Keitany, Vivian draw battle lines: London Marathon champion Cheruiyot ready for the challenge

Kenya's Mary Keitany runs during the women's elite race at the London marathon on April 23, 2017 in London. Kenya's Mary Keitany won a third London Marathon today posting an unofficial time of 2hrs 17min 01sec -- the fastest time in a women-only marathon. / AFP PHOTO

Three-time New York Marathon champion chases fourth title in Sunday race

Two-time London marathon champion Mary Keitany will be seeking to clinch the New York City Marathon for the fourth time on Sunday.

Keitany was crowned winner in 2014, 2015 and 2016 but played second fiddle to United State’s Shalane Flanagan in last year’s race.

The 2018 London Marathon champion Vivian Cheruiyot will also be seeking to stamp authority in New York after denying Keitany victory in the London Marathon in April this year.

Organisers, the New York Road Runners, have announced that Flanagan will defend her 2017 title in what may emerge as a fascinating run on the streets of USA’s biggest city.

Also in the women’s 42km race is Molly Huddle, who will be making her return to New York after finishing third in her debut in 2016.

The 2018 Boston Marathon champion Desiree Lindenof of the USA will also be on the course alongside Mamitu Daska of Ethiopia, who finished third in last year’s New York City Marathon, Stephanie Bruce (US), who finished 10th and Allie Kieffer, also from the USA, who was fifth.

Cheruiyot will be on the start list with a personal best of 2:18:31 she recorded at the London Marathon (2018) while Keitany will be lining up with an impressive 2:17:01 also recorded at last year’s London Marathon.

Older than cheruiyot

Keitany, 36, is one year older than Cheruiyot and has more experience in full and half marathons, spanning 12 years.

On her part, Cheruiyot made a name on the track where she dominated for years, winning in 5,000m and finishing second in 10,000m at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil before later scaling up to the marathon.

TCS New York City Marathon organisers also announced that the best group of American women marathoners will be assembled since the 2016 USA Olympic trials.

And in addition to large numbers of fans, the race may have a new mobile phone application named Ignio, which is expected to transform the way spectators follow the 48-year-old marathon thanks to Tata Consultancy Service (TSC).

In addition to tracking the race day festivities and athletes on the course, TCS is using their data analytics platform to test the possibility of predicting race winners on Sunday.

“The tool is in its beta phase, so it may or may not be rolled out this year. The plan is that it will be used to supplement TV broadcast and use real-time predicted results for the race,” a TCS representative said in a statement.

While using the application, users can track as many as 20 runners at a time, following their exact locations, elapsed running time, average pace, distance covered, and expected finish time.

In addition to enhanced tracking, the application will enable users to choose points on the course where they can see runners blaze through the route.