Kipsang, Makau target win despite Boston bomb blasts

Barely a week since the fatal Boston Marathon bombings, the Kenyan distance running armada have set their sights on excelling at Sunday’s London Marathon in what are arguably the toughest fields ever assembled.

 The men’s line-up reads like an Oscar list of distance running glitterati with the Kenyans and Ethiopian athletes being joined by surprise Ugandan Olympics gold medallist Stephen Kiprotich.

“It is time to focus on the race and forget about what happened on Monday. With the athletes entered, it will be a memorable run,” said Patrick Makau, the Frankfurt Marathon titleholder.

Makau, who holds the world record at 2:03:38, will go head-to-head with the man who fell only four seconds short of matching his world record in 2011 and London defending champion Wilson Kipsang.

“This season, my aim is to defend my title and then after that, I can think of competing for my country again and making up for missing the Olympics gold medal,” said Kipsang who won London last year in 2:04:44.

His return to London during the Olympics in August as the favourite saw him clinch bronze behind Kiprotich and world champion Abel Kirui.

The field will be chasing the 2:04:40 London benchmark set by Emmanuel Mutai in 2011, and he is also in the explosive mix for Sunday.

Drop in form

Last year, Mutai, the 2010/2011 World Marathon Majors (WMM) champion endured a pale season by his standards, finishing seventh in his London defence before joining the Kenyan Olympics squad late in the day where he returned 17th.

His namesake and WMM crown successor Geoffrey Mutai, the 2:03:02 runner from the 2011 Boston Marathon, makes his London debut having won the Berlin Marathon last year.

Geffrey Mutai has the ability to blow away the field like was the case in 2011 at the New York Marathon course record of 2:05:06 and will be renewing his acquaintances with Makau who beat him to second at the 2010 Rotterdam and Berlin marathons.

Stephen Biwott who recently set his 58:56 career best in finishing second at the lucrative Ras-Al-Khaimah Half Marathon in February comes to the race in fine fettle and is well capable of upsetting the cart. Last year, he won the Paris Marathon in a lifetime best of 2:05:12 in April before finishing third (2:09:05) in his last outing over the ultimate distance in December at the Shanghai Marathon in China.

Veteran Martin Lel has withdrawn so is Abel Mutai.

Tsegay Kedebe, the 2010 winner leads the Ethiopian challenge that also includes Feyisa Lilesa (2:04:52 PB) and Deressa Chimsa. They will be seeking to sustain the momentum established by compatriot Lelisa Desisa who wrested back Boston honours from the Kenyans on Monday.

The corresponding women’s race has seen Kenyan arsenal weakened by the high profile withdrawals of world champion, Edna Kiplagat, defending champion, Mary Keitany and last year’s London fifth finisher, Lucy Kabuu.

— Xinhua