Sub-60-minute runners Peter Kirui and Gilbert Masai are the headliners in the elite men’s field for the PZU Warsaw Half Marathon

Masai has bettered the one-hour barrier three times in his career, with a best of 59:31 from Copenhagen in 2016. The following year he won in Berlin with 59:57, and he ended the 2018 season with a best of 1:00:16 from Venlo. Making his debut on Polish roads at the age of 37, the Kenyan is the prime candidate to challenge the course and Polish all-comers’ record of 1:00:48.

Kirui has an even more impressive career record, with five sub-one-hour clockings and a personal best of 59:22, set when winning in Prague in 2014. The most recent of these performances was a win in Krems in 2016 in 59:53.

Two other Kenyan runners with a history of good performances on the Polish road circuit will also be major contenders. Hillary Maiyo, with a career best of 1:01:05 from 2017, will be running in Warsaw for the fourth consecutive year and hoping to go even better after taking fifth, fourth and third in previous editions. David Metto, a 1:02:24 man, was the winner in last autumn's Warsaw Marathon and will attempt to keep his good streak in the city going.

Another one returning to the Polish capital is El Hassan Oubaddi, the Moroccan who finished fourth in the race last year with 1:02:52 and has since improved his PB to 1:02:40 last November. Also in the field is his compatriot Jaouad Chemlal, with a 1:02:31 from Marrakech last year.

Not to be discounted is Wycliffe Biwott, the winner from Tirana in 2017 with a 1:01:18. He will be hoping to make a return to form after missing the 2018 season.

Starting as the clear favorite in the women's race is Naomi Rotich. The Kenyan comes into it off the back of a personal best of 1:08:19 in Ras Al Khaimah last month. That was her fifth career sub-1:10, with earlier ones including victories in Breda and Dronten in 2017, as well as Madrid in 2018.

Conditions permitting, Rotich looks ready to challenge the course record of 1:09:06, which is also the fastest time ever achieved on Polish soil.

The main challenge to her dominance is expected to come from fellow Kenyans Gladys Kipkoech and Naomi Vaati. Kipkoech ran 1:10:13 to win in Hamburg last year, while Vaati set her best of 1:10:17 just over a month ago in Guadalajara.

Another woman in form is Abebech Gela Mulugeta, who set a PB of 1:11:07 this year to win in Santa Pola.

posted Friday March 29th