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NAIROBI, Sept.30 (Xinhua) – Kenya’s Boston and Chicago marathon champion Lawrence Cherono will lead the round of the 2020 Valencia Marathon, organizers confirmed Wednesday.
Cherono will face the Ethiopians Birhanu Legese, holder of the third best time of 2:02:48 in the history of the marathon and Kinde Atanaw, the defending champion of the race and current record holder of the Valencian race in a race scheduled for 6 December.
“I feel very good that I will finally compete this year after the coronavirus was shattered by season, including my Olympic debut. Now I have a chance to race before starting my Olympic preparations again,” said Cherono, who was named by Athletics Kenya at their Olympics. men’s team along with world marathon record holder Eliud Kipchoge and world marathon bronze medalist Amos Kipruto, he told Xinhua.
In the elite women’s race, former half-marathon world record holder and 2019 New York City Marathon winner Joyciline Jepkosgei will headline the event.
Jepkosgei will return to the same route in which he broke the world record in 2017 in half marathon and will face his compatriot Joan Chelimo.
Kenyan Peres Chepchirchir, current half marathon record holder, and Fancy Chemutai will also be on the front lines.
The elite edition of the Valencia marathon and half marathon will take place on December 6th, we can now confirm the names of the first male and female athletes who will seek to achieve the most ambitious sporting goal possible while trying to set new race records, ” organizers said in a statement.
The women will also have a strong Ethiopian presentation that will include Azmera Abreha, Ruti Aga, Birhane Dibaba, Mare Dibaba, Tigist Girma and Zeinaba Yimer, all of the women have run the 42km race under 2:20. Final product
