Kenyan stars on a mission at New York Marathon
What you need to know:
- Women’s field led by reigning title holder Keitany and two-time world champ Kiplagat.
- Former world record holder Kipsang looking for 10th career win, compatriot Kamworor hungry for success.
Some of Kenya’s finest marathon runners will be on a mission at Sunday’s New York City Marathon in the United States.
The focus will be on World marathon record holder Mary Keitany as she targets her fourth consecutive victory and two times World marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, who is seeking her second win since 2010.
What with greenhorn Betsy Saina, who is based in United States, taking a plunge into the untasted waters of marathon for the first time.
Former World marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang, who won the 2014 battle and two-time World Half Marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor, will fly the Kenyan flag in men’s explosive showcase.
Keitany, 35, staged a dominant performance last year in which she surged ahead at 23 kilometres to finish the course on a solo run in 2:24:26. Her 3:34 margin of victory was the greatest in the women’s race since 1980, and she became the first able-bodied runner since Grete Waitz to win the event three years in a row.
Keitany returns to New York five months after setting a new women’s only World marathon record with victory in London in 2:17:01, her third career victory on the course. Keitany is a two-time winner of the World Marathon Majors, taking the series titles in 2012 and 2016.
“I can’t promise a course record but what I am sure of is another victory,” said Keitany.
Kiplagat, the 2011 and 2013 World champion but settled for silver at London Worlds three months ago, won in New York in 2010 before reigning supreme in 2014 London and 2017 Boston. “This is the third time I am running three marathons in a year and I hope it goes well. It will be a good achievement to win after victory in Boston and silver at the Worlds,” said Kiplagat.
SAIN IN THE MIX
Saina, who has been training in Kenya for the last four months under coaches Patrick Sang and Richard Metto, is excited about the challenge.
“It’s exciting training in Kenya and for sure nothing is easy. Everything needs some hard training so I am having a good transition from track,” said Saina, who hopes to learn a lot from her friends Edna and Keitany, who have given her some valuable advice.
“I will not be in New York to ruin someone’s party but my goal is to put myself in the mix and be competitive." “Marathon is a different animal so I will be really careful but for now.”
The Kenyan women face among others 2014 Boston Marathon champion Buzunesh Deba and American Shalane Flanagan.
Kipsang is looking for his 10th career marathon victory with his latest coming from Tokyo on February 28 where he triumphed is a course record time of 2:03:58. His personal best of 2:03:13 could have come when he finished second in Berlin Marathon last year but he claimed the World Record of 2:03:23 at the same course in 2013.
“I am fully prepared and I know I can win again after 2014,” said Kipsang, who failed to finish the Berlin Marathon last month, exiting at the 30km mark.
"It won’t be a fast race compared to Berlin but a course record can be achieved.”
Kamworor, the reigning two-time World Cross Country champion, hopes to put behind the London World Championships disappointment with a good result.
The Kenyans are up against the defending champion, Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea, who is also the 2015 World marathon champion and Ethiopians 2016 Boston Marathon champion Lemi Berhanu and Lelisa Desisa, who finished second at New York City Marathon in 2014 and third in 2015 before failing to finish last year.
