Fighting unseasonably warm conditions, Agnes Jeruto Barsosio of Kenya set a new race record to highlight the sixth Ceske Budejovice Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Saturday (3).
With the mercury holding steady at 27 C throughout the late afternoon contest, the 34-year-old clocked 1:09:53 to put a big dent in the previous record of 1:10:40 set last year by Ashete Bekere of Ethiopia.
In the men's race, Justus Kangogo broke from the elite pack before the halfway point and maintained his momentum en route to a 1:02:47 win.
The women's race began with two clear favourites: Kenyans Lucy Kabuu and Rebecca Chesir. But in the end, however, both were outperformed by their compatriot Barsosio who left all her rivals behind in the fifth kilometre en route to the new race standard.&nbsp;
"I&rsquo;m really pleased with the win and the personal record," said Barsosio, whose previous lifetime best of 1:10:50 was set in 2015. "Completing the race in under seventy minutes today is something I consider a huge success and I&rsquo;m truly delighted that I&rsquo;ve finally done it.&rdquo;
Chesir was a distant second in 1:13:05 with Ukrainian Olga Skrypak surprising with a 1:14:12 clocking to round out the podium.
In the men's contest, Kangogo's efforts were assisted early on when another pre-race favourite, Abraham Akopesha, lost his shoe in the first seven kilometres. Kangogo then pulled away for good and was never threatened.
"I think it was one of the most difficult races I&rsquo;ve ever run," said Kangogo, who improved to 59:41 at the Rome-Ostia Half Marathon in March.
"I was on my own for a long time, and was pretty surprised to see the others drop off so soon. Today&rsquo;s time may well be a fair way off my personal best, but given the heat which didn&rsquo;t give us any rest throughout the whole race, I have to say I&rsquo;m pleased.&rdquo;
Well back, Paul Kariuki Mwangi took second in 1:04:33 with Brazil's Paulo Paula pulling off a surprise to finish third in 1:05:25. Japans Hideto Yamanaka also experienced a successful European debut, finishing fourth place in 1:06:19.
Wilson Kipsang, one of the finest marathoners in recent years, was hit by a calf problem and didn't finish.
<div>Organisers for the IAAF</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Leading Results:</div>
<div>Men -</div>
<div>&nbsp;1. Justus Kangogo, KEN&nbsp; 1:02:47</div>
<div>&nbsp;2. Paul Kariuki Mwangi, KEN&nbsp; 1:04:33</div>
<div>&nbsp;3. Paulo Paula Roberto, BRA&nbsp; 1:05:25</div>
<div>&nbsp;4. Hideto Yamanaka, JPN&nbsp; 1:06:19</div>
<div>&nbsp;5. Solomon Gachoka Kagimbi, KEN&nbsp; 1:07:44</div>
<div>&nbsp;6. Donald Mitei, KEN&nbsp; 1:09:04</div>
<div>&nbsp;7. Oleksandr Sitkovskyy, UKR&nbsp; 1:09:27</div>
<div>&nbsp;8. Petr Pechek, CZE&nbsp; 1:10:20</div>
<div>&nbsp;9. Vasyl Matviychuk, UKR&nbsp; 1:10:43</div>
<div>10. David Vas, CZE&nbsp; 1:11:53</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Women -</div>
<div>&nbsp;1. Agnes Jeruto Barsosio, KEN&nbsp; 1:09:53</div>
<div>&nbsp;2. Rebecca Kangogo Chesir, KEN&nbsp; 1:13:05</div>
<div>&nbsp;3. Olga Skrypak, UKR&nbsp; 1:14:12</div>
<div>&nbsp;4. Joy Kemuma Loyce, KEN&nbsp; 1:14:14</div>
<div>&nbsp;5. Veronicah Njeri Maina, KEN&nbsp; 1:15:08</div>
<div>&nbsp;6. Pauline Naragoi Esiko, KEN&nbsp; 1:17:58</div>
<div>&nbsp;7. Lucy Liavoga, KEN&nbsp; 1:19:05</div>
<div>&nbsp;8. Ayaka Fujimoto, JPN&nbsp; 1:19:15</div>
<div>&nbsp;9. Maki Ashi, JPN&nbsp; 1:20:17</div>
<div>10. Ivana Sekyrova, CZE&nbsp; 1:21:15</div>

Fighting unseasonably warm conditions, Agnes Jeruto Barsosio of Kenya set a new race record to highlight the sixth Ceske Budejovice Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Saturday (3).

