It’s less than 24 hours before the world’s finest long distance runners face-off in the London Marathon.
The question that lingers on everybody’s mind is, who will win?
The organisers will have to look elsewhere to spice up the men’s race, which was expected to draw fireworks as Ethiopian great Kenenisa Bekele was set to go head-to-head with Kenya’s world record holder Eliud Kipchoge, after the Ethiopian withdrew from the race on Friday due to a calf injury.
Despite the last-minute change in the men’s race, the women’s race still offers the expected Brigid Kosgei v Ruth Chepng’etich battle.
Kipchoge has triumphed in London four times and will begin his quest for a fifth title on Sunday, making him the obvious choice to waltz away with the title.
With Bekele out, Kipchoge seems to have an easier path on paper although the field still has top road runners.
On the women’s side, a consensus pick among athletics experts is Brigid Kosgei. The 26-year-old smashed the women’s marathon world record last year in Chicago.
Hot on her heels will be Chepng’etich who is the fourth fastest woman of all-time in the distance with a barnstorming time of 2:17:08 in Dubai. Compatriot Vivian Cheruiyot, winner in London in 2018, is also one of the favourites.
The 2020 London Marathon promises to be a highly competitive race with many dark horses who can upset the favorites on any given day. With all that has transpired in the last few months because of Covid-19, the dark horses at this year’s race could prove equally intriguing.
If there is anyone who can challenge Kipchoge in London, then it’s Mosinet Geremew.
He finished second in 2:02:55 last year, just 18 seconds behind Kipchoge, and will enter the race as the fourth fastest man in history. During last year’s race, he pushed Kipchoge hard until the final two miles and will have taken confidence from his impressive performance. A year ago, he won silver medal at the World Athletics Championships in Doha.
Geremew is one of a few athletes to beat Kipchoge on the road when he won the 2015 Ras al-Khaimah Half Marathon in the UAE.
Kipserem set a new course record to win the Rotterdam Marathon last year, his second success in the city. The 32-year-old hails from the same village in Nandi County as Eliud Kipchoge and while his compatriot shone early in his marathon career, Kipserem took a while to settle in his stride and is considered a late bloomer.
It took him 11 marathons to finally go under 2:07, when he first won the Rotterdam Marathon in 2016 in 2:06:11. London will be his second marathon in the majors and he will get another chance to test his merit against the world’s best.
Last year in London, Wasihun kept pace with Kipchoge up until the latter stages of the race before he finally wilted away to finish third. Ever since his marathon debut in 2015, he has steadily been dropping his personal best, making him one of the most talented in the current crop of Ethiopian marathon runners.
He was inspired to take up running by Kenenisa Bekele, the man he would have competed against on Sunday.
Alemu Megertu is among Ethiopia’s rising crop of hopefuls who are looking to make a breakthrough in the marathon majors. Since making her debut in 2017 in Zhengzhou, Megertu has grown from strength to strength in her eight entries so far.
The Ethiopian showed her prowess when she set a new course record last spring in Rome before running her personal best time when she finished second in Frankfurt, just short of her target of clocking sub 2:20. The 22-year-old has the athleticism and tenacity for a big breakthrough at the London marathon.
In the last two years, Bekere has emerged as a force to reckon with in the marathon. This newfound form coincided with the return of her former coach Getamesay Molla. The Ethiopian is coming into the London Marathon in sublime form after a series of splendid performances.
Her most impressive performance to date is a 2:20:14 run in Berlin that capped off a flawless marathon year in 2019.
Bekere had a good start to 2020 by smashing her personal best to win the Barcelona Half Marathon in 1:06:37.
Frankfurt Marathon champion Valary Jemeli Aiyabei is currently ranked as the 10th fastest woman in marathon history, a feat she achieved after breaking the course record in Frankfurt last year, winning in two hours, 19 minutes and 10 seconds.
Can she upset the formbook and come out of the London bubble with the title on Sunday? Her resilience has never been in question, having started off as a vegetables vendor before joining other road runners in trainining late in her career.
Sheila Chelangat (left) and Frankfurt Marathon champion Valary Aiyabei at Eldoret International Airport on September 27, 2020 before boarding a chartered flight to London.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
Other athletes worth keeping an eye on are Kenya's Edith Chelimo who is making her debut over the distance and USA's Lindsay Flanagan who has a personal best time of 2:28.05.
