Awesome Kenyan foursome to race in London
Marathon
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[January 14, 2015]
By Mitch Phillips
LONDON (Reuters) - London Marathon
champion Edna Kiplagat will face two former winners and the fastest
half-marathon runner ever - all four of them Kenyans - in this year's
race, organizers said on Wednesday.
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Double world marathon champion Kiplagat beat half-marathon world
record holder Florence Kiplagat by three seconds in the closest
women’s London Marathon for 17 years in 2014.
Pushing them all the way this year will be 2013 champion Priscah
Jeptoo and Mary Keitany, winner in 2011 and 2012.
The field contains 10 women who have sub-two hour, 25 minute times
to their name.
"Winning my first London Marathon title on my fourth attempt last
year was a special moment for me," said Edna Kiplagat, 35, who was
third on her London debut in 2011 and has twice been runner-up.
"Now I have tasted success in London, I am determined to win again.
But I know it will be tougher than ever in 2015.
"Florence will be hungry to win after getting so close last year,
and both Priscah and Mary will be doing their best to regain the
number one spot.
Keitany made an impressive return last year when she won the New
York City Marathon in November after taking a year out in 2013 to
have her second child.
Undefeated over the London course, she has the quickest personal
best in this year’s lineup by more than a minute with 2:18.37 and is
aiming to become the fourth woman to win the London Marathon three
times.
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Feyse Tadese and Tigist Tufa of Ethiopia look the only realistic
challengers to the Kenyans, while the European challenge is led by
three women who have all run sub-2:25 –- Russia’s 2012 Olympic
bronze medalist Tatyana Arkhipova, Ukraine’s Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko
and last year’s European champion Christelle Daunay of France.
Britain's world record holder and three-times London winner Paula
Radcliffe also plans to take part in what she says will be her final
marathon.
(Editing by Ken Ferris)
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