preview: kipchoge returns to take on sir mo · 2019-04-24 · he won a world 5000m silver in 2007,...

VIRGIN MONEY LONDON MARATHON 2019 #THANKSABILLION

42 Media Guide 2019

World record holder and defending champion Eliud Kipchoge returns to the London Marathon for a mouth-watering clash with Britain’s Mo Farah as he seeks to become the most successful elite male athlete in the event’s history.

Kipchoge won his third London title in last year’s race, with Farah third in a British record. The Kenyan went on to set a new world record of 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon, while Farah won his first marathon title in Chicago last October when he broke the European record with 2:05:11.

Kipchoge’s marathon world record cemented his position as the greatest marathon runner of all time. He is unbeaten in the London Marathon with three victories from his three appearances in 2015, 2016 and 2018, and holds the course record of 2:03:05. He has won nine of his 10 career marathons and was named IAAF Athlete of the Year in 2018.

“It is always a great honour to come and race the Virgin Money London Marathon and I’m excited to be returning in 2019,” said the Olympic champion.

“I had a memorable 2018, winning the London Marathon and then setting a new world record at the Berlin Marathon. I’m hoping that 2019 is just as good to me.

“I am looking forward to racing Sir Mo Farah again. He is a great champion and proved in Chicago he can win a major marathon.”

“I feel I have made great strides in the past year, finishing thrd in London and winning my first major marathon in Chicago,” said Farah. “That and breaking both the British and European records has given me the confidence to compete against the best marathon runners in the world.”

Victory for either Kipchoge or Farah in London could seal the Abbott World Marathon Majors Series XII men’s title.

London Marathon event director Hugh Brasher added: “There is no doubt that Eliud Kipchoge is the greatest marathon runner of all time. His world record at the Berlin Marathon was a legendary sporting moment and one more win in London would make him the most successful athlete in the history of the elite men’s race.

“Since Sir Mo Farah won the Chicago Marathon in October, everyone has been talking about another head-to-head between the pair and we are absolutely thrilled that this showdown will happen in London.”

Ethiopia’s 22-year-old marathon star Shura Kitata is also back in London after finishing runner-up to Kipchoge last year and placing second in the 2018 New York City Marathon. That means the top three from the 2018 podium will all be on the Start Line again.

In all the elite men’s field includes no fewer than 10 men who have broken 2:06 for 26.2 miles, including seven who have run quicker than 2:05.

The Kenyan contingent includes two other men who have won the London Marathon title – double London champion Wilson Kipsang, one of Kipchoge’s predecessors as world record holder, and 2017 winner Daniel Wanjiru – plus the half marathon world record holder, Abraham Kiptum.

They will be challenged by a quintet of quick Ethiopians, including the 2018 Dubai champion, Mosinet Geremew, who was runner-up behind Farah in Chicago, Valencia Marathon champion Leul Gebresilasie, and World Championship silver medallist Tamirat Tola.

Farah will be joined by fellow-Britons Callum Hawkins, fourth at the 2017 World Championships, Dewi Griffiths, who ran sub-2:10 at the 2017 Frankfurt Marathon, and Andy Vernon, the former European silver medallist at 10,000m who is making his marathon debut at 33.

All will be bidding to make the British team for the Doha 2019 World Championships.

Preview: Kipchoge returns to take on Sir Mo

Mo Farah (left) shadows Eliud Kipchoge at the front of last year’s race


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ELIUD KIPCHOGE (KENYA)DEFENDING LONDON MARATHON CHAMPION

Born: 5 November 1984 Kapsisiywa, Nandi DistrictMarathon best: 2:01:39 Berlin 2018London Marathon record: 2015- 1st 2:04:42, 2016- 1st 2:03:05, 2018- 1st 2:04:17Other Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2013- 2nd 2:04:05, 2015- 1st 2:04:00, 2017- 1st 2:03:32, 2018- 1st 2:01:39Chicago: 2014- 1st 2:04:11Other major city marathonsRotterdam: 2014- 1st 2:05:00Hamburg: 2013- 1st 2:05:30Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- 1st 2:08:44AWMM Record: Series VII- 14th, VIII- 6th, IX- 1st, X- 1st, XI- 1st

Career notesEliud Kipchoge ran what was then the quickest non-winning time ever at the 2013 BMW Berlin Marathon when he clocked 2:04:05 to finish second behind Wilson Kipsang’s world record-breaking run. In six years of marathon running, it is the only time the 34-year-old has lost at the distance.

A former world 5000m champion, he first moved up to the marathon in April 2013 when he won the Hamburg Marathon in 2:05:30. Six years later, his record reads: 10 wins and one second place from 11 races. Those 10 include three London Marathon titles, three Berlin crowns and the 2016 Olympic gold medal.

All but two have been run at 2 hours 5 minutes or quicker, three have been under 2:04, and on 16 September last year he smashed the world record clocking 2:01:39 to claim his third Berlin title. And that does not include the unofficial assisted race he won at Monza race track in May 2017 when he clocked 2:00:25, the fastest marathon in history.

To cap it all, he was crowned Abbott World Marathon Majors champion for the third successive time after his third London victory last April.

His first AWMM race victory was at the 2014 Chicago Marathon when he produced a magnificent late surge to beat a high-quality field including Emmanuel Mutai and Kenenisa Bekele in 2:04:11.

At the London Marathon in 2015 he outsprinted defending champion Kipsang in the final stages, missing his compatriot’s course record by 13 seconds as he clocked 2:04:42.

He was quicker still in Berlin that September when he won in 2:04:00, then a personal best, despite running almost the entire race with the insole of his shoe flapping around his ankle. That mishap may have cost him the world record but it was his second victory of the year and enough to secure the WMM Series IX prize.

He made the London record his own the following April when he defended his crown in emphatic style,

crossing the line ahead of Stanley Biwott and Bekele in 2:03:05, just eight seconds outside Dennis Kimetto’s world record. He went on to add Olympic gold to his growing collection when he won a gruelling race in Rio that August.

He returned to Berlin in 2017 for a three-way battle with Bekele and Kipsang that failed to materialise when they both dropped out. He was left to fight alone with debutant Guye Adola, a tussle he eventually won in 2:03:32.

