Running News Daily

Strong field has been assembled for the PZU Cracovia Marathon and the course record will be under attack

The 19th edition of the PZU Cracovia Marathon taking place in Krakow this Sunday, marks the first time that the race has been given IAAF Bronze Label status and appropriately strong fields have been assembled.

Hopes are high that the current course records of 2:11:34 by Berga Birhanu Bekele and 2:28:14 by Tetyana Gamera may be broken.

Philip Sanga Kimutai is the fastest man in the field. The 35-year old Kenyan has bettered 2:07 three times in his career, topped by 2:06:07 in Frankfurt in 2011 and has achieved podium finishes in multiple major races, including Vienna, Rome and Eindhoven.

Cybrian Kotut could start as the marginal favorite. The Kenyan won the 2016 Paris Marathon in a PB of 2:07:11 and finished third in Frankfurt in 2:07:28 the same year, but this will be a comeback race for him as he has competed since December 2017.

With a best of 2:08:35, Japan's Kentaro Nakamoto might not be the fastest runner in the field, but he is hugely experienced and extremely consistent, having finished in the top 10 at four global championships.

France’s Abraham Kiprotich, world ranked No.75 in the marathon, is another top contender. He won in Daegu in 2013 with a PB of 2:08:33 and followed it with victories in Istanbul and Taipei in 2017.

Kenya’s Josphat Leting, Philip Kangogo and Wycliffe Biwott all stand good chances of making it on to the podium, as does 2016 Krakow runner-up David Metto, who won three marathons last year, including two in Poland.

Kenyan duo Gladys Kipsoi and Eunice Jeptoo will start as the favourites for the women’s race. Kipsoi clocked a PB of 2:27:32 in Houston last year, while Jeptoo has gone even faster, with a 2:26:13 win in Eindhoven in 2017.

Nastassia Ivanova's best of 2:27:24 dates back to 2012, but the Belarusian has competed well in recent seasons, winning in Warsaw in 2017 and 2018 and finishing fifth at the 2018 European Championships.

Germany’s Katharina Heinig has bettered 2:30 in each of the past three seasons, with a best of 2:28:34 set in Berlin in 2016.

Two Ukrainians in the field are also possible contenders. Natalia Lehonkova won in Dublin in 2017 with 2:28:58, while 2008 Krakow winner Olga Kotovska has a PB of 2:28:47.

Prague Marathon winner Bornes Chepkirui says her campaign to win a ticket to the World Championships may depend on her performance at the Osaka International women's marathon on Sunday

Chepkirui will return to Osaka after she posted a slow time back in 2015 when she was placed in position 14, clocking 2:41:47.

She has since evolved and will be the athlete to beat having improved her best time to 2:24:19 from her Prague victory.

"It is a crucial year to me because we have the World Championships. I will run in Osaka and probable defend my title in Prague in May. But the target is to get to the Kenya team and compete at the Doha World Championships in Qatar in October," said Chepkirui.

Kenya's Eunice Jeptoo will also be back in the run after failing to finish this race in last year's contest.

The 36-year-old took more than six minutes off her best time to win the recent Eindhoven Marathon in 2:26:13. However, the two Kenyans should not expect a walk in the park.

They will be up against Ethiopian Sutume Asefa Kebede, who has the best recent time among the internationals in the field with a 2:24:00 in Dubai 2016.

Three other Africans are positioned at the 2:26 to 2:27 level, perfect to help pace the Japanese women along to marathon qualification marks.

Japan are using the race as part of its trials and qualifier for the 2020 Olympic Games. Absent are last year's debut winner Mizuki Matsuda but there will be the 2016 winner Kayoko Fukushi, who will be running her first marathon since the Rio Olympics.

There is also the duo of Tomomi Tanaka and Rei Ohara, who went head-to-end until the final meters of the 2016 Nagoya Women's Marathon.

Ohara is already in for trials for Japan's Olympic team while China will have HE Yinli, who holds a fast time of 2:30:26 from the 2017 race in Wuxi.

Prague Marathon champion Bornes Jepkirui will be heading the Kenyan runners at the Osaka Women’s Marathon

Jepkirui ran a well calculated first half of the race to take leadership from Amane Gobena of Ethiopia, who had crossed the 25km marker in 1:24.40 in Prague, clocking 2:24:19.

She crossed the finish line ahead of Ethiopians Belaynesh Oljira (2:25:13) and Amane Gobena, who finished third in 2:27:43. 

Jepkirui will be running alongside her compatriot Eunice Jeptoo.

Last year’s Osaka Marathon was dominated by Japanese women, with Mizuki Matsuda taking the title and Honami Maeda and Yuko Ando coming in second and third respectively.

Jeptoo, the defending champion of the Eindhoven Marathon in Netherlands, will be the athlete to beat at the Osaka Women’s Marathon, having clocked 2:26:13 in October in her win at the Eindhoven Marathon.

The 2019 Osaka race is also part of Japan’s Marathon Grand Championship series, a group of qualifying races for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic marathon team trial race.

There will also be Izabela Trzaskalska of Poland, who has a marathon best of 2:29:56. Japanese athletes are led by Nagoya marathon silver medalist Yuko Ando (2:21:36), Honami Maeda and Mizuki Matsuda.