Barsosio beats the heat en route to race record in Ceske Budejovice

Evans Kiplagat of Azerbaijan and Kenya's Agnes Barsosio produced commanding victories at the 38th edition of the Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (13).
Kiplagat, who competed in this race twice before, broke from a four-man pack after the 35th kilometre to win 2:13:36.
The 28-year-old went out fast, building a 20-second lead after just five kilometres. But then a race unfolded. Covering 10 kilometres in 31:07 and 20 kilometres in 1:02:28, the midway point was reached in 1:06:28, with Kiplagat and six others remaining in contention.
By 35 kilometres, four athletes remained: Evans Kiplagat, Shura Kitata Tola of Ethiopia, Peter Kiptoo Kiplagat and Felix Korir. Evans Kiplagat pulled away in the waning stages for a 38-second victory over Tola, who clocked 2:14:08. Peter Kiptoo Kiplagat was third in 2:14:31.
Barsosio's victory in the women's race was even more dominant.
Barsosio and Ethiopians Sechale Dalasa Adugna and Rahma Tuda were engaged in a three-way battle through the first half, reaching 15 kilometres in 53:08 and 20 kilometres in 1:10:49.
But soon thereafter, Barsosio forged on alone, building a two-minute lead after the 30-kilometre point. She continued to pad that cushion through the finish, winning by more than five minutes in 2:28:23.
Adugna was a distant second in 2:33:36, with Ethiopia's Rahma Tuda Chota another two minutes in arrears, clocking 2:35:43.
Arif Cetin (organisers) for the IAAF
<h3>Leading results</h3>
Men 1 Evans Kiplagat (AZE) 2:13:28 2 Shura Kitata Tola (ETH) 2:14:06 3 Peter Kiptoo Kiplagat (KEN) 2:14:31 4 Felix Kipchumb Korir (KEN) 2:16:25 5 Bernard Sang (KEN) 2:16:32
Women 1 Agnes Barsosio (KEN) 2:28:23 2 Sechale Delasa Adugna (ETH) 2:33:36 3 Rahma Tuda (ETH) 2:35:43 4 Esma Aydemir (TUR) 2:40:26 5 Fadime Celik (TUR) 2:40:30

Evans Kiplagat of Azerbaijan and Kenya's Agnes Barsosio produced commanding victories at the 38th edition of the Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (13).

