Florence Kiplagat out to keep Chicago Marathon title

What you need to know:

  • Speaking after Tuesday’s training session in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kiplagat said she has trained well and is ready for Sunday’s race.
  • In 2013, she took position six in London Marathon before winning in the Berlin that year. The year 2014 was her sweetest since she broke the Half Marathon world record when she ran 1:05:12 beating Mary Keitany’s old mark by 38 seconds.

Reigning Chicago Marathon champion Florence Kiplagat will be seeking to retain her title in this year’s edition.

Speaking after Tuesday’s training session in Elgeyo Marakwet County, Kiplagat said she has trained well and is ready for Sunday’s race.

“I have trained well and I’m ready to face my opponents. It took me long to prepare and I know that good things lie ahead of me,” Kiplagat said in Kamariny Stadium in Iten.

Kiplagat says she expects a better race this year as she will team up with compatriot Valentine Kipketer.

“This year I will be running alongside Valentine Kipketer. We will work together. Coordination will be easier between the two of compared to last year when I was running alone,” said the athlete.

Kiplagat said her training and build-up to the race has gone well. Last year, she defied a slight injury to compete in the race, triumphing in a time of 2hours, 3:33minutes. This year, she will be seeking to record a faster time.

Kiplagat represented Kenya at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Beijing where she claimed a silver medal in 5,000 metres. She wound up fifth in the senior category at the 2007 World Cross Country Championships held in Mombasa. In 2009, she took gold at the World Cross Country Championships held in Amman, Jordan.

She won the 2010 World Half Marathon Championships in China, then scaled up to the marathon, winning the 2011 Berlin Marathon.

In 2013, she took position six in London Marathon before winning in the Berlin that year. 2014 was her sweetest year since she broke the Half Marathon world record when she ran 1:05:12 beating Mary Keitany’s old mark by 38 seconds.

In 2014, she finished second in the London Marathon behind Edna Kiplagat before breaking a world record in the World Half Marathon in Barcelona, Spain in 2015.