Another masterful display in the British capital 12 months ago brought him a third London victory on a blistering hot day, a performance he topped five months later when he took one minute 18 seconds from Kimetto’s all-time mark.

Previously, Kipchoge was best known for his exploits on the track, not least his upset victory at the 2003 World Championships when, at 19, he won the 5000m gold, defeating Bekele and Hicham El Guerrouj. Earlier that summer he’d broken the world junior record at the Bislett Games in Oslo, and he’d won the junior race at the World Cross Country Championships.

He won a world 5000m silver in 2007, plus an Olympic bronze in 2004 and silver in 2008, beaten by Bekele both times.

He won the Barcelona half marathon in 2013 and 2014, and the New Delhi half in 2016, but his half marathon PB of 59:25 stems from 2012 in Lille.

Personal notesKipchoge was born in Kapsisiywa in the Nandi District in Kenya where his parents were farmers. He still lives mainly in Kapsisiywa.

He trains at the Global Sports camp in Kaptagat but is based in Nijmegen, Netherlands, during the summer season. He is managed by Global Sports Communications and part of the NN Running group.

He has a daughter, Lynne Jebet, born in 2006.

KIPCHOGE


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MOSINET GEREMEW (ETHIOPIA)

Born: 12 February 1992Marathon best: 2:04:00 Dubai 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon MajorsBerlin: 2017- 3rd 2:06:12Chicago: 2018- 2nd 2:05:24Other major city marathons Dubai: 2018- 1st 2:04:00Xiamen: 2017- 2nd 2:10:20Marathons in major championships: NoneAWMM Record: Series XI- 17th

Career notesMosinet Geremew won the Dubai Marathon last January when he beat compatriot Leul Gebresilasie by two seconds in what was then a course record, making him the 12th quickest man ever. It was a race in which seven men ran under 2:05 and six finished between 2:04:00 and 2:04:15. It earned Geremew US$200,000.

He had placed third at the Berlin Marathon the previous September behind Kipchoge and Guye Adola and went on to challenge Mo Farah at the Chicago Marathon last October, a contest he lost when the Briton sprinted away in the last half a mile.

Including his debut marathon in Xiamen in January 2017, the 27-year-old has never finished off the podium.

Geremew was a 10,000m world finalist in 2015, the same year he won the prestigious Ras Al Khaimah half marathon. His PB at that distance is 59:11 from 2014 and in 2016 he became the first person to take back-to-back wins at the Yangzhou Jianzhen half. He beat a top-class field to win this year’s Lisbon half in 59:37 but said afterwards he was “not in the best shape”.

He also represented Ethiopia in junior and senior races at the World Cross Country Championships.

Personal notesHe is represented by Federico Rosa.

GEREMEW

WILSON KIPSANG (KENYA)

Born: 15 March 1982 Keiyo DistrictMarathon best: 2:03:13 Berlin 2016London Marathon record: 2012- 1st 2:04:44, 2013- 5th 2:07:47, 2014- 1st 2:04:29, 2015- 2nd 2:04:47, 2016- 5th 2:07:52Other Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2013- 1st 2:03:23, 2016- 2nd 2:03:13, 2017- dnf, 2018- 3rd 2:06:48New York: 2014- 1st 2:10:59, 2015- 4th 2:12:45, 2017- 2nd 2:10:56Tokyo: 2017- 1st 2:03:58, 2018- dnfOther major city marathonsFrankfurt: 2010: 1st 2:04:57, 2011- 1st 2:03:42Honolulu: 2012- 1st 2:12:31Otsu: 2011- 1st 2:06:13Paris: 2010- 3rd 2:07:13Tokushima: 2018- 1st 2:19:35Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2012- 3rd 2:09:37Worlds: 2015- dnfAWMM Record: Series VI- 7th, VII- 3rd, VIII- 1st, IX- 10th, X- 2nd, XI- 9th

Career notesThe former world record holder returns to the London Marathon after a three-year absence seeking a third victory. His first ran here in 2012 when he missed the course record by four seconds. On his second two years later he outbattled Stanley Biwott in the final mile and a half to beat Emmanuel Mutai’s mark by 26 seconds.

Seven months earlier he’d broken Patrick Makau’s world record to take the Berlin title and he went on to claim the 2014 New York crown and the WMM Series VIII crown. Now 37, he has notched up 10 marathon wins from 22 races, his most recent last March in Tokushima. He was third behind Kipchoge in Berlin last September.

Personal notesPreviously a travelling salesman, Kipsang was inspired to take up running by Paul Tergat’s 2003 marathon world record. His full name is Wilson Kiprotich Kipsang.

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LEUL GEBRESILASIE (ETHIOPIA)

Born: 20 September 1993Marathon best: 2:04:02 Dubai 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathons Dubai: 2018- 2nd 2:04:02Valencia: 2018- 1st 2:04:31Marathons in major championships: None

Career notesLeul Gebresilasie missed out on the 2018 Dubai Marathon title by just two seconds on his 26.2-mile debut last January, as Mosinet Geremew pipped him on the line after six men had contested the final sprint. Those two seconds cost the former All-Africa Games 5000m silver medallist some $120,000, although it was the third fastest ever marathon debut.

He ran almost as fast to win his second marathon in Valencia last December when he clocked a Spanish all-comers’ record of 2:04:31. It was another race of exceptional depth with the top three under 2:05 and six under 2:05:30.

It was the 25-year-old’s second visit to the Spanish city last year as he placed 10th for Ethiopia in the World Half Marathon Championships there last May.

Gebresilasie also ran his half marathon PB in Valencia in October 2017, clocking 59:18 to place second again.

His first major international race was in 2015 when he was second in the 5000m at the African Championships. He has track bests of 13:13.88 for 5000m and 27:17.91 for 10,000m, both in 2016.

Personal notesHe is managed by Jos Hermen’s Global Sports Communications group.