Kiplagat and Barsosio take Istanbul Marathon titles

The organizers of 2016 Yellow River Estuary International Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, have assembled deep elite fields for the ninth edition of the race and Kenya&rsquo;s Moses Mosop will be heading the men&rsquo;s race entries on Sunday (8).
After being launched in 2008 in China&rsquo;s Dongying, a port city in Shandong Province, the marathon was usually staged in May and the local temperature could be up to around 30 degrees Celsius, which normally made it difficult for the participants to record fast times.
As a result, the men&rsquo;s course record remains a relatively modest 2:11:44, set by Kenya&rsquo;s Isaac Macharia in 2010, but the 30-year-old Mosop is perhaps the biggest hope in recent years to improve on the long-standing record in Dongying.
Starting his marathon career in 2011, Mosop is the owner of the fastest marathon debut in history with his 2:03:06 clocking on Boston&rsquo;s point-to-point course. His personal best on a record-eligible course is 2:05:03, when he finished third in the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon.
He has also registered the fastest marathon time that ever recorded on Chinese soil, winning at the 2015 Xiamen International Marathon with a course record of 2:06:19 while breaking the all-comers&rsquo; record of 2:06:32 set by the late Samuel Wanjiru when winning the 2008 Olympic title in Beijing.
The weather should not be that challenging for Mosop in his pursuit of a course record as the weather forecast for Sunday predicts a cloudy day with the temperature ranging from 14 -18 degrees Celsius while the elite runners are in action.
However, Mosop is not the only top runner in Dongying.
Kenya&rsquo;s Mathew Kisorio, 26, has a best of 2:06:33 from when he finished second at the Valencia Marathon last November. He is also a very fast half marathoner with a best of 58:46, which makes him the fourth fastest man ever over that distance.
Two Kenyan veterans, Slyvester Kimeli Teimet and David Kemboi Kiyeng, could also potentially pose some threats as well.
The 31-year-old Teimet has registered victories in Gongju, Seoul and Shanghai, with his best of 2:06:49 set when winning the 2010 Seoul Marathon. However, his best performance in 2015 was only 2:14:02 when he finished sixth at the Shanghai Marathon.
Like Teimet, the 33-year-old Kiyeng also has a fast PB of 2:06:26, from when he finished third in Paris in 2009 but the former winner of the Reims, Seoul, Chuncheon and Daegu marathons has been somewhat below this level in recent years with a yearly best of 2:14:38 in 2015 and a 2:16:57 clocking in the 2016 Mumbai Marathon in January.
The men&rsquo;s field also includes several other sub-2:07 runners such as Ethiopia&rsquo;s Abraham Girma, who clocked his best time of 2:06:46 when finishing fifth at the 2012 Amsterdam race and the 40-year-old Moroccan Rachid Kisri, who has a best of 2:06:48 from 2009.
A total of eleven runners in the women&rsquo;s field have a personal bests faster than the 2:30:09 course record set by Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mestawet Tufa in 2014.
Georgina Rono, of Kenya, who will turn 36 in two weeks, is the fastest woman on paper with a best of 2:21:39 from when she finished as the runner-up at the 2012 edition of Frankfurt Marathon.
However, last year the former winner of Hannover and Eindhoven Marathons failed to dip under the 2:30:00-barrier as she only clocked 2:32:06 on two occasions, including finishing third at the Lanzhou Marathon in June.
Rono&rsquo;s compatriot, Agness Jeruto Barsosio, is arguably the most in-form runner in 2016.
The 33-year-old finished third in Seoul last month with an impressive 2:24:59, only 56 seconds shy of her PB set when winning at the Daegu Marathon in 2013.
Like Rono, Barsosio also possess varied experience running in China including winning at the Guangzhou Marathon in 2014 and finishing third in Chongqing last year.
Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fantu Eticha Jimma, 28, has also been enjoying a solid start this season, finishing third in Xiamen in 2:26:53 after she clocked a personal best of 2:26:14 in Dubai last year.
The women&rsquo;s field also include two further sub-2:25:00 runners.
Netsanet Achamo Abeyo, of Ethiopia, has a career best of 2:24:12 from 2012 while Turkish national record holder Sultan Haydar clocked 2:24:44 to finish 12th in Dubai in 2015.
Local runner He Yinli is another candidate for the podium in Dongying.
The 27-year-old Chinese athlete has a best of 2:27:35 when finished second in Chongqing last year.
Vincent Wu for the IAAF

The organizers of 2016 Yellow River Estuary International Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, have assembled deep elite fields for the ninth edition of the race and Kenya’s Moses Mosop will be heading the men’s race entries on Sunday (8).

