the race that she hoped for a 2:22 finish but started conservatively; she hit rough patches at points, but channeled her mental strength and the support of the crowd to persevere. “Every part of that course was just so beautiful, and the energy was amazing,” she said. “So to push through those bad waves and then hit a good wave—just even to get to the start line, let alone the finish line, and be top American is amazing.”
It was only Rogers’ third marathon and her first World Marathon Major. She made her debut at the 2024 Olympic Marathon Trials, where she had a tough day, running 2:34:51 for 28th place. But she began this year on a high note, setting a personal best of 1:08:35 and placing fifth in the Houston Half Marathon, before setting a nearly 12-minute personal best and placing seventh in Nagoya. She’s coached by Steven Magness and trains mostly alone, with lower mileage than many elite women—she topped out at 85 miles per week.
In the past, mid-race fueling and gastrointestinal issues have held Rogers back, she said. Today, “I ran smart, and I was really good about every station, I would take a little bit of gel and fluid,” she said. “I didn’t feel sick at all, and that’s what I’ve been struggling so much with every single race. Your whole body goes lactic; it’s awful. You’re not reaching your full potential. So just to catch a little bit of a break is really nice today.”
Popehn, who finished 12th in the Olympic Marathon in Paris in a time of 2:26:44, said before the race that her training block had been her best yet and she hoped to finish faster than 2:20, or 5:20 pace. With her own pacer, Minnesota Distance Elite teammate Tyler Jermann, she set out at a 5:17 pace for the first 5K. She slowed by the halfway point, hitting 13.1 miles in 1:10:26, a 5:25 pace. But at that time, she was in seventh place, where she stayed until the finish.
Rooker earned her first top 10 finish at a World Marathon Major. In the last two years, the former collegiate gymnast secured 11th and 12th-place finishes in Chicago, including a 2:24:29 personal best in 2024. Sunday’s performance showed a vast improvement in the 38-year-old’s racing strategy as she passed three people from miles 20 to 24.
Rogers wins $15,000 for placing first American, Popehn takes home $12,000 for second American, and Rooker earns $10,000 for third American.
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Cindy is a freelance health and fitness writer, author, and podcaster who’s contributed regularly to Runner’s World since 2013. She’s the coauthor of both Breakthrough Women’s Running: Dream Big and Train Smart and Rebound: Train Your Mind to Bounce Back Stronger from Sports Injuries, a book about the psychology of sports injury from Bloomsbury Sport. Cindy specializes in covering injury prevention and recovery, everyday athletes accomplishing extraordinary things, and the active community in her beloved Chicago, where winter forges deep bonds between those brave enough to train through it.
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
