Ruth Chepngetich wins the Istanbul Half Marathon (© Organisers)
A significant portion of the spotlight will shine on Ruth Chepngetich and Feyisa Lilesa at the 18th edition of the Bogota Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (30).
On the women's side, Chepngetich, 23, brings the finest momentum in the field to the Colombian capital, and will arguably start as the favourite.
The Kenyan has run four half marathons this year, and won them all in what has turned out to be a veritable parade of lifetime bests. Opening the year with a 1:09:06 personal best in Adana on 8 January, she improved to 1:08:08 in Paris on 5 March. She bettered that in Milan two weeks later with a 1:07:42 win and improved upon that dramatically six weeks later with a victory in Istanbul where she clocked 1:06:19, the year's sixth fastest run.
At 2640m above sea level, the city’s altitude will prohibit performances that fast, but given the proper conditions on Sunday, Chepngetich appears to be in shape to conceivably threaten the 1:10:39 women's course record Susan Chepkemei set in 2004.
Veronicah Nyaruai could also be a threat. The runner-up in this race last year, Nyaruai, who ran to world youth and world junior titles at 3000m more than a decade ago, arrives with the hopes of finishing one better this year.
Brigid Jepchirchir Kosgei, Ruth Chepngetich, Veronicah Nyaruai and Mary Wacera in Bogota
The 27-year-old improved her lifetime over the distance to 1:07:56 in Houston in January and more recently, displayed good foot speed with a fourth place finish in the 10,000m on the track at the notoriously difficult Kenyan World Championships trials at altitude in Nairobi in June. She improved her track best over the distance to 31:07.56 in early June, illustrating she's in the best shape of her career.
The field also includes Mary Wacera, a two-time World Half Marathon Championships medallist --silver in 2014 and bronze in 2016-- who's also been enjoying a successful season in 2017. In April, the Kenyan won the World’s Best 10k in San Juan for the third time in 31:41 and in January finished third at the Houston Half Marathon in 1:08:38. She won her most recent race, the annual 15km event in Utica, New York, on 9 July.
Meskerem Assefa of Ethiopia could also be in the hunt. The 31-year-old is two-for-two in marathons this year, winning in Houston on 15 January and in Rotterdam on 9 April, the latter with a lifetime best 2:24:18. Her half marathon best of 1:09:10 dates back to 2014.
In the men's race, the focus will fall largely on Lilesa, the Olympic marathon silver medallist, and star marathoner Stanley Biwott, who's on the rebound from an injury that's sidelined him all year
Lilesa last raced over the distance in March in New York, winning in 1:00:04. He'll be eager though to bounce back from a disappointing outing at the London Marathon in April where was a distance 12th in 2:14:12.
Biwott meanwhile will just be happy to bounce back into action.
The 31-year-old Kenyan, winner of the 2015 New York Marathon and London runner-up in the year before, was forced to pull out this year's spring marathon in the British capital with a hamstring injury that's dogged him through the early months of the year.
Biwott has a 2:03:51 marathon career best to his credit from Berlin last autumn, making him the seventh fastest man in history. His lifetime best in the half marathon, 58:56 from 2013, isn't too shabby either. Only ten have covered the distance faster.
Stanley Biwott and Feyisa Lelisa at the pre-race press conference in Bogota
Others to watch include 21-year-old Shura Kitata Tola, the winner of April's Rome Marathon in a solid 2:07:28. Kenyan Peter Cheruiyot Kirui, who registered a 1:00:56 victory in Santa Pola, Spain, in late January, could also be a threat. As could Moroccan Mohamed Ziani, who began his season with half marathon victories at home in Marrakech and Rabat, the former in 1:00:28.
The men's course record is 1:02:20, set by Kenyan Geoffrey Mutai in 2011.
More than 45,000 are expected to participate on Sunday.
Bob Ramsak for the IAAF
