Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru wins the 2007 Fortis City-Pier-City Half Marathon - official time is 58:33 (© loc)
World Half Marathon record holder Sammy Wanjiru** will be one of the top names in action at this year's BUPA Great North Run (GNR).
The outstanding 20-year-old Kenyan will be the man to beat over the distance from Newcastle to South Shields on 30 September.
Wanjiru's target will be to smash the course record set by Zersenay Tadesse the Eritrean who flew to 59:05 two years ago on what is a downhill course (30.5m), so not suitable for World records.
Even for a talent such as Wanjiru it will be no easy task, only Tadesse, Dejene Berhane the Ethiopian who was runner-up in 2005 and Kenya's Paul Kosgei, having beaten the one hour barrier at the GNR.
Despite his youth, Wanjiru, who is based in Japan, has all of the mental and physical attributes to produce another historic performance in over the 13.1 miles event.
This year already he has set new World record figures**, roaring to a time of 58:53 in Ras al Khaimah on 9 February, then five weeks later, lowering it to 58:35 in The Hague.
The latter victory was the third occasion Wanjiru has broken the World record, his first success coming in September 2005 when flying to a time of 59:16s in the Fortis Rotterdam Half Marathon. That time was then bettered by the legendary Haile Gebrselassie who ran 58min 55sec in Phoenix, USA, in December of that year, before he claimed it back with his victory in Ras al Khaimah.**
Nicola Hedley for the IAAF
** World records subject to ratification
