Two of the world's leading marathon runners Aselefech Mergia and Mare Dibaba will go head-to-head in the women's race at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on 26 January.
Mergia, who turns 33 just three days before the event, is the greatest female runner in the history of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon having won three times and setting the course record of 2:19:31 in her three appearances. It will be her first start in the world's richest marathon since her last victory in the UAE in 2015.
But if the Ethiopian is to maintain her 100% winning record, she will need to see off a talented field that includes compatriots Dibaba, marathon gold medallist at the 2015 IAAF World Championships and a bronze medal winner at the Rio Olympics in 2016, and defending champion Worknesh Degefa.
With personal bests of 2:19:31 and 2:19:52 respectively, Mergia and Dibaba are the fastest women in the field and their race for the US$200,000 first prize will be one of the major battles to watch in one of the first big marathon meetings of the year.
"We are excited to have two huge talents leading the women's field," said Event Director Peter Connerton. "Aselefech Mergia has won every time she has raced here, while Mare Dibaba has won World Championship and Olympic medals since finishing third in Dubai in 2012."
With a reputation for providing a flat and fast course combined with benign weather conditions, Dubai is a favourite with the great and the good of long distance running such as three-time champion Mergia whose last appearance in Dubai was an emotional one.
Almost three years after her last race at the distance and just 18 months after giving birth to her daughter Sena, she outpaced Kenya&rsquo;s Gladys Cherono to win the 2015 race by just one second in a time of 2:20:02. She returns to Dubai fresh from a sold third place finish at last year's London Marathon.
Looking to thwart Mergia's hope of a fourth Dubai title, 28 year-old Dibaba is one of the most successful marathon runners in the world. Since stepping up the 42.195km distance in 2010, she has won the 2014 Chicago Marathon, clinched victory in the Xiamen Marathon in China on two occasions and won the World Championship&rsquo;s marathon in Beijing in 2015 and the Olympic marathon bronze a year later in Rio.
Organisers for the IAAF

Two of the world's leading marathon runners Aselefech Mergia and Mare Dibaba will go head-to-head in the women's race at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on 26 January.

Mergia and Dibaba join Dubai women's field

Organisers of the Boston Marathon have announced the full elite field for the IAAF Gold Label road race on 16 April.
Between them, the elite field has won 14 global championship medals and 17 World Marathon Majors titles, six of which came from the Boston Marathon.
It was announced last month that defending champions Geoffrey Kirui and Edna Kiplagat would face a strong domestic line-up that includes Olympic bronze medallist Galen Rupp and New York City Marathon champion Shalane Flanagan.
World marathon silver medallist and Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Tamirat Tola is the fastest in the field. The Ethiopian won last year&rsquo;s Dubai Marathon in a personal best of 2:04:11 before going on to finish second to Kirui at the World Championships in London.
Two-time Boston Marathon champion and 2013 world silver medallist Lelisa Desisa and 2016 Boston Marathon winner Lemi Berhanu are also in the men&rsquo;s field. The Ethiopian duo, both of whom have sub-2:05 PBs, recently finished third and fourth respectively at last year&rsquo;s New York City Marathon.
Three-time Amsterdam Marathon winner Wilson Chebet will be making his fifth appearance in Boston. The Kenyan, who has a best of 2:05:27, finished fifth in Boston last year but has twice made it on to the podium, placing second in 2014 and third in 2015.
Compatriots Norbert Kigen, Evans Chebet, Felix Kandie and Philemon Rono &ndash; all of whom set lifetime bests last year &ndash; will be making their Boston Marathon debuts.
The field also includes Abdi Nageeye, who set a Dutch marathon record of 2:08:16 in Amsterdam last year, and Canadian Olympians Reid Coolsaet and Eric Gillis. Coolsaet is the second-fastest Canadian marathon runner of all time, while Gillis finished 10th in the marathon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
German record-holder Arne Gabius, South African Olympian Lusapho April and Japanese runners Yuki Kawauchi and Kentaro Nakamoto will also be in Boston. Prolific racer Kawauchi finished ninth at the 2017 World Championships, while Nakamoto was sixth at the 2012 Olympic Games.
Elkanah Kibet, the top US finisher in the marathon at the 2017 World Championships, and US marathon champion Timothy Ritchie have also been added to the field.
Ten of the athletes in the women&rsquo;s elite field have PBs faster than 2:23, including Olympic silver medallist Eunice Kirwa of Bahrain and three-time Dubai Marathon winner Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia.
Course record-holder Buzunesh Deba of Ethiopia will return to the scene of her 2014 triumph, while two-time Frankfurt Marathon winner Mamitu Daska will be making her third appearance in Boston.
Caroline Rotich, who won the 2015 Boston Marathon, returns and is joined by fellow Kenyan Gladys Chesir, who makes her Boston debut after finishing runner-up in Amsterdam last year. With a half marathon personal best of 1:06:57, Chesir could be in the chase for the title.
National record-holders Kellys Arias of Colombia and Madai Perez of Mexico are also in the field, as is Krista Duchene, the second-fastest Canadian marathon runner in history, and 2010 European cross-country champion Jessica Augusto of Portugal.
&ldquo;This international field, combined with the previously announced Americans and defending champions, will make for a very memorable race day with historic potential,&rdquo; said Tom Grilk, chief executive officer of the Boston Athletic Association. &ldquo;Fewer than 100 days remain until Patriots&rsquo; Day, and we eagerly await crowning our next champions on April 16.&rdquo;
Organisers for the IAAF
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Men Tamirat Tola (ETH) 2:04:11 Lemi Berhanu (ETH) 2:04:33 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Nobert Kigen (KEN) 2:05:13 Wilson Chebet (KEN) 2:05:27 Evans Chebet (KEN) 2:05:30 Felix Kandie (KEN) 2:06:03 Geoffrey Kirui (KEN) 2:06:27 Philemon Rono (KEN) 2:06:52 Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) 2:07:47 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:08:14 Abdi Nageeye (NED) 2:08:16 Lusapho April (RSA) 2:08:32 Arne Gabius (GER) 2:08:33 Kentaro Nakamoto (JPN) 2:08:35 Abdi Abdirahman (USA) 2:08:56 Galen Rupp (USA) 2:09:20 Reid Coolsaet (CAN) 2:10:28 Ryan Vail (USA) 2:10:57 Stephen Sambu (KEN) 2:11:07 Eric Gillis (CAN) 2:11:21 Elkanah Kibet (USA) 2:11:31 Timothy Ritchie (USA) 2:11:56 Shadrack Biwott (USA) 2:12:01 Scott Smith (USA) 2:12:21 Andrew Bumbalough (USA) 2:13:58
Women Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Deena Kastor (USA) 2:19:36 Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50 Buzunesh Deba (ETH) 2:19:59 Jordan Hasay (USA) 2:20:57 Shalane Flanagan (USA) 2:21:14 Eunice Kirwa (BRN) 2:21:17 Mamitu Daska (ETH) 2:21:59 Desiree Linden (USA) 2:22:38 Madai Perez (MEX) 2:22:59 Caroline Rotich (KEN) 2:23:22 Jessica Augusto (POR) 2:24:25 Gladys Chesir (KEN) 2:24:51 Serena Burla (USA) 2:26:53 Sara Hall (USA) 2:27:21 Molly Huddle (USA) 2:28:13 Krista Duchene (CAN) 2:28:32 Kellyn Taylor (USA) 2:28:40 Kellys Arias (COL) 2:29:36 Jessica Draskau Petersson (DEN) 2:30:07

