First career marathon victory for former World 5000m champion Richard Limo (© Victah Sailer)
Strong fields will gather at Sunday’s (10) Daegu International Marathon to give the course for this summer’s IAAF World Championships a solid test run.
Looking to build on the success of recent years, indeed Sunday’s race has deep fields. In the men’s race last year’s winner Ethiopian Deressa Chimsa will not be defending his title, but 29-year-old home runner Ji Young-Jun, the runner-up in 2010, will be competing. Ji won this race in 2009 clocking a 2:08:30 personal best and was second last year in 2:09:31, his second best career result over the Marathon distance.
But despite his impressive history in this race the Korean is far from being the first choice pick for the win The entry list includes 17 men who have clocked a sub-2:10 Marathon during their careers while a few debutants have to be considered a threat as well.
The fastest personal best in the field belongs to 28-year-old Kenyan Elijah Keitany, who clocked 2:06:41 in Amsterdam in 2009. His 30-year-old countryman Richard Limo also set his PB in Amsterdam, but in 2007 when he ran 2:06:45 in his first finished marathon race. Behind these two there are three athletes who have run under 2:08 last year. Also from Kenya comes Elias Kemboi, 27, who has been steadily moving towards the world top in the Marathon. His first sub-2:10 race came in 2007 and Kemboi has bettered his personal best every season since ending up with a fast 2:07:04 third place finish in Frankfurt last October.
Another Kenyan Felix Keny ran 2:07:36 for a second place finish in Barcelona last year, the only sub-2:10 mMrathon of career. The winner of the Houston marathon last year (2:07:37), Ethiopian Teshome Gelana is also in the race and one of the few competitors who have actually won a fast Marathon during their careers. The 29-year-old Kenyan Hillary Kipchirchir will be running his second Marathon of the year following a good 2:08:17 personal best win in Torreón, Mexico, last month.
In the women’s race last year’s winner in a 2:29:17 personal best, Yeshi Esayias of Ethiopia, will defend her title against some fierce competition from fast compatriots. Atsede Bayisa, 23, won the 2010 Paris Marathon in a 2:22:04 personal best and has already run this season in Dubai clocking 2:25:08 for fifth place in Dubai in January. Another 23-year-old Atsede whose last name Habtamu, was fourth in the same Dubai Marathon in a 2:24:26 personal best. Habtamu also has experience winning big marathons as her previous best 2:24:47 in 2009 was a first place finish in the Berlin Marathon and she also won in Eindhoven 2010. Last year’s runner-up here, also from Ethiopia, Harun Makda is also back. She won the Venice Marathon with a 2:28:08 in last October.
Several Korean stars will be starting as well. Lee Sun-Young has a personal best 2:27:48 from 2009, but only finished in 10th place in this Marathon last year. Kim Sung-Eun clocked 2:29:27 in Seoul last year and will be competing in the Daegu marathon for the first time on Sunday.
Mirko Jalava for the IAAF
Ed. Note: you can view course maps via the race’s website here or via the Official Daegu 2011 World Championships website here.
