NAIROBI, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- World champions Geoffrey Kirui of Kenya and Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana will be the athletes to beat at the Delhi Half Marathon on Nov 19.
Kirui, who won the men's marathon at the IAAF World Championships London 2017 this summer, knows what the racing in Delhi is all about and is familiar with the picturesque circuit.
The Kenyan runner was sixth in a high-quality affair two years ago where he set his current personal best of 59:38. Winner of the race will take home 27,000 U.S. dollars.
"It is a very competitive race, with top runners each eyeing the top prize. I have what it takes to win it and hope I will improve my personal best time," said Kirui on Thursday in Nairobi.
By contrast, the reigning world 10,000m champion Ayana will be setting foot on Indian soil for the first time and will also be making her debut over the half marathon distance.
However, all eyes will be on the Ethiopian to see whether she can transfer her stunning form on the track in the last two years, which also saw her break the 10,000m world record when winning gold over 25 laps of the track in Rio, to the roads.
The men's course record is 59:06 and was set by Ethiopia's Guye Adola in 2014 while the women's course record has been standing since 2009 and belongs to Kenya's Mary Keitany at 1:06:54.
Nevertheless, despite his fine credentials which also include a win in the Boston Marathon back in April, Kirui will not start as a prohibitive favorite.
Three of his compatriots have run under 59 minutes, with the in-form Jorum Okumbo the fastest man in the field having run 58:48 earlier this year, while Ethiopia's Yigrem Demelash was second in 2016 and determined to climb one step higher on the podium this time around.
In the women's race, Ayana will face her compatriot Worknesh Degefa, who is not only the defending champion but the fastest woman in the field having clocked 1:06:14 in 2016.
Indeed, the top three women from 2016 return with Ababel Yeshaneh and Helah Kiprop also coming back to Delhi to challenge for the title again.