Organisers of the Boston Marathon have announced the full elite field for the IAAF Gold Label road race on 16 April.

Tola and Mergia among latest additions to Boston Marathon field

Tigist Tufa will return to the scene of her greatest triumph when she lines up to defend her Virgin Money London Marathon title on Sunday 24 April, organisers of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Tuesday (12).Tufa will again face the woman she beat to win the coveted crown in 2015, Kenya&rsquo;s Mary Keitany, and the woman who won the world title last summer, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Mare Dibaba.Tufa upset the odds when she outran four much-fancied Kenyans to win last year, becoming only the second Ethiopian ever to claim the women&rsquo;s title on a day that saw record numbers cross the London Marathon finish line at the end of the 35th anniversary race.The Ethiopian was at the head of them all, producing a devastating burst in the last three miles to take a shock victory in front of two-time winner Mary Keitany.She returns to the British capital determined to show that last year&rsquo;s victory was no fluke.Tufa went on to finish sixth at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 last August, a race won by Dibaba, and then came home third at the New York City Marathon behind Keitany last November.&ldquo;Winning in London was the greatest moment in my career so far,&rdquo; said Tufa, who won the Shanghai and Ottawa marathons in 2014. &ldquo;I am happy to be returning to London in 2016 to defend my title. I know it won&rsquo;t be easy because the London fields are always the best in the world, but I am determined to do my best again.&rdquo;The 28-year-old Tufa denied Keitany a third London Marathon win last year.Keitany improved the African record to 2:18:37, the fourth fastest time in history, when she won the London Marathon for a second time in 2012 but she needed a sprint finish to secure last year&rsquo;s runner-up spot by one second.The Kenyan is again the fastest woman on the start list, one of nine women in the elite field with personal bests better than 2:22:00, while no fewer than five have run the classic distance faster than 2:20:00.Dibaba, a former Chicago Marathon champion who runs in London for the first time, is one of that quintet, with a best of 2:19:52.<h3>More Kenyan challengers</h3>London&rsquo;s sub-2:20 club includes two other highly-ranked Kenyans who have recently been in winning form: Berlin Marathon champion Gladys Cherono, who will make her London Marathon debut, and Chicago Marathon champion and world half marathon record-holder Florence Kiplagat, who was fifth in London last year. Aselefech Mergia, another of Tufa&rsquo;s compatriots, is another member of the deep elite women&rsquo;s field announced on Tuesday. A three-time winner of the lucrative Dubai Marathon, Mergia is the 2010 London champion and was fourth last year.The five-strong Kenyan challenge is completed by Priscah Jeptoo, the Olympic bronze medallist who was a London Marathon winner three years ago, and Jemima Sumgong, a former Rotterdam Marathon champion who was sixth in 2015.The European challenge will be led by Portugal&rsquo;s Jessica Augusto and Volha Mazuronak from Belarus. Augusto ran a personal best to place sixth here in 2014, her third top-10 finish, while Mazuronak was ninth last year in a personal best, just ahead of Morocco&rsquo;s Rkia El Moukim, who is also in the field again.&nbsp;With Rio 2016 Olympic Games places up for grabs, there will be fierce competition among the leading Britons. The first two home with British Athletics&rsquo; qualifying time of 2:31:00 are guaranteed a trip to Rio, which puts Sonia Samuels and Alyson Dixon in the driving seat as they both beat the standard at the Berlin Marathon last September.Susan Partridge could also be in the mix after coming desperately close to the selection time in Chicago last October, while Freya Ross has high hopes of making the Olympic team again after running at the 2012 Olympic Games as a late replacement for Paula Radcliffe.The experienced Louise Damen is also capable of achieving the time, and marathon debutantes Jess Coulson and Charlotte Purdue should not be discounted either.Organisers for the IAAFElite women&rsquo;s field (and personal bests): Mary Keitany (KEN) 2:18:37 Gladys Cherono (KEN) 2:19:25 Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Florence Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:44 Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:19:52 Priscah Jeptoo (KEN) 2:20:14 Feyse Tadese (ETH) 2:20:27 Jemima Sumgong (KEN) 2:20:48 Tigist Tufa (ETH) 2:21:52 Jessica Augusto (POR) 2:24:25 Volha Mazuronak (BLR) 2:25:36 Rkia El Moukim (MAR) 2:26:33 Diana Lobacevske (LTU) 2:28:03 Sonia Samuels (GBR) 2:28:04 Freya Ross (GBR) 2:28:10 Alyson Dixon (GBR) 2:29:30 Louise Damen (GBR) 2:30:00 Susan Partridge (GBR) 2:30:46 Irvette Van Blerk (RSA) 2:31:26 Cassie Fien (AUS) 2:38:53 Jess Coulson (GBR) debut Charlotte Purdue (GBR) debut

