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Russia’s Liliya Shobukhova, the winner of the past three Chicago Marathons, will look to become the first runner to win a fourth straight title after making the decision to join 2012 women's field, as reported by the Chicago Tribune.
The Bank of America Chicago Marathon is scheduled for Oct. 7.
Shobukhova dropped out of the London Olympic marathon at the 14-mile mark with stomach cramps. The 34-year old Shobukhova ran the third-fastest time in the marathon's history in 2011 with a time of 2 hours 18 minutes 20 seconds in winning the race.
Shobukhova has joined a women's field that includes last year's distant runner-up, Ejegayehu Dibaba of Ethiopia, and Lucy Kabuu of Kenya. Kabuu took four seasons off from marathoning after failing to finish her debut race in 2007.
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