Running News Daily

Strong men’s field is set for the Prague Marathon this weekend

Mathew Kipkoech Kisorio, who recorded a lifetime best of 2:04:53 in Valencia last year starts as the fastest in the men’s field, but he may still be feeling the effects of the Eldoret Marathon, which he won two weeks ago in 2:12:38.

Al Mahjoub Dazza finished just half a minute behind Kisorio in Valencia in December, clocking a Moroccan record of 2:05:26 in what was just his second marathon to date.

He contested the Birell Grand Prix in Prague in 2017 so will be vaguely familiar with the streets of the Czech capital.

Kisorio’s brother, Peter Kimeli Some, is the third athlete in the field whose PB is quicker than Prague’s course record of 2:05:39. Some clocked 2:05:38 to win the 2013 Paris Marathon and came just a minute short of that mark when finishing third in Daegu last year in 2:06:49.

Amos Kipruto reached the podium at two World Marathon Majors last year, placing third in Tokyo in 2:06:33 and then clocking 2:06:23 to finish second to Eliud Kipchoge when the Kenyan set the world record of 2:01:39 in Berlin.

One year prior, Kipruto won in Seoul in 2:05:54 and followed it with a PB of 2:05:43 in Amsterdam.

Solomon Kirwa Yego also set his PB in Valencia last year, clocking 2:06:24 for eighth place. This will be his second marathon in Prague, following his 2016 run – his debut at the distance – when he finished third in 2:08:31.

Other strong Kenyans in the field include Paul Maina and 2009 world half marathon silver medallist Bernard Kiprop Kipyego.

Ethiopia’s Aychew Bantie, the runner-up in Kosice last year in a PB of 2:08:15, will also be on the start line alongside Ukrainian Olympian Oleksandr Sitkovskyy and Spain’s Hamid Ben Dauod

(05/04/2019) Views: 2,237 ⚡AMP

Kenya's veteran road runner Mathew Kisorio and Bornes Kitur will lead the elite group at the Prague Marathon

Kenya's Mathew Kisorio, who ran his best time of 2:04:53 in finishing third in Valencia last year, could challenge the Prague Marathon course record of 2:05:39.

"I am in top form and will first seek to shake off the opposition and secure the victory, then see if I can run faster time. The course record is not hard to challenge, I will take it in my strides," said Kisorio.

Morocco's El Mahjoub Dazz, who was just behind Kisorio in Valencia in 2:05:26 and Kenya's Amos Kipruto, who has a best time of 2:06:23, could also challenge.

Kisorio's brother Peter Kimeli Some, a former Paris marathon champion, Yego Solomon Kirwa and Paul Maina are others to watch for.

European runners are led by Oleksandr Sitkovskyy, who has run 2:09:11.

In the women's race, Kenya's Bornes Kitur is back to defend her title, which she won when she ran her best time of 2:24:19.

However, she must give her best show in order to beat Israel and European 10,000m champion Lonah Salpeter who is two seconds quicker than Kitur.

Salpeter, who switched from Kenya to Israel after marriage, had pitched camp in Iten to train.

(04/12/2019) Views: 2,023 ⚡AMP
Mathew Kisorio

Kenya’s Eliud Kiptanui will be up against reigning champion Dejene Debela of Ethiopia at the 17th edition of Xiamen Marathon

Eliud Kiptanui is the fastest man in the field having clocked a PB of 2:05:21 to finish second at the 2015 Berlin Marathon. Last year, the 29-year-old produced a season’s best of 2:08:20 to finish fifth in Paris.

The 23-year-old Debela, whose personal best of 2:07:10 was set in 2017 when he was fourth at the Eindhoven Marathon, led an Ethiopian top-three finish last year in Xiamen where he pulled away in the final kilometre to take his first marathon title in 2:11:22.

Because of the heavy rain that dogged him from almost gun to finish, Debele’s winning mark in the southern Chinese city was the slowest in 11 years, more than five minutes shy of the 2:06:19 course record set by Moses Mosop in 2015, which has stood as China’s all-comers’ record since.

This time Debela will be running in better conditions as the forecast calls for a cloudy day with temperature ranging from 14-18 C. But his title defence will not be easy as he faces a strong field that includes three sub-2:06 runners.

Bazu Worku, 28, is the second fastest entrant with his career best of 2:05:25 dating back to 2010. The experienced Ethiopian has remained in solid form in recent years, collecting his third Houston Marathon title in 2:08:30 12 months ago. It will be Worku’s first race in China since his marathon debut in 2009.

Kenya’s Peter Kimeli Some is another man to watch. The 28-year-old registered his PB of 2:05:38 to win the 2013 Paris Marathon and came close to that mark when finishing third at the Daegu Marathon in 2:06:49 last April, the second fastest time of his career.

(01/05/2019) Views: 1,368 ⚡AMP

Some and Poliudina Triumph in Shenzhen

Peter Kimeli Some lived up to expectations at the Shenzhen Marathon, winning the race in 2:14:49. While the men’s race was won by the pre-race favourite, Kyrgyzstan’s Viktoria Poliudina defeated some of the more favoured athletes in the women’s race to win in 2:33:25, her third personal best of the year. (12/18/2017) Views: 1,627 ⚡AMP