Tigist Tufa will return to the scene of her greatest triumph when she lines up to defend her Virgin Money London Marathon title on Sunday 24 April, organisers of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Tuesday (12).

Tufa to defend her London Marathon title

The talk has been of records and reputations this week in the build-up to the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, where a flurry of superlatives are being scattered around to describe the event&rsquo;s traditional stellar fields for the races on Sunday (26).The race celebrates its 35th edition this year with two of the greatest elite line-ups ever seen &ndash; a phrase that&rsquo;s worn thin with repeated use over recent years, though it&rsquo;s no less accurate for that &ndash; and a fitting tribute to one of its finest competitors, Paula Radcliffe, who makes her final appearance on the course where she pushed the bounds of female marathon running so spectacularly 12 years ago.Back then, Radcliffe left the world&rsquo;s best trailing in her head-bobbing wake, but she will start behind the elite runners this time and instead will hear the gun among the club athletes and British championship competitors. She aims to run hard and enjoy the atmosphere one last time before receiving a lifetime achievement award at the finish to mark her three London Marathon victories between 2002 and 2005, the year when she set the &lsquo;women-only&rsquo; world record to go alongside her &lsquo;mixed race&rsquo; mark from two years earlier.It&rsquo;s likely Radcliffe won&rsquo;t be the first world record holder across the line, however, for Dennis Kimetto is set to star in a men&rsquo;s race styled as a &lsquo;clash of the champions&rsquo; between himself and Wilson Kipsang, the former world record holder who broke the London course record last year when he won in 2:04:29.Kimetto, who broke the 2:03 barrier in September&rsquo;s Berlin Marathon, will make his London Marathon debut, while Kipsang runs here for the fourth time after winning in 2012 and 2014. The two are training partners in Iten but have never faced each other over the marathon distance.The softly-spoken Kimetto is hardly one for bold predictions, though he claims to have prepared as well for this as he did for his record-breaking run in Berlin, while his smiling and eloquent stablemate is exuding an air of confidence ahead of his title defence.<h3>Kipsang hat-trick hopes </h3> Kipsang is aiming to become only the fourth man to take a hat-trick of London titles, and few would bet against him. The 33-year-old has won eight marathons in his career, including his last three races; he broke the world record in Berlin in 2013 with 2:03:23; and was crowned 2013/14 World Marathon Majors champion after winning the New York Marathon last November.&ldquo;I&rsquo;m expecting a big challenge from Dennis,&rdquo; said Kipsang on Thursday. &ldquo;I broke the world record in Berlin in 2013, then he broke the record last year.&ldquo;My main aim here is not the record, though, but to retain the title and run a good time. With this kind of field, it will still be a fast race, but more tactical.&rdquo;The principal pair may dominate all the promotional material here but they are merely the two biggest names in a loaded field that includes, not just the four quickest marathon runners of all time and five of the world&rsquo;s all-time top 10, but eight men in total who have run sub-2:05.Kipsang and Kimetto are joined by five other strong Kenyans, including 2011 London champion Emmanuel Mutai, who ran the second fastest time ever when finishing runner-up to Kimetto in Berlin last year; Eliud Kipchoge, the former world 5000m champion who won the 2014 Rotterdam and Chicago Marathons; and Geoffrey Mutai, the former Boston, New York and Berlin Marathon champion, who won the World Marathon Majors series in 2012.There&rsquo;s also Sammy Kitwara, who was second in Chicago and third in Tokyo last year, and 2014 runner-up Stanley Biwott, another sub-2:05 man, who returns to the London Marathon seeking to go one better in 2015.<h3>Mekonnen flying the Ethiopian flag </h3> Kenenisa Bekele and Ayele Abshero have both withdrawn with injuries, meaning the Ethiopian challenge rests with the 19-year-old 2014 Dubai champion, Tsegaye Mekonnen, who was fifth last year and boasts the fastest marathon time by a junior.The women&rsquo;s race, meanwhile, features a quartet of Kenyans &ndash; billed as the &lsquo;fantastic four&rsquo; &ndash; at the top of a line-up that contains nine runners who have completed the classic distance in under 2:22.Last year, it was two-times world champion Edna Kiplagat who sprinted to victory on The Mall, beating her Kenyan compatriot and half marathon world record holder Florence Kiplagat by just three seconds in the closest women&rsquo;s race for 17 years. The two are back this year to face the 2013 champion, Priscah Jeptoo, who dropped out with a calf problem 12 months ago, and Mary Keitany, who topped the London Marathon podium in 2011 and 2012, running sub-2:20 both times.<h3>Kiplagat confident </h3> Like Kipsang, the reigning women&rsquo;s champion is in confident mood ahead of her title defence, despite such formidable opposition. Indeed, the 35-year-old claims to have prepared &ldquo;far better&rdquo; than she did last year, and on Wednesday even dared to suggest that Radcliffe&rsquo;s 2:17:42 &ldquo;solo&rdquo; record could be within reach.The anticipated Sunday rain may put a damper on that ambition, although when these four last raced here three years ago they filled the top four spots on the results sheet, and Kiplagat&rsquo;s close friend Keitany came away with an African record of 2:18:37, a time only Radcliffe has ever beaten on the London course.This year, Keitany is aiming to become the fourth woman to win the London Marathon three times. She is the quickest in this year&rsquo;s line-up by more than a minute and marked her return to marathon running last November with an impressive win at the New York Marathon which she followed up this spring with a third win at the RAK Half Marathon.The Kenyans won&rsquo;t have the roads all to themselves, however, for Aselefech Mergia is in form. The Ethiopian won the Dubai Marathon for a third time this January, running just half-a -minute outside her best.The former national record holder is the eighth quickest of all-time and has done well on the London course in the past. She crossed the line third on her London debut in 2010.The Kenyan contingent is further strengthened by New York Marathon runner-up Jemima Sumgong, while Mergia will have strong compatriots alongside her in the shape of Tirfi Tsegaye, last year&rsquo;s Tokyo and Berlin Marathon champion, and Tigist Tufa, who won marathons in Ottawa and Shanghai in 2014.The 2015 race will have a strong European flavour too, thanks to two women who have gone under 2:25: Ukrainian record holder and the three-time Osaka champion Tetyana Gamera, and Russia&rsquo;s London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist, Tatyana Arkhipova.Matthew Brown for the IAAF

