Marathon party goes down at Keellu, Iten

Home fans will converge on Keellu Resort in Iten to cheer Mary Keitany as she seeks to defend her New York Marathon title on Sunday. 

Athletes and fans will join Keitany’s relatives for the “viewerthon” viewing party organised by Bank of Africa at the hotel owned by former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang.

The party will be the final one among five organised by the bank in Iten, Eldoret and Kapsabet around the World Marathon Majors races of Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and Sunday’s New York Marathon.

The bank, through its Eldoret branch manager Jeremiah Kayago, will hold a seminar on investment and banking before Kenya Revenue Authority officials also educate athletes on issues of taxation, the evening climaxing with the viewing of the New York Marathon.

The seminars will start at 11am with the bank also providing lunch for the first 200 athletes to register. Olympic marathon champion Jemimah Sumgong was among athletes who attended the last Bank of Africa viewing for the Chicago Marathon at the Tortoise Hotel in Kapsabet on October 9.

Keitany has, meanwhile, said she doesn’t fear her Ethiopian rivals ahead of the New York Marathon.

“I know there will be stiff competition especially from the Ethiopian athletes but I have done my part by training well and I will run my race. I don’t fear Aselefech Mergia since I have been running with her many races and we are also under one management,” she said in Iten before flying out to New York this week.

World record-holder Paula Radcliffe is also backing Keitany to claim a third title in the New York Marathon. 

“I think she has a very good chance. She hasn’t raced much, but when she has it has been very good. The competition is tough but by no means unbeatable for her. If she has finished her preparations well, I expect her to give it a very good defence,” she told USA Today on Thursday.

Stanley Biwott will be the top Kenyan man in action at the New York race. “I must say Rio Olympics was an anti-climax for me. Everything went as planned but my body just failed to react. I erred and this will be my chance to prove am still a worthy bet in running. New York is special to me because it was there that I won my first title in the World Marathon Majors,” he said.

Uganda’s Moses Kipsiro will also be looking to perform well on his second try at the marathon in New York. 

He made his debut in Hamburg in April but suffered from malaria and typhoid in the build-up and only ran 2:15:48. 

He added he is also targeting the World Cross Country Championships on home soil in Kampala next year.

Meanwhile, reigning champions Biwott and Keitany have contrasting reasons for wanting to retain their titles when action resumes in Series X of the Abbott World Marathon Majors. 
Biwott defends his crown knowing victory will move him into second place on the Series X leaderboard, just nine points short of Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge.