Inspired Komon ready for Eindhoven exploits: 10km, 15km world record holder stirred by Kimetto feat ahead of Spain event today

Leonard Komon

Leonard Komon, the 10km and 15km world record holder on the roads, has been inspired by the 2:02.57 world record set by his compatriot Dennis Kimetto at the Berlin Marathon just over a week ago and will have it in his mind during his marathon debut at the De Lage Landen Marathon Eindhoven today.

“I met Kimetto in Eldoret a week before he ran in Berlin. We didn’t plan to meet but we were both in the town and our paths crossed and we talked,” said Komon.

“He told me how he was in world shape and how he was going to attack the world record in Berlin. I know Kimetto so I took his words seriously, but it also led me to think about myself, what sort of shape I am in and what I think I can do in Eindhoven,” he at a press conference in the Dutch city on Thursday.

“Then, I watched the Berlin race on television, saw what happened , and saw how Kimetto broke the world record.

“It was very interesting and even though I am not thinking about the world record on Sunday, it provided me with a lot of inspiration and ideas about how to run a strong marathon.

“And maybe one day I can break the marathon world record as well, but I think, like Kimetto, I will need two or three races to understand the marathon.”

Komon, 26, has been focusing on his first race over the classic distance since June.

“At the start of the year, my manager, Marc Corstjens, asked me whether I thought I was ready to run a marathon. I took a long time to think it over because I still felt I have some unfinished business at the half marathon, after world records at 10km and 15km.

“I wanted to go up the distances gradually. However, I came to the conclusion that I was ready and I changed my training to focus on it.”

Nevertheless, back in March, Komon won the Vattenfall Berlin Half Marathon in 59:14, the fastest ever debut over that distance.

“I would have liked to have broken the half marathon world record and I didn’t do it. Depending on how I do it on Sunday, maybe I will make another attempt on the world record next year.”

“For Sunday, I have 2:05 and breaking the course record as my target time. I think the course is nice, very fast. I saw what is possible when I was here in August to inspect the course.

“We need the pacemakers to cooperate and I am thinking about running 62:30 or 62:40 for the first half of the race, and then run the second half faster; just like Kimetto in Berlin.

“I also need my fellow top runners like (fellow Kenyan and, with a best of 2:04.56, the fastest man in Eindhoven field) Jonathan Maiyo to cooperate for a fast time. Berlin showed that fast times come if you have two or more good runners cooperating after 30km.”

Dickson Chumba ran the current Marathon Eindhoven course record of 2:05.46 in 2012.

Today’s event will be one of just five races in the Dutch city, which will see a total of around 20,000 participants.

There is also a half marathon (which incorporates the De Lage Landen Company Run), the 4x10.5km marathon relay, the IAK 5km City Run and Trudo 2.5km Mini Marathon.