GEBRESILASIE

TAMIRAT TOLA (ETHIOPIA)

Born: 11 August 1991Marathon best: 2:04:06 Dubai 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon MajorsBoston: 2018- dnfNew York: 2018- 4th 2:08:30Other major city marathons Dubai: 2014- 4th 2:06:17, 2017- 1st 2:04:11, 2018- 3rd 2:04:06Gongju: 2014- 8th 2:12:22Marathons in major championships Worlds: 2017- 2nd 2:09:49

Career notesTamirat Tola became the 2017 World Championship marathon silver medallist when he chased Geoffrey Kirui to the line in London two years ago.

Earlier that year he won the Dubai Marathon in what was then a course record of 2:04:11, a time he bettered by five seconds at the same race last year despite finishing third behind Mosinet Geremew and Leul Gebresilasie after six men fought out the final sprint.

He raced the Boston Marathon just three months later but dropped out in the torrential rain. He fared better in New York last November when he was fourth, picking up his first WMM points.

Tola turned to road racing full-time after winning an Olympic bronze medal over 10,000m in Rio where he was beaten by Mo Farah and Paul Tanui.

Earlier that year he’d placed fifth at the World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff. He won the Prague half marathon in 2017 in a PB of 59:37.

Personal notesHe is managed by Gianni Demadonna and trains with 2016 Boston Marathon champion Lemi Berhanu.

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MULE WASIHUN (ETHIOPIA)

Born: 20 October 1993Marathon best: 2:04:37 Amsterdam 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsAmsterdam: 2016- 9th 2:07:19, 2017- 4th 2:05:39, 2018- 2nd 2:04:37Dubai: 2015- 11th 2:10:57, 2016- 5th 2:05:44, 2017- 2nd 2:06:46Rotterdam: 2018- 6th 2:08:13Marathons in major championships: None

Career notesMule Wasihun made his marathon debut in 2015 in Dubai, clocking 2:10:57 for 11th before later that year winning the Ethiopian 10,000m crown on the track.

He made a step-up in class in 2016, taking more than five minutes from his previous marathon best with an eye-catching 2:05:44 on his return to Dubai.

He went on to earn selection for the Ethiopian team at the 2016 World Half Marathon Championships in Cardiff, where he placed eighth in 61:11.

In 2017, he was second in Dubai in 2:06:46 before trimming five seconds from his marathon best with a slick 2:05:39 for fourth in Amsterdam.

He improved yet again in 2018, producing a lifetime best of 59:44 to win the Barcelona half marathon before posting a PB of 2:04:37 to place second in the Amsterdam Marathon. He lowered his half marathon best again in Ras Al Khaimah this February, clocking 59:34 in sixth.

Personal notesHe grew up on a farm with three brothers and three sisters, and started out as a 400m and 800m athlete before moving up to longer distances, inspired by Kenenisa Bekele.

WASIHUN

TOLA SHURA KITATA (ETHIOPIA)

Born: 9 June 1996Marathon best: 2:04:49 London 2018London Marathon record: 2018- 2nd 2:04:49Other Abbott World Marathon MajorsNew York: 2018- 2nd 2:06:01Other major city marathonsFrankfurt: 2017- 1st 2:05:50Istanbul: 2016- 2nd 2:14:08Otsu: 2016- 16th 2:16:09Ottawa: 2016- 2nd 2:10:04Rome: 2017- 1st 2:07:28Shanghai: 2015- 3rd 2:08:53Xiamen: 2016- 2nd 2:10:20, 2017- 3rd 2:10:36Marathons in major championships: NoneAWMM Record: Series XI- 9th

Career notesOver the last two years, Tola Shura Kitata has established himself as a highly competitive marathon runner, with victories in Rome and Frankfurt in 2017 followed by runner-up spots in London and New York last year.

He set a world junior record of 2:08:53 on his marathon debut in Shanghai in 2015 and ran four times in 2016, finishing runner-up in Xiamen, Ottawa and Istanbul with a below par 16th in Otsu sandwiched in between.

He then placed third in Xiamen before slicing two minutes from his best to win the 2017 Rome Marathon. He added the Frankfurt crown in October that year in another PB of 2:05:50, despite difficult conditions.

His first sub-2:06 was swiftly followed by his first sub-2:05 in London a year ago, when he shadowed Eliud Kipchoge as far as Blackfriars Bridge. He picked up another 16 WMM points in New York when he came from behind to take second behind Lelisa Desisa.

He ran a half marathon best of 59:17 in Philadelphia last September and won the Houston half this January in 60:11.

KITATA


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He holds national track records at 1500m, 3000m, two miles, 5000m and 10,000m, and British road records at 5km, 10km, 20km, half marathon and marathon. Those at 1500m, two miles, 5000m (indoors), 10,000m, 20km and marathon are also European records.

In August 2012, he became only the sixth man in history to win the distance double at the Olympics. His 10,000m victory at London 2012 on 4 August capped off ‘Super Saturday’ when Britain won three gold medals at the Olympic Stadium within 45 minutes. He added the 5000m title a week later.

He smashed the European record for 1500m in Monaco in 2013 before going on to repeat his Olympic double at the Moscow World Championships, so joining Kenenisa Bekele as a holder of both global distance doubles.

He repeated the feat two years later in Beijing and retained both his Olympic titles in Rio in 2016. Farah’s dream of finishing off his championship track career with a third world double at the London 2017 championships was thwarted when Muktar Edris passed him in the home straight to snatch the 5000m crown.

A teenaged Farah won the Mini London Marathon three years in a row between 1998 and 2000 when he was a west London schoolboy growing up in Hounslow.

Personal notesBorn in Mogadishu, Somalia, Mohamed Muktar Jama Farah moved to London via Djibouti when he was eight. He grew up in Hounslow, west London, where he was spotted playing football by his school sports teacher, Alan Watkinson, who encouraged him to join his local athletics club. After years coached by former marathon great Alberto Salazar in Portland, Oregon, he is now guided by Gary Lough, Paula Radcliffe’s husband.

Farah married his school girlfriend, Tania Nell, in 2010. He has a stepdaughter, Rihanna. The pair’s twin daughters, Aisha and Amani, were born in September 2012, and his son, Hussein, was born in 2015. He was awarded a CBE in 2013, was knighted in 2017 and voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in December 2017.

