Rivals are ready to run off with Wanjiru’s title
DANIEL Wanjiru faces a tough task to defend his London Marathon title against three of the finest distance runners of their generation.
The 25-year-old Kenyan is up against Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele, who he pipped into second place last year, and 2015 and 2016 winner Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya.
Bekele and Kipchoge are the second and third fastest men in history respectively, although any ambitions of breaking Dennis Kimetto’s world record of two hours two minutes and 57 seconds have been complicated by the anticipated hot weather.
Then there is the added threat of Sir Mo Farah, Britain’s multiple Olympic and World track gold medallist who has now turned his attention to the marathon.
Wanjiru was second behind Farah at London’s Big Half in March as both fine-tuned their preparations for the big race.
Wanjiru said: “For me that was good preparation for this marathon. In January, I did another half in the USA, which was also a good test for my body to see whether I was in good condition, and I proved I was OK.
“Since that day, training has been going very well and I am prepared to come and defend my title this year.
“Obviously as a sportsman you know you have to compete, you always expect to meet strong competition. “It depends on the day who will be the winner. On Sunday, we will try to go for our best times. “I think Mo is in good condition. We exchanged ideas at the half-marathon, I told him to keep the same spirit and he will be in good shape for the marathon. “Everything is possible in a marathon. He can run a good time, and maybe even be on the podium.” Kipchoge won the Olympic title at Rio 2016 but skipped London last year for an unofficial attempt at breaking the twohour mark – he came up 26 seconds short.
The 33-year-old said: “London is a race that holds special memories for me. I won it in 2015 and 2016 and both are days I will never forget. I came close to breaking the world record in 2016 and it’s natural to think what might have been.
“I feel in good shape. I know I have the world record in me, so we will have to wait and see what happens.”
And as for the new kid on the marathon block, Kipchoge added: “With home advantage and the crowd behind him, I think Mo will run a good time.”
Kenyan Mary Keitany, 36, will bid to win the women’s race for a fourth time to equal the feat of Norway’s Ingrid Kristiansen.