The talk has been of records and reputations this week in the build-up to the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, where a flurry of superlatives are being scattered around to describe the event’s traditional stellar fields for the races on Sunday (26).

Talk of records and reputations abounds ahead of London Marathon

Kenya&rsquo;s Geoffrey Mutai and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Aselefech Mergia have been added to the men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s elite fields for the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 26 April, organisers for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Monday (16).The pair are the two most prominent names in a second wave of athletes signed up for the London Marathon&rsquo;s 35th anniversary races.Mutai has won the New York Marathon twice in recent years and tasted victory at the 2012 Berlin Marathon. He famously set an unofficial world best when he won the 2011 Boston Marathon in 2:03:02, although the run was not acceptable for official records because of the downhill Boston course.He joins a field featuring many of his compatriots, including the first ever marathon clash between world record holder Dennis Kimetto and defending London champion Wilson Kipsang; plus the second fastest marathon runner in history, Emmanuel Mutai, the reigning Chicago Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, and last year&rsquo;s London Marathon runner-up Stanley Biwott.The line-up contains the three fastest marathon runners of all time, and six of the 10 quickest men in history. Mutai, who has a legal personal best of 2:04:15, is one of nine men to have run the gruelling 26.2 miles in under 2:05.A training partner of Kipsang and Kimetto, the 33-year-old Kenyan was due to compete at the Tokyo Marathon on 22 February, but had to withdraw from that race because of a niggling injury and instead has prepared himself to compete with the rest of the world&rsquo;s best in London.<h3>Mergia ready to challenge the Fantastic Four </h3> Mergia&rsquo;s record is barely less impressive. She returned from pregnancy to win the women&rsquo;s race at the lucrative Dubai Marathon in January for a record third time, while her personal best of 2:19:31 makes her the third quickest on paper in a women&rsquo;s field containing the last three London Marathon champions: Edna Kiplagat, Mary Keitany and Priscah Jeptoo &ndash; plus last year&rsquo;s runner-up, the world half marathon record holder Florence Kiplagat.Mergia will take on Kenya&rsquo;s 'Fantastic Four' in London alongside fellow Ethiopian Tirfi Tsegaye, the 2014 Tokyo and Berlin Marathon champion, who is another new addition to the women's roster. Tsegaye broke the course record when she won the Tokyo Marathon last February, and ran a personal best of 2:20:18 to take victory in Berlin last September.&nbsp;This will be Tsegaye&rsquo;s London Marathon debut but Mergia runs the race for the third time having reached the podium on her first appearance in 2010. The addition of these two champions means the race now features four women who have run quicker than 2:20 and eight who have broken 2:21.&nbsp;Another new name further down the women&rsquo;s list is that of Turkey&rsquo;s Elvan Abeylegesse, who won 2008 Olympic silver medals at 5000m and 10,000m.A former world record holder at 5000m, Abeylegesse moved up to the marathon two years ago and finished fifth at last summer&rsquo;s European Championships in Zurich. The initial fields announced in January included Kenenisa Bekele, the multiple Olympic and world track champion, who broke the Paris Marathon course record on his debut at the distance last April. However, Bekele has been forced to withdraw from the 2015 race with a right Achilles tendon injury sustained during the Dubai Marathon in January.&ldquo;Unfortunately, I have had to pull out of this year&rsquo;s Virgin Money London Marathon because of the problems I had while running in Dubai,&rdquo; said Bekele. &ldquo;I desperately wanted to run in London this year, but the injury to my Achilles has not healed sufficiently for me to compete against such a great field. I hope to be back in 2016 and ready to challenge the best marathon runners in the world in London,&rdquo; he added.Great Britain&rsquo;s Steve Way has also withdrawn with a gluteal injury.Organisers for the IAAF<h3>2015 Virgin Money London Marathon elite fields </h3>Men Wilson Kipsang (KEN) 2:03:23 Dennis Kimetto (KEN) 2:02:57 Emmanuel Mutai (KEN) 2:03:13 Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) 2:04:05 Geoffrey Mutai (KEN) 2:04:15 Ayele Abshero (ETH) 2:04:23 Sammy Kitwara (KEN) 2:04:28 Tsegaye Mekonnen (ETH) 2:04:32 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:04:55 Tilahun Regassa (ETH) 2:05:27 Samuel Tsegay (ERI) 2:07:28 Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 2:08:32 Aleksey Reunkov (RUS) 2:09:54 Ghebrezgiabhier Kibrom (ERI) 2:10:00 Marcin Chabowski (POL) 2:10:07 Koen Raymaekers (NED) 2:10:35 Scott Overall (GBR) 2:10:55 Michael Shelley (AUS) 2:11:15 Javier Guerra (ESP) 2:12:21 Bekir Karayel (TUR) 2:13:21 Hermano Ferreira (POR) 2:13:28 Christian Kreienbuhl (SUI) 2:15:35 Anuradha Cooray (SRI) 2:15:51 Mert Girmalegesse (TUR) 2:17:45 Cesar Lizano (CRC) 2:17:50 Stijn Fincioen BEL 2:17:57 Matt Hynes (GBR) 2:43:40 Pedro Ribeiro (POR) debut Guye Adola (ETH) debutWomen Edna Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:50 Mary Keitany (KEN) 2:18:37 Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Florence Kiplagat (KEN) 2:19:44 Priscah Jeptoo (KEN) 2:20:14 Tirfi Tsegaye (ETH) 2:20:81 Feyse Tadese (ETH) 2:20:27 Jemima Sumgong (KEN) 2:20:41 Tigist Tufa (ETH) 2:21:52 Tetyana Gamera (UKR) 2:22:09 Tatyana Arkhipova (RUS) 2:23:29 Ana Dulce F&eacute;lix (POR) 2:25:40 Sara Moreira (POR) 2:26:00 Alessandra Aguilar (ESP) 2:27:00 Rkia El Moukim (MOR) 2:28:12 Iwona Lewandowska (POL) 2:28:32 Mary Davies (NZL) 2:28:57 Elvan Abeylegesse (TUR) 2:29:30 Diane Nukuri (BUR) 2:29:35 Sonia Samuels (GBR) 2:30:56 Alyson Dixon (GBR) 2:31:10 Emma Stepto (GBR) 2:32:40 Volha Mazuronak (BLR) 2:33:33 Rebecca Robinson (GBR) 2:37:14