MO FARAH (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)2018 CHICAGO MARATHON CHAMPION

Born: 23 March 1983 Mogadishu, SomaliaMarathon best: 2:05:11 Chicago 2018London Marathon record: 2014- 8th 2:08:21, 2018- 3rd 2:06:21Other Abbott World Marathon MajorsChicago: 2018- 1st 2:05:11Other major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championships: NoneAWMM Record: Series XI- 17th

Career notesThe multiple Olympic and world track champion returns for his third London Marathon as the British and European record holder and the reigning Bank of America Chicago Marathon champion.

He made his full marathon debut here five years ago, finishing eighth in 2:08:21, an English record and the second quickest ever by a Briton behind Steve Jones’s 1985 time of 2:07:13. He returned 12 months ago with his glittering track career behind him and ran a full two minutes quicker than four years previously, taking Jones’s record and winning a place on the podium in third behind Kipchoge and Shura Kitata.

Six months later he smashed the European record in Chicago to claim his first marathon victory, breaking free of Mosinet Geremew in the last half-mile after the pair had been stuck together for 5km.

He clocked 60:23 to win the New York half marathon in March 2011, faster than Nick Rose’s 1985 British record but not ratified due to the gradient of the course. He claimed the record officially on 24 February 2013 when he won the Rock ‘n’ Roll half in New Orleans in 60:59, and lowered it to 59:32 to win the Lisbon half in 2015, a European record he relinquished to Switzerland’s Julien Wanders at this year’s Ras Al Khaimah half.

He has won the Great North Run for the last five years, clocking his best ever time of 59:22 there in 2015. Farah defended his Big Half title in London this March sprinting clear of training partner Bashir Abdi and Daniel Wanjiru to clock 61:15 in very windy conditions.

He twice broke the British record for 10km on the roads at the London 10,000, most recently in 2010 when he finished in 27:44. He also holds the British 5km road best with 13:30 and the European record at 20km – 56:27 in Lisbon, en route to his half marathon victory.

Farah ended his track career in 2017 as one of the most decorated distance runners in history with four Olympic golds and six world titles, all at 5000m and 10,000m. He also has one world silver at each distance while he has won five European golds outdoors and two indoors. He won double distance gold at two European Championships, two World Championships and two Olympic Games.

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DANIEL WANJIRU (KENYA)

Born: 25 May 1992 Embu CountyMarathon best: 2:05:21 Amsterdam 2016London Marathon record: 2017- 1st 2:05:48, 2018- 8th 2:10:35Other Abbott World Marathon MajorsNew York: 2018- 5th 2:10:21Other major city marathonsAmsterdam: 2016- 1st 2:05:21Frankfurt: 2014- 7th 2:08:18Prague: 2016- 4th 2:09:25Marathons in major championshipsWorlds: 2017- 8th 2:12:16AWMM Record: Series XI- 4th

Career notesDaniel Wanjiru shocked the field to win the 2017 London Marathon in 2:05:48, beating the Ethiopian distance legend, Kenenisa Bekele. The Kenyan made a break just before the 21-mile mark and battled hard over the final five miles to beat the fast-finishing favourite who had fallen behind after suffering with blisters caused by ill-fitting shoes.

He went on to place eighth at the London World Championships that August, and was eighth again on his return to the British capital last April when he was one of many to suffer in the searing heat.

Wanjiru made his debut in Frankfurt in 2014, when he was seventh in 2:08:18, but took nearly three minutes from that time to win the 2016 Amsterdam Marathon in a course record of 2:05:21.

He was second behind Mo Farah in the inaugural Big Half in London last March in 61:43, and third this year in 61:17. His PB is 59:20, set in Prague in 2016.

Personal notesHis full name is Daniel Kinyua Wanjiru. He lives and trains in Embu in Kenya’s Eastern Province on the south eastern slopes of Mount Kenya. He is managed by Volare Sports in the Netherlands. He has two children.

WANJIRU

ABRAHAM KIPTUM (KENYA)

Born: 15 September 1989 Chepketei Kosirai Village, Nandi CountyMarathon best: 2:05:26 Amsterdam 2017London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsAbu Dhabi: 2018- 2nd 2:04:16 (short course)Amsterdam: 2017- 3rd 2:05:26Rabat: 2015- 3rd 2:11:36Daegu: 2018- 1st 2:06:29Dongying: 2017- 7th 2:14:38Lagos: 2016- 1st, 2017- 1st 2:15:23Marathons in major championships: None

Career notesAbraham Kiptum broke the world half marathon record when he won the Valencia half on 28 October last year, clocking 58:18 to lower Zersenay Tadese’s eight-year-old mark by five seconds.

He also ran one of the quickest marathons in the world in December when he was second in Abu Dhabi in 2:04:16. Unfortunately, it was a short course, so that time will not feature in the record books.

Kiptum made his marathon debut in Rabat in 2015 and won the Lagos Marathon two years in a row. But it wasn’t until 2017 that he showed he could be world class when he reduced his best by six minutes to place third in Amsterdam behind Daniel Wanjiru. He went on to win the Daegu Marathon last April before his swift, if illegitimate, run in the United Arab Emirates.

He won this year’s Granollers half marathon in 59:58 and was seventh in Bahrain in 60:04 in mid-March.

Personal notesAbraham Kiptum is the third of four children, with one brother and two sisters. He is coached by Joshua Kiprugut Kemei , husband of world bronze and Olympic silver medallist, Eunice Kirwa. He married track athlete Judith Jepngetich on 20 December 2018.

