Kenyan marathoners Kipchoge, Keitany eye RAK Half Marathon

Elite runners, including Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge, left, and Rita Jeptoo, center, depart from the starting line during the Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Chicago. Chicago's 37th annual race included a field of 108 elite men, women and wheelchair athletes. There were also 45,000 amateur runners registered and more than 1 million people were expected to watch along the way. (AP Photo/Andrew A. Nelles)

Kenyan marathoners Eliud Kipchoge, Mary Keitany and Priscah Jeptoo headline the ninth edition of the RAK Half Marathon which will be staged on an even faster course on Friday.

Last year, eight men broke the one hour-mark while nine women ducked under 70 minutes and, for this year’s race, the course has been modified so to make it even faster.