Kenya’s Geoffrey Mutai and Ethiopia’s Aselefech Mergia have been added to the men’s and women’s elite fields for the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 26 April, organisers for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Monday (16).

Mutai and Mergia boost London Marathon fields but Bekele withdraws

Ethiopia&rsquo;s Lemi Berhanu emerged as the unexpected champion at the 2015 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, crossing the line at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in a world-leading time and big personal best of 2:05:28 on Friday (23)It was not a debutants&rsquo; triumph as has been the case for the past three years but it was definitely surprise as the 21-year-old Ethiopian &ndash; wearing a bib with his extended family name of Hayle on it &ndash; left behind some of the biggest names in long-distance running.Lelisa Desisa, the 2013 Dubai and Boston Marathon champion, took second in 2:05:52 while Deribe Robi completed the all-Ethiopian podium with a time of 2:06:06. Fourth was Ethiopia&rsquo;s Feyisa Lilesa in 2:06:35 followed by two more Ethiopians, Sisay Lemma in a personal best of 2:07:06 and Bazu Worku in 2:07:09. Indeed, the top 12 men were all Ethiopian runners.Split times of 14:39 for 5km and 29:22 for 10km initially pointed towards a sub-2:04 finishing time. However, the pacemakers could not sustain the pace and when a group of 15 runners reached the 25km mark in 1:13:57, none of them was left in the race. Five more runners lost contact during the next five kilometres, among them Kenenisa Bekele. It was Desisa who surged ahead at the 30km refreshment station to take his bottle. The Ethiopian kept going and five countrymen went with him: Robi, Lemma, Lelisa, Girmay Birhanu and Lemi Berhanu. Five kilometres from the finish a duel between Desisa, who was also second in New York last November, and Lemi Berhanu developed and the latter was able to drop the much more experienced Desisa with about one kilometre to go. <h3>Dream come true in Dubai </h3> &ldquo;I would never have thought that I could win this race,&rdquo; said Berhanu, who had won his debut race in Zurich last year with 2:10:40. "It was my dream to do this in Dubai one day, but not this year! With around one kilometre to go, I sensed that I could succeed."He has now improved by more than five minutes and is unbeaten in two races. &ldquo;If my federation selects me then I would really like to run the marathon in the World Championships in the summer,&rdquo; added Berhanu, who said he had no idea what to do with the first prize cheque of US$200,000. &ldquo;I never thought about the money. I really don&rsquo;t know what I will do with it.&rdquo;By contrast, Dubai proved a tough and disappointing marathon experience for Bekele.Ethiopia&rsquo;s superstar, in his third marathon, dropped out just beyond the 30km mark, appearing to suffer from a leg injury. He had been in the leading group up to the 28km mark.&ldquo;Kenenisa suffered hamstring problems in both legs,&rdquo; explained his coach Renato Canova.&ldquo;But I think the real problem is in his right achilles tendon. At the end of November, he had to reduce training because of this but then it got better and, actually, his final training sessions looked encouraging. A world record was never a realistic target, but a 2:04 time seemed realistic. &ldquo;However, when I saw him running today he did not look relaxed, he looked tight. I think this is the reason why he developed hamstring problems. Something must have happened in the final few days before the race,&rdquo; added the Italian coach. &ldquo;We now have to solve this tendon problem but for his future marathon career I remain very confident. I think he will do really well.&rdquo; <h3>Mergia a motivated mother </h3> Making it a marvellous day for Ethiopian runners, other than Bekele, Aselefech Mergia produced a perfect comeback in the women&rsquo;s race.Having taken an extensive break from competition to have a baby, the 2011 and 2012 Dubai champion returned to run a marathon for the first time since her disappointing 42nd place at the 2012 Olympics and won in 2:20:02, just 31 seconds outside her course record from three years ago.In a thrilling battle right to the line, Kenya&rsquo;s world half marathon champion Gladys Cherono was beaten by just one second in what was the third-fastest marathon debut. Another Kenyan, Lucy Kabuu, was third in 2:20:21 in a race which saw 10 women run faster than 2:24.Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tigist Tufa broke clear shortly after the start and maintained a daunting pace, leading a talented chasing group by a minute at 20km, which was reached in 1:05:23 and suggested a 2:18 finishing time. However, Tufa paid the price in the end and was caught at 34km by a five-woman group consisting of Mergia, fellow Ethiopians Aberu Kebede and Shure Demissie, Kabuu and Cherono.The group was reduced to three with just over three kilometres remaining after Kebede and Demissie were dropped, before Mergia eventually proved the strongest in the final kilometre.&ldquo;I told myself after having my daughter that I could win a marathon again,&rdquo; said Mergia, who was watched by her husband and baby daughter. "We used the prize money from my first two wins in Dubai to begin building a hotel back home, now we&rsquo;ll be able to complete the job."Ethiopian runners took the next four places. Fourth was teenager Demissie in a world junior best of 2:20:59, and the fifth fastest debut on record; with Kebede in 2:21:17, 2014 Dubai champion Mulu Seboka in 2:21:56 and then Alemu Bekele in 2:22:51 the next three women across the line. Jorg Wenig (organisers) for the IAAF

