Fit-Pic: Running with Wesley Korir

If you don't know who Wesley Korir is, you'll want to remember his name. He ran the fourth fastest time at the 2008 Chicago Marathon while starting among the open field (he had never run a marathon before and had yet to reach elite status for the distance--and he entered the race just like the rest of us, paying his way). He finished second in that same race in 2011, and also racked up two wins at the L.A. Marathon. He won the 2012 Boston Marathon, picking off runners one-by-one on Heartbreak Hill until he took the lead on the way out of Kenmore Square, lost it and then got it back in the final mile. And he was the first elite runner to commit to run the 35th Bank of America Chicago Marathon on October 7, his fifth in a row.

More Fast Feet Commit to Shamrock Shuffle

Credit: Uwe Hermann at Flickr

And I thought this year's Bank of America Shamrock Shuffle was going to be plenty exciting with Abdi Abdirahman running it. But it's even better than a runner could imagine--and at 33 years young, it's not even a special anniversary for Shamrock like the Chicago Marathon will be when it turns 35 in October. Liliya Shobukhova, the fast female who has won the Bank of America Chicago Marathon the last three years, signed on. And then the female field only got faster and more competitive.

Who are some of those runners? Take a read:

• Tera Moody. Originally from St. Charles, Ill., Moody is returning to the Windy City from Colorado Springs, Colo., to run the Shamrock Shuffle 8K. Moody is no stranger to the race--she's won it twice. She was also a star performer at St. Charles High School, a two-time Illinois state champion in the 1,600 meters, and placed 10th at the 2010 Bank of America Chicago Marathon with a personal best 2:30:53. Moody unfortunately missed January's U.S. Olympic Trials due to injury, but she's on the comeback trail and could find herself becoming a three-time Shuffle champion.

Elites to watch at the 2011 Chicago Marathon

McGrory, Frei, Mosop, Hall and Shobukova at press conference

When your mainstay marathon is a part of the World Marathon Majors race circuit, best described as a championship-style competition of five of the world's major marathons (Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin and London, plus the IAAF World Championships and the Olympics), it's expected that you're going to see some fast feet among the elites. I might miss them every year because I'm running, but when you're on the course when Paula Radcliffe sets a world record (or not, thanks to a recent decision, but that's another story), it helps quicken your pace. Add in the Bank of America Chicago Marathon's course, known for being flat and fast and delivering a world record or two over the years, and race director Carey Pinkowski who's been at the helm for more than 20 years, and the talent is practically begging to be invited. At the elite athlete press conference the athletes are beaming when they're introduced to the crowd and those who speak echo how excited they are to be racing in Chicago--it happens every year.

With that said, here's who you want to keep your eye on Sunday, October 9, when the 34th running of the Chicago Marathon kicks off from Grant Park.