Jason Mbote was smiling and confident as top athletes were presented for the 32nd edition of the ING Amsterdam Marathon Friday.

The 30-year-old Kenyan said at the press conference.

“I am in a very good shape. I did train well in recent months in Italy. As the course in Amsterdam is very flat we trained on a flat course to increase my speed.”

Mbote, who won in the first two weeks of June two races in The Netherlands (June 2nd in Groesbeek a 10km in 27:52 and June 9th a half marathon in Zwolle, 1:02:53) hopes to add a new  “Dutch” victory. 

The East African is aiming at a time between 2:06 and 2:07:00 which would be a new personal best. His personal best now is 2:08:13, a time he set eleven months ago in Seoul, where he finished second.

Paul Kiprop Kirui is also one of the favourites for Amsterdam. The 27-year-old Kenyan finished second last year in the Fortis Rotterdam marathon in a personal best of 2:06:44. With this time he is the fastest on the Amsterdam starting list.

“I want to run a personal best time,” he said. “I have trained with my friend Patrick Ivuti on flat courses as I heard the Amsterdam course is very flat and fast.”

Paul Kosgei, the World record holder at 25km is not one of the fastest runners with his 2:14:15 set on his marathon debut in Hamburg last April.

“I was not happy with that time. I have had a very good preparation this time and I am sure I will be a lot faster now.”

In the women's race there will be a lot of interest for Hilda Kibet, who got her Dutch passport on October 11th. The now former Kenyan will make her debut on the 42,195 kilometres.

In the women's the organisers are hoping for a winning time around 2:26:00.
In total over 24.000 participants from sixty countries will start and hoping to finish in the Amsterdam 1928 Olympic Stadium. Over 8000 will take part in the marathon. The other 16.000 will start on two other distances.

The course records of Amsterdam are: 2:06:20 Haile Gebrselassie (Eth) (16th Oct. 2005) and 2:22:19 Gete Wami (Eth) (20th Oct.2002).

The weather forecast is not bad for a marathon: temperature at the start (10.30 hrs) 8-10 degrees CT, slowly rising till 12-14 degrees, very light wind and a little chance of very light rain.

The winners will be presented with a car and the women's winner also a diamond worth 5000 euro. 

Wim van Hemert for the IAAF

 
Leading contenders:
 
Paul Kiprop Kirui (Ken)  D.o.B: 05-02-1980 PB: 2.06.44   (2)    Rotterdam    09-04-2006
Jackson Koech (Ken)       D.o.B: 26-12-1978 PB: 2.08.02   (2)    Rotterdam     10-04-2005
Jason Mbote (Ken)           D.o.B: 05-01-1977 PB: 2.08.13   (1)    Seoul             05-11-2006
Kamiel Maase  (Ned)       D.o.B: 21-10-1971  PB: 2.08.31  (6)    Amsterdam   19-10-2003
Rachid Ghanmouni (Mor)D.o.B: 10-10-1978 PB: 2.09.11(6) Paris        09-04-2006
James Rotich (Ken)           D.o.B: 22-12-1978 PB: 2.09.25   (3)    Hamburg     23-04-2006
Shimelis Mola (Eth)           D.o.B: unknown     PB: 2.10.11  (6)     Berlin           25-09-2005
Luc Krotwaar (Ned)          D.o.B: 25-01-1968 PB: 2.10.13   (11)   Fukuoka     07-12-2003
Francis Kiprop (Ken)        D.o.B: 04-06-1982 PB: 2.10.40   (8)     Paris            09-04-2006
Francis Kipketer (Ken)     D.o.B: 17-04-1976 PB: 2.10.47    (6)    Paris            15-04-2007
Gidey Amaha (Eth)            D.o.B: unknown    PB: 2.11.26    (3)     Dubai           07-01-2005
Dmitriy Burmakin (Rus)   D.o.B: 08-01-1981PB:  2.11.20    (5)    Zürich         03-04-2005
Thomson Cherogony (Ken) D.o.B: unknown  PB: 2.11.35     (1)    Enschede     22-04-2007
Terefe Yae (Eth)                 D.o.B: 12-02-1981 PB: 2.12.07   (10)   Berlin         25-09-2005
Mykola Rudyk (Ukr)          D.o.B: 20-12-1973 PB: 2.12.29     (3)    Lyon          04-10-1998
Emmanuel Mutai  (Ken)     D.o.B: 01-04-1978 PB: 2.13.06     (7)   Rotterdam 15-04-2007     
Shadrack Kipchumba Kiplagat (Ken)D.o.B: unknown PB: 2.13.20 (6)Vienna   29-04-2007
Wilberforce Talel (Ken)    D.o.B: 10-01-1980 PB: 2.13.35     (7)     Vienna      29-04-2007
Jamal Baligha (Mor)          D.o.B: 11-12-1973 PB: 2.13.44     (13)   Rotterdam 09-04-2006
Paul Kosgei (Ken)             D.o.B: 22-04-1978 PB: 2.14.15      (14)   Hamburg   29-04-2007
Koen Raymaekers (Ned)   D.o.B: 31-01-1980 PB: 2.15.50  (16)   Amsterdam 15-10-2006
Tsegaye Kebede (Eth)     D.o.B: unknown PB: 2.15.54   unknown
Tesfayohannes Mesfen (Eri)D.o.B: 24-11-1974 PB: 2.19.00    (5)  Madrid            22-04-2007
 
Women
Dorota Gruca  (Pol) D.o.B: 05-12-1970       PB : 2.27.46 (13)   Helsinki          14-08-2005
Gishu Mindaye (Eth) D.o.B: 18-08-1986     PB: 2.28.30  (1)     Rotterdam       09-04-2006
Ayelech Worku (Eth) D.o.B: 12-06-1979    PB: 2.29.14  (1)     Hamburg         29-04-2007
Kutre Dulecha (Eth) D.o.B : 22-08-1978      PB: 2.30.06  (1)    Amsterdam     16-10-2005 
Liza Hunter-Galvan (NZl) D.o.B: 25-06-1969 PB: 2.33.51(3     Dallas            11-12-2005
Elena Fetizon (Fra) D.o.B: 04-03-1975          PB: 2.34.42 (8)     Paris              10-04-2005
Esinam Adzo Torghaza (Gha) D.o.B: unknown PB: 2.53.45
Hilda Kibet (Ned) D.o.B: 27-03-1981 Debut
Magdaline Chemjor   (Ken)  D.o.B: 12-11-1978 Debut
Shiru Deriba (Eth) Debut