Ethiopia’s Lemi Berhanu emerged as the unexpected champion at the 2015 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon, crossing the line at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race in a world-leading time and big personal best of 2:05:28 on Friday (23)

Berhanu surprises while Mergia makes magnificent comeback in Dubai

Course records could well be under threat at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon when one of the best elite fields ever seen &ndash; including three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele &ndash; takes to the streets on Friday (23) for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.The weather forecasters have been kept busy in recent days as Dubai has been beset by evening thunderstorms at the start of this week, but a different kind of storm awaits the city in the Gulf on Friday morning.Both course records are targets in the race which has become firmly established among the world&rsquo;s leading distance-running events. Ethiopia&rsquo;s superstar Bekele headlines the men&rsquo;s list which features 20 athletes with personal bests faster than 2:10, six of whom have run faster than 2:06.The women&rsquo;s field shows unprecedented depth at sub-2:28 level for a city marathon as no fewer than 23 women in the field have PBs faster than that mark. Aselefech Mergia of Ethiopia is the fastest on the start list with a PB of 2:19:31 and that, for good measure, is the women&rsquo;s course record.In recent editions, the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon made headlines when marathon debutants took victories in sensational style. This has happened on three consecutive occasions in the men&rsquo;s race and the winners clocked world-class sub-2:05 times on each occasion. But given the depth of the field, it would be truly sensational if Dubai&rsquo;s debutants&rsquo; winning streak were to continue on Friday.You could be forgiven for thinking this is an Ethiopian national championship since the field is stacked with an abundance of their talent. And the runner taking centre stage is Bekele, the 5000m and 10,000m world record-holder.&ldquo;I feel confident, I am happy and I know that I am better prepared than before,&rdquo; said the 32-year-old, who won his marathon debut in Paris last April with 2:05:04 and then took fourth place in Chicago in 2:05:51.&ldquo;This is a very important race for me. I want to improve my time. I am confident to make history here, but you can never say you will win &ndash; you can&rsquo;t be sure, because otherwise it would not be a race,&rdquo; added Bekele, whose rivals include world silver medallist and 2013 Dubai winner Lelisa Desisa, who ran 2:04:45 here two years ago.Bekele had trained just seven weeks before he competed in Chicago and missed his goal of improving his PB. &nbsp;But his manager Jos Hermens confirmed that Bekele&rsquo;s training has gone well. &ldquo;He is better prepared than before for his third marathon,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When he was running on the track he could train for two months and then break a world record. But this approach does not work in the marathon.&ldquo;After Chicago, Kenenisa knew that he had to change something. For ten years he had the same training rhythm. He needed something new and different impulses. This is why I brought him together with Renato Canova. And it is going well. If he runs a low 2:04, improving by around one minute, that would be fine.&rdquo;The course record of Ethiopia&rsquo;s Ayele Abshero, who ran 2:04:23 in 2012, is the main goal. But Haile Gebrselassie&rsquo;s national record of 2:03:59 could also become an objective on Friday. The great Ethiopian, who won this race three times in a row from 2008 to 2010, will be in Dubai to watch the marathon.&ldquo;I have not spoken to Haile about Dubai, but I saw his races when he was competing here,&rdquo; said Bekele. &ldquo;Every race is different.&rdquo;Bekele is ready to follow any pace on Friday. And it could become even faster than expected. &ldquo;We don&rsquo;t want to talk too much about the world record, but it is always a possibility,&rdquo; said event director Peter Connerton. &ldquo;The half marathon split time we will target will be in that region.&ldquo;I believe that one day we will break the world record here, but I don&rsquo;t know when it will happen. We have the fastest and flattest course in the world &ndash; and we get the best runners. This time we have Kenenisa.&rdquo;On Dubai&rsquo;s super-flat course there is just one corner, two turns and four bends to navigate for the runners.<h3>Mergia set to go after own mark</h3> The course record is also the goal for the women&rsquo;s race and the current record-holder looks ready to attack it.&ldquo;If all goes well, I can run under 2:20 and break the course record,&rdquo; said Mergia, who gave birth to her daughter Sena in July 2013, a year before she ran the Dubai course record of 2:19:31 which remains her personal best. &ldquo;I am as strong as before maternity leave.&rdquo;It took the 30-year-old quite some time to regain her form after giving birth. &ldquo;It was difficult to get back in shape,&rdquo; said Mergia, who weighed 73kg by the end of her pregnancy. &ldquo;It was tough to get rid of the kilos, but now I am back at 51.