Mosop the star attraction for the Yellow River Estuary Marathon

The 37th Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will see defending women&rsquo;s champion Amane Gobena return to the Turkish city with the aim of chasing the course record of 2:27:25 on Sunday (15).This mark was set back in 2010 by Gobena&rsquo;s Ethiopian compatriot Ashu Kasim Rabu but Gobena, now 33, set a personal best of 2:23:30 in April this year when finishing second in the Paris Marathon and would appear to be very capable of improving on the Istanbul course record.She is very familiar with the Istanbul course as she was the third in 2010, second in 2012 and the winner 12 months ago.Gobena&rsquo;s compatriot Fatuma Sado achieved personal best of 2:24:16 in the Toronto Waterfront Marathon this year and will give Gobena a run for her money.Sado has also won the Hamburg, Los Angeles, Warsaw and Xiamen marathons during her career and was the runner-up of the 2011 Istanbul Marathon early in her career over the classic distance.Merima Mohammed is another strong Ethiopian runner and can boast of a best 2:23:06, albeit from five years ago. She has won the Cannes, Ottawa, and Dusseldorf marathons in the past.Kenya&rsquo;s 33-year-old Kenyan Agnes Barsosio is another candidate for the podium. Her best of 2:24:03 came when winning the Daegu Marathon in 2013. The local focus will be on Sultan Haydar who had her career best with 2:24:44 this year in Dubai. Other runners to look out for include Belarus&rsquo; Volha Mazuronak (2:25:36) and Ukraine&rsquo;s Olena Burkovska, who has a best of 2:27:07 and finished third in Istanbul in 2014.Kenya&rsquo;s Mark Kosgei Kiptoo, now 39, is the fastest man in the men&rsquo;s field of 2:06:00 and set his best this year when finishing third in Eindhoven. He was also the runner-up at the Rotterdam Marathon this year and was the first to cross the finish line in Frankfurt 2014.His compatriot Elijah Kiplagat is another sub-2:07 runner with best of 2:06:41 from when he was second in the 2009 Amsterdam Marathon but although that was six years ago, he has never failed to run under 2:10 every year since then.Michael Kiprop Tiony, who had the third place last year in Istanbul, will also be a candidate for honours.Elias Kemboi Chelimo, Silah Limo, and Hilary Kipkosgei Yego also form part of an elite Kenyan contingent in Istanbul, along with Evans Kiplagat. <h3>Kiplagat aiming for Istanbul double</h3>Kiplagat won this year&rsquo;s Vodafone Istanbul Half Marathon and his stated aim is to stick in the minds of the citizens of Istanbul by winning two major events in the same city in the same year. He has had an erratic marathon career but can boast of a best of 2:07:46 when finishing second in Seoul last year and also won the challenging local Iten Marathon in Kenya earlier this year. He was also third in Istanbul in 2012 and was just one step off the podium in last year&rsquo;s Istanbul Marathon, when he was fourth, so it can be said that he is at least familiar with Sunday&rsquo;s course.Apart from the extensive Kenyan group there is a noteworthy Ethiopian trio could have an impact in the men&rsquo;s race. One of them is Kasime Adilla Roba (best of 2:10:20), a two-time winner of Istanbul Marathon in 2008 and 2009. His compatriot Gebo Burka was the runner-up in 2014 Vodafone Istanbul Marathon and he is definitely among the favorites for this year&rsquo;s edition too. With a best of 2:08:12, clocked in the Houston Marathon this year, he has shown very good form already in 2015.Debebe Tolossa is the last athlete of this Ethiopian trio with a best of 2:07:41, achieved in 2012 Houston Marathon.As in the previous years, athletes will run on a unique course between two continents. The race starts from the Asian side of Istanbul and reaches to the European side by crossing the Bosphorus Bridge. The finish line is situated in Sultanahmet district, which is labeled as a World Heritage by UNESCO. More than 28.000 runners from 111 countries have entered. Additionally, nearly 100.000 participants are expected in a fun run.Yusuf Y&uuml;cel (organisers) for the IAAF

The 37th Vodafone Istanbul Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will see defending women’s champion Amane Gobena return to the Turkish city with the aim of chasing the course record of 2:27:25 on Sunday (15).

