Kenyans in Comrades mix

The Comrades Marathon hasn’t been a hit with Kenyan long distance athletes‚ but the entries of Justin Chesire Kemboi and Melly Kennedy will lend the long needed East African flavour the race has needed.

Kenyan athletes have long been considered as the toast of African distance running, with their Ethiopian competitors close behind them.

However‚ they’ve never been big on tackling the 90km race between Pietermaritzburg and Durban.

In the race’s roll of honour‚ that’s showed, but they’ve made an impression on the shorter and less taxing 56km Two Oceans Marathon.

Cheshire and Kennedy will run for the Nedbank Running Club, with the former having won the Two Oceans Marathon last year in a time of 3.09.21.

Kennedy came fourth in the same race.

This year‚ Kemboi was third behind Bong’musa Mthembu and David Gatebe.

Nick Bester‚ a former Comrades Marathon winner and team manager of the Nedbank Running Club‚ said there’s enough financial incentive in the world’s oldest and largest ultra-marathon for them to take it seriously.

The winner of the respective Comrades races will get R500,000 each, with the runners-up getting R250,000.