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HENRYK SZOST (POLAND)

Born: 20 January 1982 Krynica ZdrójMarathon best: 2:07:39 Otsu 2012London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsAthens: 2010- 4th 2:15:28Debno: 2007- 2nd 2:15:57, 2008- 2nd 2:11:59Eindhoven: 2014- 9th 2:16:26Frankfurt: 2011- 12th 2:09:39, 2017- 7th 2:10:09Fukuoka: 2012- 3rd 2:08:42, 2013- 4th 2:09:37, 2014- 6th 2:10:02, 2016- 6th 2:10:53Hannover: 2018- 5th 2:13:37Mungyeong: 2015- 5th 2:17:43Oita: 2010- dnfOtsu: 2012- 2nd 2:07:39, 2016-dnfOttawa: 2017- 9th 2:17:51Vienna: 2010- 4th 2:10:27, 2011- 9th 2:12:45Warsaw: 2013- dnf, 2014- 3rd 2:08:55, 2015- 9th 2:10:11, 2016- 2nd 2:12:40Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2008- 34th 2:19:43, 2012- 9th 2:12:28, 2016- dnfEuropeans: 2010: dnf, 2014- dnf, 2018- 19th 2:18:09

Career notesHenry Szost is the Polish record holder and three-times Poland’s marathon champion. A prolific marathon runner, he has represented his country at three Olympic Games and three European Championships.

He ran his best time when runner-up at the Lake Biwa race in Otsu in 2012 when he also placed ninth at the London Olympics and was third in Fukuoka. He has rarely been under 2:10 since then, but placed seventh in Frankfurt last October in 2:10:09. After eight years and 28 marathons, this will be his first World Marathon Majors event.

Personal notesHe is a soldier in the Polish army and coached by Leonid Shvetsov. In 2017 he married fitness trainer Sara Marmon.

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DEWI GRIFFITHS (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 9 August 1991 CarmarthenMarathon best: 2:09:49 Frankfurt 2017London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsFrankfurt: 2017- 5th 2:09:49Marathons in major championships: None

Career notesWelshman Dewi Griffiths made his marathon debut in Frankfurt in October 2017 and immediately broke 2:10.

His time of 2:09:47 made him the fastest British marathon man of the year, ahead of Callum Hawkins’s time from the London World Championships, and the 15th best of all time. It was the quickest by a British man for three years.

He hasn’t run over 26.2 miles since then, but came within 11 seconds of his half marathon PB when he clocked 62:44 to place eighth in Houston this January. He then ran 63:17 to finish fourth at the 2019 Big Half in London this March.

Griffiths was fourth over 10,000m at the European Junior Championships back in 2009, and has since run for Britain as a senior at numerous European and World Cross Country Championships.

He ran 10,000m for Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and last summer was fifth for Britain at that distance at the European Championships in Berlin. He was also 27th at the 2018 World Half Marathon Championships in Valencia but missed the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games with a stress fracture in his hip.

He has seven Welsh titles – one at 5000m in 2017 and six at cross country each year from 2012 to 2017.

Personal notesA member of Swansea Harriers, Griffiths lives in Llanfynydd, Wales, and is coached by Kevin Evans.

D.GRIFFITHS


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CALLUM HAWKINS (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 22 June 1992 Elderslie, near PaisleyMarathon best: 2:10:17 Worlds 2017London Marathon record: 2016- 8th 2:10:52 Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsFrankfurt: 2015- 12th 2:12:17Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- 9th 2:11:52Worlds: 2017- 4th 2:10:17Commonwealths: 2018- dnf

Career notesCallum Hawkins came within 26 seconds of a medal when he was fourth at the London 2017 World Championships in a personal best time of 2:10:17, equalling the best ever performance in a Worlds by a British male marathon runner.

A year earlier he had placed ninth at the Rio Olympic Games having won the British title at that year’s London Marathon. It was a significant breakthrough for the Scot who made his marathon debut at Frankfurt in 2015.

He built up to the London Worlds by running a Scottish half marathon record, and second quickest by a Briton, clocking 60:00 to win in Marugame, followed by 60:08 in New York a month later.

He was favourite for the marathon title at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last April and led the race by two minutes until a mile and a half from the finish when he collapsed with dehydration. He pulled out of December’s Fukuoka Marathon with a hamstring injury.

He returned to fitness in January and ran a 10km road PB of 28:55 in Valencia. He also ran 62:52 at the Lisbon Half Marathon in mid-March.

Personal notesA member of Kilbarchan AC, he is coached by his father, Robert Hawkins. His brother, Derek, is also a marathon runner. He studied at Butler University and at the University of West Scotland.

BUTTER

MICHEL BUTTER (NETHERLANDS)

Born: 5 November 1985 BeverwijkMarathon best: 2:09:58 Amsterdam 2012London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors Boston: 2012- 7th 2:16:38New York: 2017- 6th 2:12:39Other major city marathonsAmsterdam: 2011- 15th 2:12:59, 2012- 12th 2:09:58, 2015- 11th 2:11:08, 2018- 13th 2:17:18Rotterdam: 2013- 10th 2:13:25, 2015- 12th 2:14:02, 2017- 13th 2:11:00Utrecht: 2011- 1st 2:17:36Marathons in major championshipsWorlds: 2013- dnf

Career notesMichel Butter starts his third World Marathon Majors race 18 months after placing sixth in the 2017 New York Marathon.

He made his marathon debut in 2011 and ran his personal best in Amsterdam in 2012 six months after finishing seventh in Boston as the top European.

He contested the marathon at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow but failed to finish.

He was 27th in the half marathon at the 2016 European Championships and has represented his country at numerous European Cross Country Championships.

On the track, he won a 10,000m silver medal at the 2007 European Under 23 Championships.

He has a half marathon best of 62:25 from 2013.

Personal notesButter has the same birthday as world record holder and three-time London Marathon champion, Eliud Kipchoge.

HAWKINS


Media Guide 2019 51

BASHIR ABDI (BELGIUM)

Born: 10 February 1989 Mogadishu, SomaliaMarathon best: 2:10:46 Rotterdam 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsRotterdam: 2018- 8th 2:10:46Marathons in major championships: None

NotesHe won the European Championships silver medal at 10,000m in Berlin last August and was third at the Great North Run in PB of 60:42. A member of Global Sports Communication’s NN Running Team. Somali-born, he moved to Belgium in 2002 aged 12, and was inspired by watching Mo Farah at the 2008 World Cross Country Championships in Brussels. He now trains with Farah and was second behind the Briton in this year’s London Big Half.

