Following East African dominance in recent years, there promises to be a European flavour to the 2015 edition of the Great Birmingham Run, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, which takes place on Sunday (18).Britain&rsquo;s 2010 European 10,000m silver medallist Chris Thompson, who finished second to Uganda&rsquo;s Thomas Ayeko over the same half marathon distance in this race back in 2013, is the local favourite, although he has raced sparingly since his 2:11:19 marathon debut in London nearly 18 months ago.Posing the biggest challenge to Thompson will be Italy&rsquo;s Ruggero Pertile, the 41-year-old who is enjoying a productive twilight to a career that has seen him place in the top 10 of the 2007 New York and Boston marathons, as well as the London Olympics and the 2011 World Championships.Indeed, the Italian recorded his best ever result in a global championships this summer in Beijing, clocking 2:14:22 for fourth place, a result that matched his position at the 2010 European Championships in Barcelona.Ayad Lamdassem and Javier Guerra join Pertile and Thompson in Birmingham and the Spanish duo will both fancy their chances of taking victory.Lamdassem clocked 1:03:48 over 13.1 miles at the Luanda Half Marathon in Angola recently and has a best of 1:01:22 for the distance, set at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2014. The 34-year-old also has pedigree over the full marathon, placing ninth in London in 2013 in 2:09.28.His countryman Guerra, the fourth-place finisher in the marathon at the European Championships last year, has been in good form in 2015, setting his half marathon best of 1:02:22 back in March and placing 13th in the marathon in Beijing.Also competing in what should be an open race are Romania&rsquo;s Marius Ionescu, Hermano Ferreira of Portugal and Estonia&rsquo;s Roman Fosi.The women&rsquo;s race is equally tough to call.Proving that experience counts in endurance running, Spain&rsquo;s 37-year-old Alessandra Aguilar lines up against Great Britain&rsquo;s evergreen 41-year-old Helen Clitheroe. They are joined by Italian pair Emma Quaglia and Laila Soufyane, who are 35 and 32 respectively.Aguilar clocked 2:29:45 for the marathon in London this spring, while 2011 European indoor 3000m champion Clitheroe has mainly raced over 10km this year, recording 33:43 back in March. However, with a half marathon best of 1:11:46 from 2013, the two-time World Championships finalist will pose a threat.Of the Italian athletes, Soufayne has the strongest recent form, with a 1:12:43 half marathon to her name in 2015.At the other end of the experience spectrum, Poland&rsquo;s Dominika Napieraj, a sprightly 23, will be buoyed by a podium finish in August&rsquo;s Lodz 10km and victory earlier this year in 32:46 in Warsaw and will look to make an impression on her half marathon debut.Great Britain&rsquo;s Kate Brough, a team gold medallist at the 2013 European Cross Country Championships, Italy&rsquo;s Agnes Tschurtschenthaler and Spain&rsquo;s Maria Azcuena Diaz also line up.Dean Hardman for the IAAF

Following East African dominance in recent years, there promises to be a European flavour to the 2015 edition of the Great Birmingham Run, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, which takes place on Sunday (18).

