Defending champions Workneh Tesfa and Mestawet Tufa, both from Ethiopia, have returned to the Chinese city of Dongying and will be looking to notch up back-to-back wins at the Yellow River Estuary International Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on Sunday (26).

Extraordinary things are expected of Ethiopia’s Mestawet Tufa as she prepares for the 2014 Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on 19 October.

Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadese and Ethiopia’s Mestawet Tufa set course records when winning at the 2013 Naoko Takahashi Cup / Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, in 1:00:31 and 1:10:03 respectively on Sunday (19).

The third annual Naoko Takahashi Cup Gifu Seiryu Half Marathon has only ever had one men’s winner in the short history of the IAAF Bronze Label Road Race – Kenya’s Martin Mathathi. But the two-time champion will this Sunday (19) be up against World record-holder Zersenay Tadese.