Kiptanui, Kipkirui lined up for Delhi 121km race

Stacy Ndiwa (left) and Sandra Felis Chebet competes during the national Commonwealth Games trials [Dennis Okeyo, Standard]

Kiptanui, Ndiwa lined up for Delhi 21km race

USA’s Leonard Korir and New Zealand’s Zane Robertson are in the mix

Kenyans to battle eternal rivals Ethiopia in Delhi Half Marathon next month.

Kenyans will once again take on northern neighbours at the 14th Delhi Half Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Race, on October 21.

Eric Kiptanui, the fastest 21km runner this season, will lead the star-studded field. He has already notched up two impressive half marathon victories in 2018, winning the high-quality Lisbon and Berlin races earlier in the year, coming home in the German capital in a world-leading 58:42 to move up to number four on the world all-time list.

Kiptanui will be accompanied on his first trip to India by his training partner Daniel Kipchumba, who paced Kiptanui to 15 kilometres in Berlin. A few weeks later, Kipchumba stood on top of the podium himself after a win at the Verbania half marathon in Italy in 59:06.

Two-time TCS World 10K winner Alex Korio – whose best of 58:51 was set in the 2017 Copenhagen Half Marathon – has been a regular participant in Procam International events in recent years and has run in Delhi twice in the past, last in 2015, but has never faced either of his two compatriots in battle so the tactics between the three Kenyans will be fascinating to watch.

Representing Ethiopia will be two men who are better known as marathon runners but who can still boast of outstanding half marathon credentials.

Leul Gebresilase was second in the Dubai Marathon at the start of the year in 2:04:02 while Feyisa Lilesa won a memorable silver medal at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, their half marathon bests are 59:18 and 59:22 respectively.

Adding to the considerable global interest in the race, USA’s Leonard Korir and New Zealand’s Zane Robertson are also in the men’s elite field. Korir just missed the North and Central American record of 59:43 when he ran his personal best of 59:52 at this race last year while Robertson holds the Oceania area record with 59:47.

All the runners will have in mind the very good course records in Delhi.

The men’s mark is 59:06 and was set by Ethiopia’s Guye Adola in 2014 while the women’s course record has been standing since 2009 and belongs to Kenya’s Mary Keitany at 1:06:54.

The two fastest women in the ADHM elite field, Kenya’s Caroline Kipkirui and Ethiopia’s 2016 ADHM winner Worknesh Degefa, will go head-to-head again after a memorable duel in the Prague Half Marathon back in April. Commonwealth Games 10,000m silver medalist Stacy Ndiwa is also in the strong line up.