TOKYO, Japan, October 13, 2026 – Honda Motor Co., Ltd. today announced that Catherine Debrunner, equipped with Honda racing wheelchairs, won and set a new world record in the women's wheelchair marathon (T54) with a time of 1:33:16 at the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, held in Chicago, U.S.A. on Sunday, October 11, 2026. This marked her third Chicago Marathon victory, and came two years after her previous win there in 2024. She shaved 1 minute off her previous world record, set at the Berlin Marathon in September 2023.

Debrunner currently holds the world record in all nine women’s T53/T54 class events — including the 100m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m and marathon which have been her main focus — yet she continues to take on new challenges, aiming for new heights in all events.
Identifying with her unwavering commitment to taking on challenges, Honda has been supporting her since 2023.

Based on the Honda vision for its sports activities – “To increase the number of people who take on challenges through sports activities and make the lives of people more enjoyable everywhere in the world” – Honda will continue to support various athletes who take on challenges toward the realization of their own dreams.

I’m incredibly happy to have won the Chicago Marathon today and set a new world record, beating the previous mark by a full minute. Crossing the finish line knowing I had set a new world record made the day even more special.
A big thank you to Honda for being part of my journey. Their support means a lot to me and helps me focus on what I love doing: racing, pushing my limits and seeing what’s possible.
I’m already looking forward to the next challenge!

In the spirit of “Respect for the Individual,” one of the company’s Fundamental Beliefs, Honda has been striving to offer the joy and freedom of mobility to all customers around the world and contribute to their efforts to realize their dreams. As a part of this initiative, Honda has been conducting research and development of racing wheelchairs since 2000. In addition to providing them to the wheelchair athletes Honda supports, Honda has made its racing wheelchairs available for sale to any customers since 2019.

Moreover, to further advance and popularize wheelchair sports, Honda has gone beyond the enhancement of product performance and developed a “Push Power Measurement System” to provide technological support that will enhance the abilities of wheelchair athletes. The system has been available for lease since November 2025*. 

Through these activities, Honda will contribute to the further recognition of wheelchair athletics and the popularization and advancement of parasports.

* Honda Push Power Measurement System is available for lease through Honda Sun Co., Ltd., a special subsidiary of Honda.

About Honda racing wheelchairs and the Push Power Measurement Wheel System:
https://racer.honda-sun.co.jp/en/

About Honda wheelchair athletics activities:
https://global.honda/en/sports/wheelchair_racing/

About Honda sports activities:
https://global.honda/en/sports/