Europeans set to make an impact in Birmingham

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Biruktayit Eshetu and Gebo Burka will defend both their titles and their race records in the Blackmores Sydney Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (20).Eshetu will in fact be going for a hat-trick of victories in the 15th edition of the marathon, which is part of the wider Sydney Running Festival, and predicted good conditions offer the winners excellent chances of breaking the records set by Eshetu (2:29:42) and Burka (2:11:18) in last year&rsquo;s event. The race records appear quite modest, but the course is relatively difficult with a couple of significant climbs in the early stages and then several changes of running surface in the later stages as it winds around Circular Quay to the Opera House finish.Nonetheless, with prize money doubled for performances under 2:12:00 and 2:28:00, there is no lack of incentive for the two champions and the rest of the elite field.Eshetu looks the best of the women&rsquo;s field on recent performances. She came to Sydney last year off a personal best in Houston at the start of 2014 and further marathons in Los Angeles, Lanzhou and Eugene, winning the latter. After winning in Sydney, she ran and won in the Chinese city of Xichang, making it three wins from six marathons in 2014.This year has not been quite so demanding. Eshetu again began the year with a personal best in Houston, running 2:23:51 before finishing sixth in Paris. Who knows what she might do off such a relatively restful preparation.Last year&rsquo;s runner-up Jane Kiptoo and the 36-year-old veteran Miriam Wangari represent the Kenyan challenge to Eshetu. Kiptoo began her international career way back in 1999 in the 400m at the first World Youth Championships in Bydgoszcz and has since progressed steadily upwards in distance. Her marathon personal best is 2:31:21 in 2014 and she has a win in Geneva, in 2:35:44, to her name this year.Wangari began the year with a third place in a best of 2:27:53 in Xiamen. The race was won by the 2015 world champion Mare Dibaba in 2:19:52, so that represents good current form for Wangari.Ethiopia&rsquo;s Alemitu Abera Begna has a personal best of 2:23:14, but that dates back to 2012 while China&rsquo;s Sun Lamei has run 2:27:55 but, again, that was in 2012 and her current form is not as impressive.<h3>Burka the hardest to beat?</h3>Gebo Burka was not the fastest of the top contenders in last year&rsquo;s race. Nor is he this year, his 2:08:12 personal best is 34 seconds slower than that of Nicholas Chelimo, of Kenya.However, just like last time, Burka has the current form to suggest that if he does not win, he will be hardest to beat for whoever does. Besides his course record 2:11:18 to win in 2014, the 28-year-old Ethiopian has won marathons in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh and Istanbul. He has been a little more selective in 2015, his one marathon in Houston at the start of the year earning him a big personal best.Burka was celebrated his birthday on the Thursday before the race. No doubt victory and race record would be highly appreciated, if belated, birthday presents.Chelimo ran his personal best in Eindhoven in 2010. His most recent sub-2:10 outing was in winning in Cologne two years ago and his most recent performance a 2:16:45 in Kosice last year. That makes his form hard to read, but the 32-year-old Kenyan must be respected.Ruggero Pertile (personal best 2:09:53), Cuthbert Nyasango (2:09:52) and Ghebrezgiabhier Kibrom (2:09:36) all have stronger current claims. Pertile, now 41, finished fourth in the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 marathon after doing a lot of the work in the middle stages. Presumably, most of his work since then has been focused on recovery, but with two top-eight finishes in world championships (he was eighth in Daegu in 2011), he looms as a genuine chance.Nyasango also ran in Beijing four weeks ago, finishing 23rd. The Zimbabwean, who coincidently also celebrated his birthday on Thursday, was seventh in the London 2012 Olympic Games marathon and 16th in Daegu. Kibrom ran 2:09:36 in finishing eighth in this year&rsquo;s London Marathon.The 15th Sydney Marathon will set off from Milsons Point, beneath the northern end of the famous Sydney Harbor Bridge, at 7:20am local time.&nbsp; The course will take runners over the Bridge, through Hyde Park, out to Moore Park and around Centennial Park, passing close to the famous sporting venues Sydney Cricket Ground and Randwick Racecourse.The course then returns through the historic Rocks precinct, along Hickson Road and out to Darling Harbor before coming back around Circular Quay to finish at the Sydney Opera House.Len Johnson for the IAAF

Ethiopia’s Biruktayit Eshetu and Gebo Burka will defend both their titles and their race records in the Blackmores Sydney Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on Sunday (20).

Eshetu and Burka back to defend Sydney Marathon titles

One of Europe’s top distance runners, reigning European cross country champion Andrea Lalli, will finally make his long-awaited Marathon debut at the 28th Venice Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on 27 October.Lalli, 26, grabbed the headlines on 9 December last year when he dominated the SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Hungary, winning the gold medal with his aggressive gun-to-tape tactics to become the first runner to win the continental cross country crown in all three different age categories.He had originally planned to make his debut at the Rome Marathon in March but a minor injury caused him to postpone his first outing over the classic distance.Lalli’s potential over longer distances has been shown at the famous Stramilano Half Marathon, where he made his debut in 2011 with 1:02:02 and then improved to his current personal best of 1:01:11.Also on the start line in Venice will be Italy’s Ruggero Pertile, Italy’s No.1 Marathon man in recent years.Pertile, now 39, also started his Marathon career in Venice, back in 1999 when he finished 12th.Both men are aiming to post qualifying times for next year’s European Athletics Championships in Zurich where they hope to be among the medal contenders. Pertile just missed out on a place on the podium three years ago when he finished fourth at the 2010 edition in Barcelona.The men’s course record is 2:08:13, which was set by Kenya’s John Komen in 2009. The last local runner to win the race was Danilo Goffi in 1995, while the last European winner was France’s El Hassan Lahsinni in 2003. Phil Minshull and organisers for the IAAF

Andrea Lalli to make Marathon debut in Venice

One of Europe’s top distance runners, reigning European cross country champion Andrea Lalli, will finally make his long-awaited Marathon debut at the 28th Venice Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, on 27 October.