Course records are the target at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday (18), with a faster, flatter course attracting a solid international field to this IAAF Silver Label Road Race.
Shadrack Kemboi, who won the race last year in 2:11:41, will spearhead the international men's contingent which also includes sub-2:10 runners Teferi Fekadu Girma of Ethiopia, as well as nine-time European cross country champion Serhiy Lebid of Ukraine, who set a career best of 2:08:32 in Seoul two years ago.
"Ensuring we have quality fields which can run fast times is a key part of our goal to achieve IAAF Gold Label status, and we are pleased to again showcase a world-class line-up,&rdquo; said race ambassador Elana Meyer, a former IAAF world half marathon champion and the 1992 Olympic silver medallist in the 10,000m.
&ldquo;By introducing pacers, we are confident of seeing some record performances this weekend. We welcome all athletes in the elite field to the Mother City and we wish them all the best for the challenging contest that lies ahead."
The men&rsquo;s course record is 2:10:45 set by Kenyan Willy Kibot in 2014, and the women&rsquo;s 2:30:20 set last year by Kenyan Isabella Ochichi. Given the proper conditions, organisers haven&rsquo;t discounted the possibility that the South African all-comers records of 2:09:50 and 2:27:37, held by David Tsebe and Frith van der Merwe since 1990, could also fall.
<h3>Kemboi vs Lebid in the men&rsquo;s race</h3>
Kemboi, 30, is contesting the race for the third time. His career best marathon performance dates back to his debut, a 2:11:11 run for second in Zurich in 2012. Meanwhile Girma, 23, set his 2:09:34 best in 2014 where he finished third in Dusseldorf.
The fastest man in the field is Lebid, who made a promising 2:11:24 marathon debut in 2013 and improved to 2:08:32 the following year. More recently the 41-year-old clocked 2:10:21 in London one year ago, but was nearly four minutes slower in this year's edition.
The local contingent, aiming to earn the first South African win since the race was relaunched in 2014, consists of a mix of rising stars and experienced contenders who will be eager to outclass the foreign onslaught.
The domestic line-up will be carried by Lungile Gongqa, who finished second last year in 2:11:59, and former national champion Benedict Moeng. Gongqa, 37, will be looking to bounce back from his performance at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, where he didn't finish. Moeng, 33, will be targeting his 2:10:21 personal best from 2014.
Kenyan Henry Kiplagat and local star Elroy Gelant, the 2016 African Championships silver medallist at 5000m, will perform pace setting duties.
In the women's race, the international field will be led by Megerta Ifa Geletu of Ethiopia, who clocked 2:29:45 at the Dubai Marathon in January, and Kenyan Jane Kiptoo, who holds a personal best of 2:31:21. More recently, the 34-year-old Kenyan clocked 2:35:04 to win in Geneva in May.
The domestic challenge will be led by veteran Tannitha Maxwell, who clocked a career record of 2:32:33 at the Berlin Marathon in 2010, Keneilwe Sesing, who finished sixth last year in her debut in 2:43:38, Lebogang Phalula, who will make her first appearance over the 42.2km distance, and former national champion Zintle Xiniwe.
Organisers and Bob Ramsak for the IAAF

Course records are the target at the Sanlam Cape Town Marathon on Sunday (18), with a faster, flatter course attracting a solid international field to this IAAF Silver Label Road Race.

Course record assaults on tap in Cape Town

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Fikadu Girma and Mulahabt Tsega triumphed at the 2014 Banque du Liban Beirut Marathon, winning at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race in 2:12:26 and 2:29:15 respectively on Sunday (9).Girma, in just his second marathon after finishing third in 2:09:34 at the Dusseldorf Marathon earlier this year, clocked the second-fastest winning time in the Beirut Marathon&rsquo;s 12-year history, while Tsega took more than two minutes off the former course record of 2:31:38, set by her compatriot Seada Kedir in 2011, in what will have been a highly satisfying debut over the classic distance, especially in the warm conditions.In the men&rsquo;s race, a three-man all-Ethiopian trio of Girma, Abdela Godana and Legese Adungna went through 20km in 1:01:53 with Morocco&rsquo;s Mohammed Blal&nbsp;and another Ethiopian Damte Taye just 20 metres in arrears, giving rise to hopes that the course record of 2:11:14, that had belonged to Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tariku Jufar since 2011, might fall.By 30km, passed in 1:33:17, with Girma and Godana running together at the front and Blal 24 seconds adrift of the leading pair, Jufar&rsquo;s mark was still in their sights.However, gradually the pace started to slacken although Godana did manage to pull away from his compatriot Girma, who was unwell between kilometres 32 and 33, and went through 35km in 1:49:09 with a 15-second lead over Girma.It soon became apparent that the possibility of the course record was starting to seriously ebb away and that both men were concentrating their own race rather than having a duel with the clock, as Girma gradually recovered from his stomach problem and reeled in his countryman at 38km, before decisively pulling away from him.Godana hung on to finish second in 2:13:28 while Adungna, who went through a bad patch between 28 and 30 kilometres, came through strongly in the final 10km to finish third in 2:17:31.Tsega makes impressive marathon debut&nbsp; In the women&rsquo;s race, Ethopia's pre-race favourite Zemzem Ahmed dropped out at about 10km but four women &ndash; Tsega, Kenya&rsquo;s Monica Jepkoech, two-time former winner Kedir and a third Ethiopian Makida Abdela &ndash; went through 20km together in 1:11:11.From 25km onwards, Tsega and Koech started to put daylight between themselves and the other two. They were still together at 30km, reached in 1:46:30, but after 34km Tsega started to drop her Kenyan rival. The Ethiopian passed 35km in 2:04:00, 18 seconds ahead of Jepkoech, and just continued to increase her lead over the final kilometres. Jepkoech eventually finished second in 2:30:53. Although more than a minute behind the winner, she was also inside the old course record and took more than two minutes off her personal best. Kedir, after winning in 2011 and 2012, had to settle for third on this occasion in 2:34:24.As a guest of honour, Ethiopian distance-running legend and former marathon world record-holder Haile Gebrselassie was the official race starter. Organisers estimated there were approximately 37,500 participants&nbsp;in the marathon and a variety other races staged on Sunday, with runners from 94 different countries having registered.Phil Minshull and organisers for the IAAF