IHOR OLEFIRENKO (UKRAINE)

Born: 14 March 1990Marathon best: 2:12:04 Bila Tserkva 2015London Marathon record: 2017- 18th 2:15:34, 2018- 11th 2:15:06Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsBarcelona: 2017- 8th 2:15:52Bila Tserkva: 2012- 1st 2:14:56, 2013- 1st 2:14:10, 2015- 1st 2:12:04Milan: 2014- 4th 2:13:10Oita: 2016- 7th 2:13:33Xiamen: 2018- 5th 2:12:18Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- 30th 2:15:36Worlds: 2017- 18th 2:15:34Europeans: 2014- 29th 2:20:36, 2018- 14th 2:16:35

NotesUkrainian marathon champion in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

ABDI

OLEFIRENKO

YASSINE RACHIK (ITALY)

Born: 11 June 1993 Aïn Sebaâ, Casablanca, MoroccoMarathon best: 2:12:09 Europeans 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsHangzhou: 2017- 8th 2:14:55Milan: 2017- 6th 2:13:22, 2018- 6th 2:14:01Marathons in major championshipsEuropeans: 2018- 3rd 2:12:09

NotesWon marathon bronze at the Berlin European Championships last August. Has half marathon PB of 62:13. Born in Morocco, moved to Italy in 2004 and became eligible for Italy in 2015. Lives in Castelli Calepio.

YOHEI SUZUKI (JAPAN)

Born: 12 January 1984Marathon best: 2:12:18 Chicago 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors Chicago: 2018- 12th 2:12:18Other major city marathonsMatsuyama: 2017- 2nd 2:14:56Otsu: 2018- 14th 2:15:16Marathons in major championships: None

NotesRan half marathon PB of 61:53 in Marugame in February 2018.

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TSEGAI TEWELDE (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 8 December 1989 EritreaMarathon best: 2:12:23 London 2016London Marathon record: 2016- 12th 2:12:23, 2017- dnfOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsBeirut: 2017- 6th 2:14:45Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- dnf

NotesFinished second Briton at 2016 London Marathon to win a place at the Rio Olympics. One of six Eritreans who sought asylum after the 2008 World Cross Country Championships in Edinburgh. Joined Shettleston Harriers and received his British passport in 2014. Ran a half marathon PB of 63:14 at the 2017 Great North Run.

JONNY MELLOR (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 27 December 1986 BirkenheadMarathon best: 2:12:57 Berlin 2017London Marathon record: 2017- 23rd 2:18:48, 2018- 14th 2:17:55Other Abbott World Marathon MajorsBerlin: 2017- 10th 2:12:57New York: 2018- 15th 2:16:09Other major city marathonsFrankfurt: 2015- 24th 2:16:52Marathons in major championships: None

NotesRanked third in the UK in 2017. Turned down a chance to compete in 2018 Commonwealth Games to run in London where he was second Briton behind Mo Farah. Coached by Steve Vernon, he runs for Liverpool Harriers. He is a chartered surveyor.

DANIEL CHAVES DA SILVA (BRAZIL)

Born: 10 July 1988Marathon best: 2:13:16 Valencia 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsValencia: 2018- 18th 2:13:16Marathons in major championships: None

NotesHas a half marathon best of 63:19 from 2013.

He first competed internationally when 16th over 10,000m at the 2006 World Junior Championships.

CHRIS DERRICK (UNITED STATES)

Born: 17 October 1990Marathon best: 2:12:50 Chicago 2017London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors Chicago: 2017- 9th 2:12:50New York: 2018- 10th 2:13:08Other major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championships: None

NotesHe ran 10,000m for USA at the 2013 World Championships, placing 18th, and was 10th in 2013 and 24th in 2015 at the World Cross Country Championships. Won three consecutive US cross country titles 2013-15 and set a US junior 5000m record in 2009. Was a pacemaker for Nike’s Breaking2 attempt in May 2017.

MELLOR

DERRICK DA SILVA

TEWELDE


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IRAITZ ARROSPIDE (SPAIN)

Born: 5 August 1988Marathon best: 2:13:23 Valencia 2018London Marathon record: 2016- 21st 2:24:51, 2017- 8th 2:20:56Other Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2017- 29th 2:18:09Other major city marathonsSeville: 2018- 14th 2:16:24Valencia: 2018- 19th 2:13:23Marathons in major championshipsEuropeans: 2018- 34th 2:19:49

NotesWas eighth in the club race in 2017 (33rd quickest overall). Lives in Sheffield where he is a PhD student. Took up running in 2015 because he was bored. Coached by John Wood. Won Spanish title in December.

DERLIS AYALA (PARAGUAY)

Born: 7 January 1990 Ciudad del Este,Marathon best: 2:13:41 Buenos Aires 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsAsuncion: 2016- 2nd 2:25:27, 2018- 1st 2:20:49Buenos Aires: 2018- 4th 2:13:41Rotterdam: 2016- 19th 2:17:32Temuco: 2017- 2nd 2:18:52Valencia: 2015- 21st 2:19:43, 2016- 13th 2:16:23Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- 135th 2:39:40Worlds: 2017- 25th 2:16:37

NotesLowered Paraguayan record four times in three years. Also holds NRs at one mile, 5000m and 10,000m.

ARROSPIDE

AYALA

COLIN LEAK (UNITED STATES)

Born: 26 October 1986Marathon best: 2:14:44 Sacramento 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsHouston: 2017- 8th 2:18:16Sacramento: 2017 - 11th 2:15:34, 2018- 14th 2:14:44Marathons in major championships: None

NotesComes from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and runs for Philadelphia Runner Track Club.

JOSH GRIFFITHS (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 3 November 1993Marathon best: 2:14:49 London 2017London Marathon record: 2017- 14th 2:14:49Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsDublin: 2018- 7th 2:16:09Marathons in major championshipsWorlds: 2017- 39th 2:20:06Commonwealths: 2018- 15th 2:37:10

NotesWas first Briton home on his debut in 2017 when he started in the championship race and finished among the elites in 14th to take the British title. Ranked second in Britain last year. Self-coached, he lives in rural Wales and runs for Swansea Harriers. He ran the Mini London Marathon for Wales in 2011.

