Lusapho of South Africa and Kenyan Jepkirui Rono will lead the Lattelecom Riga Marathon

Lusapho April, who has a 2:08:32 lifetime marathon best, is one of the most-titled runners in the field, having climbed the podium at races throughout the world during his career. A three-time Hannover Marathon winner, April’s greatest achievement was a third place finish at the New York City Marathon in 2013 clocking 2:09:45. Several runners are prepared to pull off surprises, including Kenyan Joseph Kyengo Munywoki, the 2017 winner in Riga in 2:12:14. His compatriot Silas Too has also illustrated fine form, clocking a 2:08:26 personal best for second in Barcelona in March. Duncan Cheruiyot Koech has the credential to make an impact, bringing a 2:07:53 lifetime best to the start line. The 36-year-old ran that six years ago but has recently threatened the 2:10 barrier with a third place finish at last month's Hannover Marathon where he clocked 2:10:19. Meanwhile, Jepkirui Rono, the favorite in the women's race, has a pair of high profile podium finishes to her name, second place in Frankfurt in 2012 where she clocked her 2:21:39 career best, and a third place finish in Boston earlier that year. She can also boast of victories in Eindhoven and Hannover. More recently, she was third at the Dongying Marathon in 2017 clocking 2:28:52. Among the opposition in Riga is last year's runner-up Kikuyo Tsuzaki of Japan, whose 2:31:32 career best came on this course in 2017. Two-time Warsaw Marathon winner Nastassia Ivanova from Belarus should also be a factor.

posted Friday May 18th