Defending champion Gobena returns to Istanbul to chase course record

The 2014 Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, can boast of having two sub-2:23 marathon runners and three sub-2:24 marathon runners who will stand on the start line in the Japanese city on Sunday (9).
Two fastest runners, Russia&rsquo;s Mariya Konovalova and Latvia&rsquo;s Jelena Prokopcuka, are both in their late 30s, but are still running fast.
Konovalova, now 39, recorded her personal best of 2:22:46 in the 2013 Chicago Marathon. She is also very fast over shorter distances, having recorded 30:31.03 for 10,000m in 2009, and 14:38.09 for 5000m in 2008.
The second fastest runner in the field is the 37-year-old Prokopcuka of Latvia, who recorded her personal best of 2:22:56 at the 2005 Osaka Ladies Marathon back in 2005. She is still fast but has not broken 2:25 since the 2006 Boston Marathon, although her best time since was 2:25:46 recorded in the last year&rsquo;s Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon, when she finished fourth.&nbsp;
Three other runners &ndash; Helna Loshanyang Kirop, Agnes Kiprop and Agnes Barsosio, all from Kenya &ndash; have broken 2:25.
Kirop, 37, recorded her personal best of 2:23:37 in 2011 Venice Marathon and her second fastest time of 2:24:40 in the 2013 Rome Marathon.&nbsp; Kiprop ran her personal best of 2:23:54 in 2011 Frankfurt Marathon and had a good run of 2:25:22 in the 2013 Paris Marathon.&nbsp;
On the other hand, Barsosio has been steadily improving her personal best in her last three marathons.&nbsp;
In 2012, Barsosio improved from 2:25:49 in the Dusseldorf Marathon in April to 2:24:27 in Frankfurt in the autumn; then, at the 2013 Daegu Marathon in April, she recorded her current marathon best of 2:24:03.&nbsp; Can she continue her streak of improving with every successive marathon?
Along with the Yokohama Women&rsquo;s Marathon and Osaka Women&rsquo;s Marathon, Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon doubles as a selection race for the Japanese marathon team for the Asian Games in Inchon, Korea, and so has huge local importance.
The two-woman team will be selected from the top finishers from aforementioned three marathons but the race for the Inchon squad is still wide open.
Kizaki out to clinch Korea trip
Third fastest runner in the Nagoya field, with the personal best of 2:23:34 from when she won last year&rsquo;s Nagoya Women&rsquo;s marathon and one of the favourites to make the Asian Games team is Ryoko Kizaki.
Kizaki was 16th in the London 2012 Olympic Games but improved to fourth at the 2013 IAAF World Championships. &nbsp;If Kizaki wins on Sunday, she will be just the second runner in history of Nagoya Women&rsquo;s Marathon to successfully defend her title, the only other woman to win two consecutive years in Nagoya being China&rsquo;s Zhao Youfeng in 1988 and in 1989.&nbsp;
Besides the winner Kizaki, and Prokopcuka who finished fourth, Eri Hayakawa in fifth, Yoko Miyauchi in seventh, &nbsp;Asami Kato in ninth and Misato Horie in 10th have returned from the top 10 finishers in 2013; Hayakawa with 2:26:17, Kato with 2:30:26 and Horie with 2:30:52 all recorded their personal bests in this race 12 months ago.
Four top local runners will make their marathon debut on Sunday. &nbsp;The best amongst them is Tomomi Tanaka, who is coached by 1991 World Championships marathon silver medalist Sachiko Yamashita. Tanaka finished eighth in the 2012 World Half Marathon Championships and won the 2014 All Japan Corporate Team Half marathon Championships with the personal best of 69:24.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
&nbsp;

The 2014 Nagoya Women’s Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, can boast of having two sub-2:23 marathon runners and three sub-2:24 marathon runners who will stand on the start line in the Japanese city on Sunday (9).

