Kabuu faces acid test in race to defend title

Lucy Kabuu trains at Kasarani on August 5, 2013. Kenya’s top woman marathon runner Lucy Wangui Kabuu’s five-year marriage has hit the home stretch. FILE PHOTO/NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Veteran runners and up-and-coming athletes to participate in the event scheduled to take place from Thursday to Saturday.

Lucy Kabuu of Kenya Police faces a testy battle of her life as she seeks to defend her 10,000m title in next week’s national athletics championships at Nyayo Stadium.

Kabuu, 30, said she is ready to face some of Kenya’s finest athletes during the event that will double up as trials for the Commonwealth Games and Africa Championships.

But up-and-coming athletes will also be in the race during the event that will run from Thursday to Saturday.

“I am determined to retain my title at the Nationals and get a ticket to the Commonwealth Games, where I want to reclaim the title,” said Kabuu, who clocked 32min,44.1sec to win the national title last year ahead of Kenya Defence Forces runner Sharon Cherop (32:44.3) and Caroline Cheptanui  (32:51.0).

The Commonwealth Games are due July 23 to August 3 in Glasgow, Scotland, but the Africa Championships are planned for August 10 to 14 in Marrakesh, Morocco.

ATHLETE TO WATCH

Kabuu, the 2006 Commonwealth Games champion, comes up against the 2012 London Olympics 10,000m silver medallist Sally Kipyego, World 10,000m silver medallist Gladys Cherono (KDF), who is also the reigning World Half Marathon champion, and the 2009 World champion Linet Masai (Police).

Two-time Berlin Marathon champion Florence Kiplagat (Police), who recently set a new World Half Marathon Record (1:05:12) and 2012 Africa Cross Country champion Joyce Chepkurui wrap up the strong field.

Kipyego, who broke the New York City Half Marathon women’s record by four seconds with her 1:08:31 victory in March, will be the person to watch. Her victory signaled her recovery from a broken foot after the London Olympics.

Cherono, who won both the 5,000m and 10,000m titles at the 2012 Africa Championships, showed her form by winning the World Half Marathon title in March in a Kenyan sweep of the first five places.

Kiplagat, who won Berlin Marathon on her marathon debut in 2011 before recapturing the title in 2013, broke the World Half Marathon record by a significant margin at the Barcelona Half Marathon in February, running 1:05:12 hours to beat Mary Keitany’s old mark by 38 seconds.

Kiplagat also took the world record for the 20 km distance as well with a time of 1:01:56.