Former World Half Marathon Champion Wilson Kiprop is the fastest runner on the start list. Elizeba Cherono looks to be the favourite in the women’s race. 32,753 runners from 103 nations have entered Germany’s biggest and fastest half marathon.
Wilson Kiprop has a
fine record in the half marathon. While he took the World Championship’s
gold medal six years ago the 28 year-old has run sub one hour times on
five occasions. It was at the Berlin Half Marathon in 2012 where he
clocked his personal best of 59:15 finishing second. Due to an injury
the Kenyan has not competed internationally since 2014. He was sixth in
the World Half Marathon Championships in that year. „On Sunday I want to run a good race again, it is my aim to achieve a sub 60 minutes’ time,“ said Wilson Kiprop during Friday’s press conference. „I suffered of a calf injury in 2014 and could not compete, but now it is all fine.“
Wilson
Kiprop’s biggest challenger might be fellow-Kenyan Richard Mengich. He
clocked his personal best a year ago when he ran 59:59 for fourth place
in Berlin. Mengich ran another four half marathons in 2015 and showed
good consistency. Mengich knows the Berlin course very well. On Sunday it will be his fourth start in a row here. In 2013 he placed eighth, a year later he was third.
Jairus
Chanchima is another Kenyan who features a sub one hour personal best
with a time of 59:43. While he ran this back in 2009 he did not yet
achieve such a strong result again. Emmanuel Ngatuny (Kenya) could do
well as well. A year ago he was eighth in Berlin with a personal best of
60:58.
Aiming to run sub 61 minutes Arne Gabius could be among some of the top Kenyans on Sunday. Germany’s new marathon star, who broke the 27 year-old national record in Frankfurt 2015 with a time of 2:08:33,
is eager to make amendments for last year. While he was going for the
German record of 60:34 stomach problems stopped him during the race. At
the end Arne Gabius was jogging over the finish line. „It is my goal to
clearly improve this time. I want to run sub 61 minutes and I will go
with the first group. But I am not sure if I will be able to get near to
the German record,“ said Arne Gabius, who has a personal best of 62:09
and will run the London Marathon three weeks after Berlin.
As well as Arne Gabius two other German men running on Sunday
have achieved the German Olympic qualifying standard for the marathon
last year. Philipp Pflieger, Julian Flügel and Gabius could all make a
major step towards Rio on Sunday,
if they run below a very moderate 66:30. This is the time asked by the
German federation to confirm their form during the spring of the Olympic
year.
Returning to the German capital is Elizeba Cherono. The
27 year-old Kenyan was second in the Berlin Half Marathon a year ago
with 70:56. In October she improved to 70:10 when winning the Dutch race
in Breda. She now hopes to run sub 70 minutes for the first time. While
Sophy Jepchirchir is the second fastest on the start list with a time
of 71:36 fellow-Kenyan Dorcas Nzembi could be in for a surprise. Just 18
years old she won the Pune Half Marathon in India last December,
improving by more than two minutes to 71:48.