&ldquo;The Frankfurt Marathon in October was an option, but my shape was not good enough,&rdquo; she added. &ldquo;I really only wanted to come back once I was fully fit again. Now I&rsquo;ve been able to train well for four months, so I am ready. My goal is to win the race.&rdquo;If she were to achieve her goal of breaking the course record, Mergia would earn prize money of $200,000, the biggest payday in marathon running.&ldquo;I am confident, but of course I know that it will be tough. Everyone who is coming to Dubai is competitive.&rdquo;Mergia will be up against a host of top Ethiopians, including defending champion Mulu Seboka, former Dubai winners Mamitu Daska and Askale Tafa, and last year&rsquo;s runner-up Meselech Melkamu.Kenya&rsquo;s Lucy Kabuu, who finished second to Mergia in 2012 in a time of 2:19:34, is also in the field. She is one of six women in the race with a PB better than 2:22.But the big danger &ndash; especially on a course that has produced so many victories from first-time marathon runners &ndash; could come from world half-marathon champion Gladys Cherono of Kenya. The world 10,000m silver medallist, who has a half marathon PB of 1:06:48, will be making her marathon debut.Including shorter distance races, a total of 25,000 runners have entered the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon.Jorg Wenig for the IAAF<h3>Elite field (with PBs)</h3> Men Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Berhanu Shiferaw (ETH) 2:04:48 Feyisa Lilesa (ETH) 2:04:52 Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 2:05:04 Bazu Worku (ETH) 2:05:25 Girmay Birhanu (ETH) 2:05:49 Chele Dechase (ETH) 2:06:33 Limenih Getachew (ETH) 2:06:49 Tebalu Zawude (ETH) 2:07:10 Belay Assefa (ETH) 2:07:10 Deribe Robi (ETH) 2:07:16 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Habtamu Assefa (ETH) 2:08:28 Adugna Takele (ETH) 2:08:37 Sisay Lemma (ETH) 2:09:02 Ghirmay Embaye (ERI) 2:09:08 Ezekiel Chebii (KEN) 2:09:15 Asmare Workneh (ETH) 2:09:20 Vitaliy Shafar (UKR) 2:09:37 Afework Mesfin (ETH) 2:09:47 Andualem Belay (ETH) 2:11:59 Mule Wasihun (ETH) debut Abdi Fufa (ETH) debutWomen Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Lucy Kabuu (KEN) 2:19:34 Meselech Melkamu (ETH) 2:21:01 Aliaksandra Duliba (BLR) 2:21:29 Askale Tafa (ETH) 2:21:31 Mamitu Daska (ETH) 2:21:59 Atsede Baysa (ETH) 2:22:02 Aberu Kebede (ETH) 2:22:21 Tadelech Bekele (ETH) 2:23:02 Mulu Seboka (ETH) 2:23:12 Firehiwot Dado (ETH) 2:23:15 Isabellah Andersson (SWE) 2:23:41 Abebech Afework (ETH) 2:23:59 Sultan Haydar (TUR) 2:25:07 Azalech Masresha (ETH) 2:25:34 Ashete Bekere (ETH) 2:26:00 Aberu Mekuria (ETH) 2:26:07 Mestawet Tufa (ETH) 2:26:20 Betelhem Moges (ETH) 2:26:42 Rebecca Chesire (KEN) 2:27:16 Meseret Kitata (ETH) 2:27:26 Fantu Eticha (ETH) 2:27:31 Beata Nandjala (NAM) 2:27:54 Gladys Cherono (KEN) debut Shure Demissie (ETH) debut

Course records could well be under threat at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon when one of the best elite fields ever seen – including three-time Olympic champion Kenenisa Bekele – takes to the streets on Friday (23) for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Bekele and Mergia set sights on course records in Dubai

Ethiopia&rsquo;s two-time Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon winner Aselefech Mergia will bid for her third victory at the 2015 race on 23 January, organisers of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Sunday (28).Mergia won the 2011 and 2012 Dubai Marathons and is also the course record-holder for the women&rsquo;s race having won the latter in 2:19:31. Having taken time out to have a baby, she has returned to racing over short distances, but this will be her first marathon since the London 2012 Olympic Games, where she finished a disappointing 42nd.She will be joined in a powerful line-up by fellow Ethiopian and defending Dubai champion Mulu Seboka, who set her personal best of 2:23:12 when winning the 2014 Toronto Marathon in October, Kenya&rsquo;s Lucy Kabuu, who finished just three seconds behind Mergia in 2012 and ran what remains her personal best of 2:19:34, Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2014 Frankfurt Marathon winner Aberu Kebede, and marathon debutant Gladys Cherono of Kenya, the world half marathon champion.&ldquo;It is without doubt one of the strongest fields we have ever had,&rdquo; said event director Peter Connerton. &ldquo;We also have the winner of the 2011 New York Marathon, Firehiwot Dado from Ethiopia. The depth of quality in the field is impressive and I&rsquo;m sure Aselefech will be determined join her compatriot, the legendary Haile Gebrselassie, as a three-time winner of the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon," he added.The 2015 Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon should see more than 25,000 runners compete across three races: the full marathon, 10km and the 4km Fun Run.Organisers for the IAAF

Ethiopia’s two-time Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon winner Aselefech Mergia will bid for her third victory at the 2015 race on 23 January, organisers of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race announced on Sunday (28).

