Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono of Kenya, wants to retain his title and improve the course record in the Dutch city on Oct. 21

Defending champion Lawrence Cherono will come up against stiff competition on Sunday when he lines up in Amsterdam Marathon. Cherono, who has been training in Kaptagat in Eldoret County, will be in a men’s field that features, among others, Ethiopia’s distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele. Bekele, considered the greatest distance runner of all time with a Personal Best of two hours, three minutes and three seconds in the marathon which he recorded in the 2016 Berlin Marathon. “I love training in Kaptagat because it has always given me good environment for training, which has often translated to positive results in all the races I have participated in. The place is cool and training in the forest gives me perfect conditions to prepare for marathon races,” Cherono told Nation Sport in Kaptagat. The athlete said he was happy to have finished his training programme injury-free and is looking forward to a good race on Sunday. “My training has gone well and I want to thank God because I have not suffered an injury during training in the last three months I have been here. I’m looking forward to running a good race as I seek to lower my Personal Best,” said Cherono. Cherono also said he has paid little attention to Bekele’s presence in men’s field, saying the Ethiopian can only help competitors run a quick race.

posted Friday October 19th