NAIROBI, Sept. 27 (Xinhua) -- World record-holder Jocelyn Jepkosgei of Kenya will compete in the Valencia Half Marathon on Oct. 22 targeting to improve the course record.
Jepkosgei, who holds the world record of 1:04:52, achieved in Prague in April, will be competing in her seventh half marathon and believes she is in top shape to claim the title.
"I always train hard. It helps during the main competition and I look forward to run faster in Valencia," she said on Wednesday in Eldoret.
The 23-year-old is the first woman to run the ten-kilometre distance in under 30 minutes. She will face Ethiopia's Worknesh Degefa (66:14) and Kenya's Fancy Chemutai (66:58).
All the three women hold faster times than Valencia's course record of one hour, seven minutes and nine seconds, which was recorded by outgoing champion Peres Jepchirchir last year. Jepchirchir will sit out this year's race as she is on maternity leave.
In the men's race, world-leader Abraham Cheroben from Bahrain will headline the elite list. However, it will not be walk in the pack as he expects to face stiff challenge from Kenyans Vincent Rono (59:27) and Justus Kangogo (59:31), New Zealand's Jake Robertson (60:01) and Morocco's Mustapha El Aziz (59:29).
There will also be Stephen Kosgei Kibet, winner of the 2016 trial and who will therefore wear the 'Number One' bib.
There will be ten athletes whose personal records are within an hour of Kibet's record in Valencia, including Abraham Cheroben, who just won the Copenhagen Half-Marathon, running the distance in just 58 minutes 40 seconds.
Cheroben's time beats his personal record in Valencia in 2014 (58 minutes 48 seconds), which is still the course record.
Other runners who have turned in star performances over the last year include Vincent Rono (59:27 in Prague 2017), Mustapha el Aziz (59:29 in Valencia 2016), Justus Kangogo (59:31 in Ostia 2017), and 'The White Pearl' of New Zealand, Jack Robertson (60:01 in Lisbon 2017).
Meanwhile, Kenyan road runners Paskalia Chepkorir and Veronica Nyaruai have been added to the elite women's field for the Durban 10km on Oct.8.
Top names in the women's race include world 10,000m silver medalist Joshua Cheptegei and South African record-holder Stephen Mokoka. Enditem
