by Alfonz Juck
Kenenisa Bekele and Wilson Kipsang, photo by PhotoRun.net
Bekele I
DUBAI (UAE): Kenenisa Bekele will compete at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon on 20 January, informs organisers. Bekele will be looking to challenge the course record of 2:04:23 and he might also attempt to break Dennis Kimetto’s world record of 2:02:57 after winning the Berlin Marathon in September in an Ethiopian record of 2:03:03. “I knew I had trained well and I knew what my strengths were. The Berlin race was fantastic but I could see that I still had to make a couple of changes in my training,” he said. Bekele is also aiming to race at the World Championships in London this August. One of his main rivals will be Tsegaye Mekonnen, who won this race in 2014 in an unofficial world junior record of 2:04:32.
Bekele II
LONDON (GBR): Kenenisa Bekele will also compete in the Virgin Money London Marathon on 23 April, informs organisers. Bekele finished third last year before becoming the world’s second fastest marathon runner of all-time with 2:03:03 in the Berlin Marathon. “The field is always the best and victory means so much. After finishing third last year, I know what I need to do to win,” said Bekele. He will face last year’s runner-up Stanley Biwott who will be looking to bounce back after DNFs in the Olympics and New York Marathon. He is also the second fastest in the field with his 2:03:51 PB from last year’s race. Other top names in the field include last year’s Dubai Marathon winner Tesfaye Abera (2:04:24), Olympic silver medallist Feyisa Lilesa (2:04:52), two-time world marathon champion Abel Kirui (2:05:04), Amsterdam Marathon winner Daniel Wanjiru (2:05:21), Tilahun Regassa (2:05:27), European champion Tadesse Abraham (2:06:40) and world champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie (2:07:46). Chris Thompson (2:11:19) leads the British challenge in London while Kenya’s Bedan Karoki will make his full marathon debut.
RunBlogRun opines: I am no doctor, but this should be a challenge even for the great Bekele? Let me get my head around this one, and I will opine tomorrow on it. Right now I have a parliment hearing to watch, to read about , and to listen.