Kizaki aims to retain her Nagoya title

Course records are expected to be under threat at the 35th edition of the 2013 Vodafone Istanbul Eurasia Marathon on 17 November, after organisers released their elite field for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Wednesday (6).Ethiopia’s former Boston Marathon winner Deriba Merga, who can boast of a personal best of 2:06:38 is the fastest man in the men’s field but the man possibly to watch out for could be France’s 2013 Daegu Marathon champion Abraham Kiprotich, who won in Korea earlier this year in a personal best of 2:08:33 and is the fastest European runner this year.Morocco’s Abdellah Falil, with a best of 2:08:18 from when he won in Daegu two years ago, and Ethiopia’s Siraj Gena, a former winner of the Beijing and Rome Marathons who has a best of 2:08:31, should also be in contention for the USD $50,000 first prize.The men’s course record in Istanbul stands at 2:10:39, set by Kenya’s Vincent Kiplagat in 2010.The women’s race could be arguably even more competitive.Ukraine’s national record holder Olena Shurhno, who clocked 2:23:32 when finishing third in berlin last year, returns to the fray and will be hoping to make up for the disappointment of failing to finish the Tokyo Marathon in February, her last outing over any distance.Ethiopia’s former Xiamen International Marathon and Seoul Marathon winner Amane Gobena will be hoping to go one better than last year, when she finished second in Istanbul behind her compatriot Koren Jelela Yal.Gobena has since improved her personal best to 2:23:50 when finishing third in Dubai in January this year.Kenya’s 2012 Dusseldorf Marathon winner Agnes Barsosio is not far behind Shurhno and Gobena on time, having also improved her best to 2:24:03 when finishing third at the Daegu Marathon in April.The race is also incorporates the Turkish national championship and Turkey’s 2008 double Olympic Games silver medallist and former 5000m World record holder Elvan Abeylegesse will finally make her Marathon debut.Abeylegesse will face her compatriot and national record holder Sultan Haydar in the battle for domestic honours.Haydar ran 2:25:09 when finishing second in Paris last year but, like Shurhno, has a point to prove after failing to finish in her last outing over the classic distance, in this case at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow three months ago.Also in the women’s field is Ethiopia’s former IAAF World Youth and Junior Championships medallist Bizunesh Urgesa, who won the Istanbul Marathon in 2009.The women’s course record in Istanbul stands at 2:27:25, and was run by Ethiopia’s Ashu Kasim Rabo also in 2010.The Marathon is one of just four races on the day in Istanbul. There are also races over 15km, 10km and a fun run with organisers expecting more than 20,000 runners to take to the streets of Istanbul across all the events.Phil Minshull and organisers for the IAAF

Course records are expected to be under threat at the 35th edition of the 2013 Vodafone Istanbul Eurasia Marathon on 17 November