Mergia returns to Dubai Marathon looking for hat-trick of victories

A host of top international marathon runners have been announced for the Boston Marathon – an IAAF Gold Label race – on April 15.Defending champions Wesley Korir and Sharon Cherop had been previously announced, alongside the full domestic field of US runners. But with the full field revealed, there will be four men with sub-2:05 PBs and three women with sub-2:22 PBs toeing the line in Boston in a few months’ time.Last year Kenyan duo Korir and Cherop battled not only one of the strongest fields ever assembled, but also blistering heat. Korir prevailed over countryman Levy Matebo in the final mile and Cherop used past experience to surge on the final turn to win the women’s race by two seconds.Alongside last year’s runner-up Matebo, challenging Korir for the coveted laurel wreath this year is a fast group of men including 2011 Boston runner-up and 2011 Chicago champion Moses Mosop of Kenya. Mosop’s 2:03:06 Boston performance was the second-fastest time ever run over the marathon distance.Joining him in the chase is 2010 New York City winner Gebre Gebremariam of Ethiopia, who finished third in Boston in 2011 with a time of 2:04:53. Additional talent from Ethiopia includes 2011 Los Angeles Marathon winner and former World youth champion Markos Geneti, Paris and Mumbai runner-up Raji Assefa, and the 2012 Hamburg and 2011 Toronto winner Shami Abdullah Dawit.Kenya’s Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, the 2010 Boston champion and former course record-holder, also returns alongside Eindhoven Marathon champion Dickson Chumba, also of Kenya. Joining them are compatriots and marathon debutants Lucas Rotich, who holds a 59:44 half-marathon best, and 2008 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Micah Kogo, who boasts a 59:07 half-marathon PB and formerly held the 10km world record (27:01).Americans Ryan Hall, Meb Keflezighi and Abdi Abdirahman lead the home challenge along with Jason Hartmann, fourth in Boston last year, and Fernando Cabada. Other international athletes include Guor Marial of South Sudan, Australia’s Jeffrey Hunt and Canadians Robin Watson and Eric Gillis.Trio of top Ethiopians to challenge CheropTaking on Kenya’s defending champion Sharon Cherop will be three Ethiopian women with sub-2:22 personal bests – two-time Dubai champion and 2:19:31 course record-holder Aselefech Mergia, World half-marathon champion Meseret Hailu, and 2011 Frankfurt champion Mamitu Daska.Past Boston champion Rita Jeptoo of Kenya returns, as does Olympic fifth-place finisher Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko of Ukraine. Mexican record-holder Madai Pérez and a fourth Ethiopian, Alemitu Abera, are also in the field.Former Cologne and Frankfurt Marathon winner Sabrina Mockenhaupt of Germany and European 10,000m champion Ana Dulce Félix of Portugal will be looking to break into sub-2:25 territory.Additional talent includes Diana Chepkemoi of Kenya, Yolanda Caballero of Colombia, Karolina Jarzynska of Poland, René Kalmer of South Africa and Burundi record-holder Diane Nukuri-Johnson. Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher, both past global medallists over 10,000m, will lead American hopes. They will be joined by team-mates Serena Burla, Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce and Alissa McKaig.Organisers for the IAAFMen (including PBs) Moses Mosop (KEN) 2:03:06 Gebregziabher Gebremariam (ETH) 2:04:53 Markos Geneti (ETH) 2:04:54 Ryan Hall (USA) 2:04:58 Levy Matebo (KEN) 2:05:16 Shami Abdullah Dawit (ETH) 2:05:42 Dickson Chumba (KEN) 2:05:46 Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot (KEN) 2:05:52 Wesley Korir (KEN) 2:06:13 Raji Assefa (ETH) 2:06:24 Abdihakem Abdirahman (USA) 2:08:56 Mebrahtom Keflezighi (USA) 2:09:08 Jeffrey Hunt (AUS) 2:11:00 Jason Hartmann (USA) 2:11:06 Eric Gillis (CAN) 2:11:28 Fernando Cabada (USA) 2:11:53 Guor Marial (RSS) 2:12:55 Robin Watson (CAN) 2:13:37 Micah Kogo (KEN) debut Lucas Rotich (KEN) debutWomen (including PBs) Aselefech Mergia (ETH) 2:19:31 Meseret Hailu (ETH) 2:21:09 Mamitu Daska (ETH) 2:21:59 Rita Jeptoo (KEN) 2:22:04 Sharon Cherop (KEN) 2:22:39 Madai Pérez (MEX) 2:22:59 Alemitu Abera (ETH) 2:23:14 Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko (UKR) 2:24:32 Kara Goucher (USA) 2:24:52 Shalane Flanagan (USA) 2:25:38 Ana Dulce Félix (POR) 2:25:40 Yolanda Caballero (COL) 2:26:17 Sabrina Mockenhaupt (GER) 2:26:21 Diana Chepkemoi (KEN) 2:26:53 Karolina Jarzynska (POL) 2:27:16 Serena Burla (USA) 2:28:27 Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce (USA) 2:29:35 René Kalmer (RSA) 2:29:59 Diane Nukuri-Johnson (BDI) 2:30:13 Alissa McKaig (USA) 2:31:56

Full international elite field revealed for Boston Marathon