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ROBBIE SIMPSON (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 14 November 1991 Wegberg, GermanyMarathon best: 2:15:04 London 2017London Marathon record: 2016- 18th 2:15:38, 2017- 15th 2:15:04Other Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championshipsCommonwealths: 2018- 3rd 2:19:36

NotesCommonwealth Games marathon bronze medallist last year. Was second Briton in the 2017 London Marathon when he finished 15th overall in his PB 2:15:04.

European Mountain Running silver medallist in 2014 and world bronze medallist in 2015. Aberdeen-based Scot who competes for Deeside Runners.

MICK CLOHISEY (IRELAND)

Born: 13 January 1986Marathon best: 2:14:55 Seville 2018London Marathon record: 2017- 22nd 2:18:34Other Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2015- 29th 2:15:35Other major city marathonsDublin: 2018- 6th 2:15:58Rotterdam: 2015- 18th 2:17:43Seville: 2016- 9th 2:15:11, 2018- 12th 2:14:55Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- 102nd 2:26:34Worlds: 2017- 22nd 2:16:21Europeans: 2018- 18th 2:18:00

NotesWas ninth in the Big Half in London in March. Runs for Raheny Shamrock AC. Won the Vienna half marathon in 2014. Coached by Dick Hooper.

ANDREW DAVIES (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 30 October 1979Marathon best: 2:15:11 London 2017London Marathon record: 2016- 20th 2:17:45, 2017- 16th 2:15:11Other Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2015- 38th 2:16:55New York 2018- 25th 2:20:23Other major city marathonsBarcelona: 2012- 17th 2:25:09Dublin: 2009- 19th 2:27:01Frankfurt: 2013- 28th 2:20:41Manchester: 2014- 2nd 2:17:51 (short course)Rotterdam: 2013- 26th 2:26:29Marathons in major championshipsWorlds: 2017- 31st 2:17:59Commonwealths: 2014- 17th 2:18:59, 2018- 11th 2:26:05

Notes2018 World Masters mountain running champion. Also ninth at the 2016 World Long Distance Championships.

NITENDER SINGH RAWAT (INDIA)

Born: 29 September 1986 Garur, UttarakhandMarathon best: 2:15:18 Guwahati 2016London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathonsGuwahati: 2016- 1st 2:15:18Mumbai: 2016- 10th 2:15:48, 2018- 12th 2:16:54, 2019- 11th 2:15:52Mungyeong: 2015- 8th 2:18:06New Delhi: 2018- 2nd 2:24:55Marathons in major championshipsOlympics: 2016- 83rd 2:22:52

NotesWas hampered by a hamstring injury at the Rio Olympics, his only international to date.

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THOMAS DE BOCK (BELGIUM)

Born: 20 August 1991Marathon best: 2:15:19 Berlin 2018London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2018- 15th 2:15:19Other major city marathonsAntwerp: 2018- 4th 2:17:57Marathons in major championships: None

NotesHalf marathon best of 64:58. Belgian international and member of Olympic Running Team. A PhD researcher in sport management at University of Ghent.

DE BOCK

DENNIS LAERTE (BELGIUM)

Born: 14 January 1985Marathon best: 2:16:29 Eindhoven 2017London Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors Berlin: 2016- 22nd 2:18:04Other major city marathonsEindhoven: 2014- 18th 2:21:36, 2017- 9th 2:16:29Rotterdam: 2014- 27th 2:23:11, 2016- 47th 2:22:48Marathons in major championships: None

NotesHalf marathon best of 66:24 at The Hague in 2016.

ANDY VERNON (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 7 January 1986 FarnhamMarathon best: DebutLondon Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championships: None

Notes2014 European Championships 10,000m silver medallist and 5000m bronze medallist. Also won a European cross country bronze in 2013. British international on track and cross country since fourth over 5000m at 2005 European juniors. Half marathon best of 62:46 from 2014 Great North Run. 20th at this year’s Big Half. Self-coached, he competes for Aldershot, Farnham & District. Married to Tasha with daughter Arya born last year.

LAERTE

VERNON

BRETT ROBINSON (AUSTRALIA)

Born: 8 May 1991 CanberraMarathon best: DebutLondon Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championships: None

NotesThree-time Melbourne half marathon winner, setting PB of 64:01 there in 2017. Started Fukuoka Marathon last December but pulled out before 35km. Former 5000m runner at two world championships. Also14th in the Rio Olympic final which was delayed by 15 minutes because he forgot his bib number. Member of Nic Bideau’s Melbourne Track Club.

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JACK RAYNER (AUSTRALIA)

Born: 19 December 1995 AltonaMarathon best: DebutLondon Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championships: None

NotesWon Cardiff half marathon and Commonwealth Championships title last October in 61:01, a personal best by more than two minutes. Was third in Marugame half this February 61:36.

JACK MARTIN (GREAT BRITAIN & NI)

Born: 29 April 1988Marathon best: DebutLondon Marathon record: NoneOther Abbott World Marathon Majors: NoneOther major city marathons: NoneMarathons in major championships: None

NotesRan half marathon best of 63:47 in The Hague last year. Also ran PBs last year at 800m, 1500m, mile, 5000m, 10,000m and 10km. Broke course record to win Sheffield 10km in 29:13 last December. Runs for Stockport Harriers. Thirty-first birthday on the day after Race Day.

RAYNER

MARTIN


Media Guide 2019 57

The British Race

The British athletes listed on the following page are those who will line up on the ‘elite’ start lines. To be considered for a place among the elite entries British athletes must satisfy the following criteria:

Men: athletes who have run a sub-2:18:00 marathon or sub-65:00 half marathon between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018.

Women: athletes who have run a sub-2:40:00 marathon or sub-1:15:00 half marathon between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2018.

These athletes are offered travel expenses and two nights accommodation.

UK Championships

The 2019 Virgin Money London Marathon also hosts the 2019 British Athletics men’s and women’s marathon championships. To compete in the championships an athlete must be a member of a UK Athletics affiliated club and have run the following times in 2017 or 2018:

Men: 2:45, or 1:15 half marathon

Women: 3:15, or 1:30 half marathon

UK Bonuses

These bonuses apply to all British athletes eligible to compete for the UK in major championships.