Course records under threat at the  2013 Istanbul Eurasia Marathon 

Kenya’s David Kiyeng was optimistic that he could beat his own course record of 2:07:57 at the Daegu International Marathon on Sunday 14 April, when the IAAF Silver Label Road Race held its pre-race press conference on Friday (12).“It is like running at home here, the temperature and weather conditions are very similar to our training place of Eldoret in Kenya,” said the 30-year-old Kiyeng, who is a regular visitor to Korea and whose successes include a win at the Chuncheon Marathon last October. “I think that’s the reason why I always run fast here,” adding that he had come to the host city of the 2011 IAAF World Championships to improve on his personal best of 2:06:26 from when he finished third in the 2009 Paris Marathon.The race organisers have reunited Kiyeng with his compatriots Gilbert Chepkwony and Benson Barus, who were second and third in 29012.“When you are in shape, every course is good and feels easy, when you are out of shape it does not matter how the course looks like, you are just out of shape and it is easy to blame the course!” joked Barus, a World junior 10,000m champion back in 1998 and another man who could challenge the course record as he has a best time of 2:07:07 from when he won the Prague Marathon two years ago. The pace is set around 2:06 and all athletes said they were happy with that. Challenging the Kenyans will be Ethiopia’s Debebe Tolossa, who has a best of 2:07:41. Unfortunately, Tolossa's compatriot Yemane Tsegay Adhane, who won last year’s prestigious Rotterdam Marathon in a blazing time of 2:04:49, has been ill in the last week and will not be on the starting line as originally planned. Tambwe and Kiprotich to fly the flag for FranceA lot of eyes in Daegu and elsewhere will also be on the performance of France's Patrick Tambwe, Europe's fastest marathon runner in 2012. Now 37, Tambwe ran 2:07:30 in the 2012 Tiberias Marathon to be the fastest man in the world who wasn't from Kenya or Ethiopia. It also made him the 12th fastest European ever over the classic distance.The race in Korea will be Tambwe's first outing over any distance since the London 2012 Olympic Games marathon last summer. Tambwe failed to finish in London, pulling out at 18km when back in around 50th place, after standing on the start line with ambitions of finishing in the top 10. He paid the price at the Olympics for losing three weeks training in June and July last year. "I lost a loved uncle who died in May (2012), and I had to organise the funeral, everything. I stopped eating as I should and, at the same time, I continued to train hard. I depleted my reserves and this is why a doctor then advised that I should take three weeks off," Tambwe explained at the time. Another top French marathon runner in Daegu will be Abraham Kiprotich. The Kenyan-born runner was a journeyman steeplechaser for several years while trying to juggle his military duties as a member of the French Foreign Legion.However, he started training seriously in 2009, in between tours of duty in Afghanistan and Chad, and got his French citizenship two years later.Like Tambwe, he failed to finish the Marathon in London last summer but earlier last year he had run 2:08:35 on his debut over the distance in Dusseldorf.Kiprotich’s wife Agnes Barsosio is one of the favorites in the women’s race. She won the 2012 Dusseldorf Marathon in 2:25:49 and improved to 2:24:27 in Frankfurt last October.Her main rival on paper looks to be Ethiopia’s Aheza Kiros. The 27-year-old started her 2013 season with a run of 2:24:30 at the Dubai Marathon in January. “I did not come here to be second,” said Kiros on Friday, exuding confidence.Approximately 16,000 runners are expected to participate in the Marathon, which started back in 2002.Organisers for the IAAF

Kenya's Kiyeng out for new course record at the Daegu Marathon

Kenya's Kiyeng out for course record at the Daegu Marathon

Daegu will revive memories of when it was the host city of the 2011 IAAF World Championships when around 16,000 runners compete in the Daegu International Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on 14 April.The race will be over the course used for the World Championships and the leading name in the elite field announced by the race organisers on Monday is Ethiopia’s Yemane Tsegay Adhane, the winner of last year Rotterdam Marathon, where he set his personal best of 2:04:48. Tsegay was fourth in the 2009 IAAF World Championships Marathon and while he did not compete in Daegu two years later, he is familiar with Korea after having won the Gongju Marathon in 2009 and also having taken third place in the Seoul International Marathon two years ago. This will be Tsegay’s first race over any distance since his Rotterdam Marathon win almost a year ago.Daegu International Marathon race director Jun Kim has also managed to bring back the top &nbsp;three men from last year: &nbsp;Kenya’s David Kiyeng, who won with a course record of 2:07:57, and his compatriots Gilbert Chepkwony and Benson Barus, who were second and third respectively. A strong Ethiopian group going to Daegu will be headed by Debebe Tolossa, aho has a best of 2:07:41, while former top track runner Ali Abdosh will make his Marathon debut here after several impressive Half Marathon outings. France’s Patrick Tambwe, now 37, provides a European presence on the start line. Last year, Tambwe ran 2:07:30 in the Tiberias Marathon to be the fastest man in the world who wasn’t from Kenya or Ethiopia.Overall, there will be six men with personal bests better than 2:08:00 and 13 who have run faster than 2:09:00. The women’s elite field includes two Kenyan runners with fast personal bests: Kenya’s Margaret Akai, who ran 2:24:17 in Shanghai last December, and Agnes Barsosio, with a best of &nbsp;2:24:27 from the 2012 Frankfurt Marathon.Ethiopia will be represented by Aheza Kiros, who ran 2:24:30 in Dubai earlier this year, and Mulu Seboka, who has a best of 2:25:45 from last year.Organisers for the IAAF&nbsp;

Tsegay the top name at the Daegu International Marathon