Former Cherangany MP leads Boston Marathon showdown

Former Cherangany MP Wesley Korir crosses the finish line in a past race [Courtesy]

Boston Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, has released the list for its 123rd edition to be run on April 15.

The line-up features nine previous winners and includes six men with sub-2:06 personal best and six women with personal faster than 2:21.

World champion Geoffrey Kirui and two-time Boston Marathon champion Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia, 2018 winner Yuki Kawauchi of Japan will lead the men’s field alongside 2016 Boston winner Lemi Berhanu and 2012 Boston champion Wesley Korir.

Those five former champions will line up alongside two-time Amsterdam Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono and Ethiopian duo of Sisay Lemma and Solomon Deksisa, all of whom have PBs faster than 2:05.

Eritrea’s 2015 world marathon champion Ghirmay Ghebreslassie and six-time world half marathon champion Zersenay Tadese will also be in Boston.

Rotterdam winner Kenneth Kipkemoi, two-time Toronto champion Benson Kipruto will be making his Boston Marathon debut.

In the women’s encounter, two-time world champion Edna Kiplagat will face the defending champion Desiree Linden of USA.

Edna Kiplagat during the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London on August 6, 2017 [Courtesy]

The 2015 Boston Marathon champion Caroline Rotich and 2012 Boston Marathon winner Sharon Cherop will spice up the race.

At the same time, Betsy Saina, the 2018 Paris Marathon winner will make her Boston marathon debut. 

The quartet of past Boston winners will line up against a trio of Ethiopian women with sub-2:20 PBs: three-time Dubai Marathon winner Aselefech Mergia, 2015 world champion Mare Dibaba and 2017 Dubai winner Worknesh Degefa.

The women list also includes Kenya-born American and 2012 Olympic 10,000m silver medallist Sally Kipyego and Ethiopian trio Meskerem Assefa, Belaynesh Oljira and Marta Megra while Jordan Hasay, Sara Hall, Lindsay Flanagan, Becky Wade and Sarah Crouch lead the US contingent.

Last year’s second and third-place finishers, USA’s Sarah Sellers and Canada’s Krista DuChene, will return, European bronze medallist Eva Vrabcova and marathon debutante Mary Wacera will also be on the start line.