Ethiopia’s Fikadu Girma and Mulahabt Tsega triumphed at the 2014 Beirut Marathon, winning at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race in 2:12:26 and 2:29:15 respectively on Sunday (9).

Girma and Tsega victorious at Beirut Marathon

Ethiopia’s Fikadu Girma and Mulahabt Tsega triumphed at the 2014 Banque du Liban Beirut Marathon, winning at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race in 2:12:26 and 2:29:15 respectively on Sunday (9).

Kenya’s William Kipsang will return to the Beirut Marathon, which celebrates its 12th edition on Sunday (7), looking to become just the second man to successfully defend his title at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.Last year, Kipsang surprised many people to win in 2:13:34, his first win over the classic distance for more than five years.It was a welcome return to the top of the podium for the man who set his personal best of 2:05:49 when winning the 2008 Rotterdam MarathonHowever, at 37 and perhaps with his best days behind him, Kipsang may struggle to hold off two talented Ethiopian runners.Fikadu Girma Teferi finished third at the Dusseldorf Marathon earlier this year, clocking 2:09:34 for the distance while his compatriot Abdela Godana will be making his marathon debut but can point to a best of 27:54 over 10km on the roads.Other contenders for a place on the podium include Russia’s Girgoriy Andreev, who has a best of 2:10:25, US international distance runner Carlos Trujillo and Uganda’s Phillip Kiplimo, the 2013 World Mountain Running Championships gold medallist who finished eighth in the marathon at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.The men’s course record is 2:11:14, set by Ethiopia’s Tariku Jufar in 2011, and that will be a feasible target for the men’s elite field, especially as some adjustments have been made to the course in a deliberate attempt to make it a faster circuit.Zemzem Ahmed, with a best of 2:27:12 from the 2012 Frankfurt Marathon, is the favourite for the women’s race but she will want to bounce back from her disappointing run of 2:39:46 in Sydney on 21 September.More indicative of her talent, the former 3000m steeplechase African champion ran 2:29:35 when finishing third in the Paris Marathon back in April.She will be bidding to be the eighth successive Ethiopian woman to triumph in Beirut, that winning streak coming after the four Kenyan wins in as many years at the start of the race’s history. There will be a lot of interest in the performance of Olga Dubovskaya, from Belarus, who clocked a personal best of 2:28:08 at the 2012 Dusseldorf Marathon but who then struggled home in a disappointing 77th place at the 2012 Olympics.She has not run a marathon since but will finally be looking to banish those bad memories and perhaps bid for her second marathon victory, after also winning in the Germany city of Munster in 2010.Other women who could be a factor include the Chinese duo of Jin Lingling and&nbsp;Wenrong Zheng, with personal bests of 2:30:27 and 2:32:54 respectively.Kyrgyzstan's two-time Olympian Julia Andreyeva, with a best of 2:30:58 from the 2012 Prague Marathon; Kenya’s 2013 Milan City Marathon champion&nbsp;Monica Jepkoech, when she ran her best of 2:32:54; as well as the Ethiopian pair of&nbsp;marathon debutante Mulahabt Tsega Chekol&nbsp;and 2:32:11 woman&nbsp;Makida Abdela also form part of what could be an enthralling women’s race.Like with the men's race, a course record is not beyond the pale and the leading women will be looking to improve on the time of 2:31:38 run by Ethiopia's Seada Kedir in 2011.As a guest of honour, Ethiopian distance-running legend Haile Gebrselassie will be the official race starter. Organisers expect an estimated 40,000 participants&nbsp;in the marathon and the other races staged on Sunday.Phil Minshull and organisers for the IAAF

Kenya’s Wilson Kipsang will return to the Beirut Marathon, which celebrates its 12th edition on Sunday (7), looking to become just the second man to successfully defend his title at the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.

Course record assaults on tap in Cape Town

Girma and Tsega victorious at Beirut Marathon

William Kipsang back to defend his Beirut Marathon title