Paul Tergat next to London's Tower Bridge (© Getty Images)
London, UKAfter taking nearly a minute off the fastest ever time run for the Marathon (2:04:55, Berlin, 28 September) Paul Tergat returns to contest the Flora London Marathon on 18 April 2004.
Tergat who finished fourth in London this year and has twice been the runner-up (2001 & 2002) will face the Olympic champion Gezahegne Abera of Ethiopia who is the reigning London winner, Morocco’s recently crowned World champion Jaouad Gharib, and the World’s fastest debutant, Evans Rutto of Kenya.
“London is special for me because in a sense London made me,” said Tergat. “I cut my teeth on the Marathon here and now I am coming back as World record holder. But with the field that has been assembled I shall have to watch my step."
The quality field also includes Sammy Korir, the man who only finished one second behind Tergat in Berlin to become the second fastest of all time. And the Kenyan presence is further enhanced by Chicago runner-up Daniel Njenga giving them a real chance to snatch the men’s title for the first time since 1989.
All told, the line-up includes ten men who have run a Marathon inside 2:07 – the most ever assembled in London.
The Elite Men’s Field
Paul Tergat KEN 2:04:55
Sammy Korir KEN 2:04:56
Evans Rutto KEN 2:05:50
Daniel Njenga KEN 2:06:16
Benoit Zwierzchiewski FRA 2:06:36
Abdelkader el Mouaziz MAR 2:06:46
William Kiplagat KEN 2:06:50
Tesfaye Tola ETH 2:06:57
Ian Syster RSA 2:07:06
Stefano Baldini ITA 2:07:29
Gezahegne Abera ETH 2:07:54
Joseph Ngolepus KEN 2:07:57
Jaouad Gharib MAR 2:08:31
Mark Steinle GBR 2:09:17
Lee Troop AUS 2:09:49
Mark Carroll IRE 2:10:54
Karl Keska GBR Debut