These sums are not cumulative.

Men WomenSub 2:09:00 - $10,000 Sub 2:29:00 - $10,000Sub 2:10:00 - $9,000 Sub 2:30:00 - $9,000Sub 2:11:00 - $8,000 Sub 2:31:00 - $8,000Sub 2:12:00 - $7,000 Sub 2:32:00 - $7,000Sub 2:13:00 - $6,000 Sub 2:33:00 - $6,000Sub 2:14:00 - $5,000 Sub 2:34:00 - $5,000Sub 2:15:00 - $4,000 Sub 2:35:00 - $4,000Sub 2:16:00 - $2,500 Sub 2:36:00 - $2,500Sub 2:17:00 - $1,500 Sub 2:37:00 - $1,500Sub 2:18:00 - $1,000 Sub 2:38:00 - $1,000Sub 2:19:00 - $500 Sub 2:40:00 - $500

2019 World Championships selection

The 2019 London Marathon incorporates the official British Athletics marathon trials for the 2019 IAAF World Championships in Doha. To be eligible for selection athletes must have run the following qualifying times on an IAAF accredited course between midnight on 1 May 2018 and 16:00 on 28 April 2019.

Men: 2:13:00

Women: 2:31:00

The first two British athletes to finish the London Marathon will be selected automatically provided they have achieved the qualification standard by the end of the qualification period.

British Athletics can select up to three athletes for the men’s and women’s World Championship marathons. The British marathon competitors for the 2019 World Championships will be announced following a selection meeting on Tuesday 30 April 2019.

Currently, the following athletes have achieved the British Athletics marathon qualifying standards:

Men: Mo Farah (2:05:11)

Women: Steph Twell (2:30:11)

Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Qualification

The qualification period for the marathon events at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is from 1 January 2019 to 31 May 2020.

The qualification standards are:

Men: 2:11:30

Women: 2:29:30

In addition, the first 10 athletes at the Doha 2019 World Championship marathons, the top five finishers at IAAF Gold Label Marathons and the top 10 finishers at the World Marathon Majors races in Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York held during the qualification period will be considered as having achieved the Olympic entry standard.


58 Media Guide 2019

British Elite Runners

Women

Bib Name Club PB (year) Age Bib name116 Sonia Samuels Sale Harriers Manchester 2:28:04 (15) 39 SAMUELS120 Charlotte Purdue Aldershot, Farnham & District 2:29:23 (17) 27 PURDUE121 Lily Partridge Aldershot, Farnham & District 2:29:24 (18) 28 PARTRIDGE122 Tracy Barlow Thames Valley Harriers 2:30:42 (17) 33 BARLOW126 Tish Jones Belgrave Harriers 2:33:56 (17) 33 JONES127 Natasha Cockram Micky Morris Racing Team 2:34:18 (19) 26 COCKRAM129 Hayley Carruthers Birchfield Harriers 2:36:48 (18) 26 CARRUTHERS

Men

Bib Name Club PB (year) Age Bib name8 Mo Farah Newham & Essex Beagles 2:05:11 (18) 36 SIR MO13 Dewi Griffiths Swansea Harriers 2:09:49 (17) 27 D. GRIFFITHS15 Callum Hawkins Kilbarchan 2:10:17 (17) 26 HAWKINS21 Tsegai Tewelde Shettleston Harriers 2:12:23 (16) 29 TEWELDE23 Jonny Mellor Liverpool Harriers 2:12:57 (17) 32 MELLOR28 Joshua Griffiths Swansea Harriers 2:14:49 (17) 25 J. GRIFFITHS30 Robbie Simpson Deeside Runners 2:15:04 (17) 27 SIMPSON31 Andrew Davies Stockport/Mercia Fell 2:15:11 (17) 39 DAVIES36 Andy Vernon Aldershot, Farnham & District Debut 33 VERNON39 Jack Martin Stockport Debut 30 MARTIN

All eyes will be on Mo Farah at the head of the elite field on 28 April, while behind him another nine British men will battle to be selected for September’s Doha World Championships along with seven of Britain’s best women marathon runners.

Callum Hawkins returns to the British capital for the first time since placing fourth at the 2017 World Championships. After collapsing so dramatically while leading the Commonwealth Games marathon a year ago, the Scot will be keen to show he’s back to his best.

Joining him in the men’s race is Dewi Griffiths, who ran 2:09:49 at the Frankfurt Marathon in 2017 and Andy Vernon, who will make his debut over 26.2 miles at the age of 33.

Vernon, who has won European medals on the track and cross country, has decided that now is the time to make the step up to marathon running.

“It felt like the right time in my career to move up to the marathon,” said Aldershot, Farnham & District athlete. “I feel like I am getting a little bit slower on the track. It’s tough to make teams, it’s tough to do well at championships, especially over 10,000m. For that reason, I thought if I don’t do it now, I won’t ever do it.”

Other Brits confirmed to run are Rio Olympian Tsegai Tewelde, Jonny Mellor, and Josh Griffiths, the man who emerged from the club race two years ago to finish as first Briton.

The British women’s field promises to be just as competitive. After a year hampered by injury and illness,

Charlotte Purdue returns to London alongside her Aldershot Farnham & District clubmate Lily Partridge.

Just one second separates Purdue’s marathon PB of 2:29:23, set here in 2017, and Partridge’s best of 2:29:24 which she ran to finish eighth last year.

Purdue said: “I want to make the World Championship team for Doha and I want to run a PB at the London Marathon.

“I think I can go a lot faster than I did in 2017 and my World Championship performance proved that. I just haven’t had the right race yet so I’m hoping the London Marathon will be the right race for me.”

Fellow British internationals Tracy Barlow and Sonia Samuels are also confirmed, as are Hayley Carruthers, Natasha Cockram and Tish Jones.

Preview: Farah heads British challenge with championship places up for grabs

preview: kipchoge returns to take on sir mo · 2019-04-24 · he won a world 5000m silver in 2007,...

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