Defending Fukuoka International Marathon champion Patrick Makau will be targeting a third consecutive victory at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (4).
In its 70-year history, only four runners &ndash; USA&rsquo;s Frank Shorter, Canada&rsquo;s Jerome Drayton, Japan&rsquo;s Toshihiko Seko and Ethiopia&rsquo;s Gezahegne Abera &ndash; have won the Fukuoka Marathon more than twice. Among them, only Shorter and Seko have won this race three times in a row. Makau, having won this race for the past two years, has a chance to match them.
The course record of 2:05:18 was set by Tsegaye Kebede in 2009. Among the fastest marathons in the world, only Rotterdam has an older course record, so a new standard in Fukuoka is perhaps overdue.
Three runners in this year&rsquo;s elite field &ndash; including former world record-holder Makau &ndash; have PBs faster than the course record. Kenya&rsquo;s James Kwambai, with a best of 2:04:27, and Yemane Tsegaye, with a best of 2:04:48, are the other two.
&ldquo;My condition is good and I am prepared to run well on Sunday,&rdquo; said Makau at the pre-race press conference. &ldquo;I think it is possible to run around 2:06 to 2:07 on Sunday.&rdquo; He added that Tsegaye and Kwambai seem to be his toughest opponents and that he might make his move early instead of leaving it until the very end.
&ldquo;How I race depends on Sunday&rsquo;s weather,&rdquo; said Tsegaye. &ldquo;Even after the pace makers drop out (they are scheduled to cover 3:00 kilometres until 30km), I would like to keep up the pace.&rdquo;
Other invited runners from abroad are Cuthbert Nyasango with a best of 2:09:52, Eritrea&rsquo;s Amanuel Mesel with a personal best of 2:08:17 and Poland&rsquo;s Henryk Szost with a best of 2:07:39. Szost has run the Fukuoka Marathon three times and always finished better than sixth and faster than 2:10:03. Nyasango and Mesel both contested the Fukuoka Marathon last year, with Nyasango finishing 15th and Mesel failing to finish.
Once called the unofficial world championships before the advent of the IAAF World Championships in 1983, this year&rsquo;s race is one of the qualifying races for Japanese athletes targeting the IAAF World Championships London 2017.
Of the Japanese athletes set to compete on Sunday, only Kazuhiro Maeda and Yuki Kawauchi have PBs faster than 2:09, but a recent calf injury for Kawauchi may mean that he might not be at his absolute best, while Maeda has not run faster than 2:11 since 2013.
Maeda made the World Championships team in 2009, 2013 and 2015, but his best performance in Fukuoka is a sixth-place finish in 2011 in 2:11:46. Kawauchi, who made the 2011 World Championships team, has contested the Fukuoka marathon six times with his best performance being a third-place finish in 2013 in 2:09:05.
Tomoya Adachi, Chiharu Takada and Yoshiki Otsuka &ndash; all of whom recorded their personal bests in Fukuoka &ndash; will also be vying for the coveted spots on the team. And there&rsquo;s always a chance of a new Japanese runner coming out of the woodwork to claim a spot on the team.
&ldquo;I have been injury free for the past year, so my training volume is at least 2000km greater than the average year,&rdquo; said Adachi. &ldquo;In the past three months I have done five or six 40km runs in about 2:15. I am keying off Kawauchi because I know he will be tenacious.&rdquo;
Kawauchi, who is coming back from an injury, said: &ldquo;I am pain free but I missed my half marathon work out at the Ageo Half as well as my interval work out.&rdquo;
Historically, Japan-based Kenyans have run well in Fukuoka. Martin Mathathi, Joseph Gitau and Josephat Ndambiri have won the Fukuoka Marathon in the past five years while running for corporate-sponsored Japanese teams.
This year, four Africans who run for Japanese corporate teams are invited: Benjamin Ngandu, Melaku Abera, Yared Asmerom and marathon debutant Paul Kuira, who has a half-marathon PB of 59:47.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
Elite field Patrick Makau (KEN) 2:03:38 James Kwambai (KEN) 2:04:27 Yemane Tsegay (ETH) 2:04:48 Yared Asmerom (ERI) 2:07:27 Henryk Szost (POL) 2:07:39 Kazuhiro Maeda (JPN) 2:08:00 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:08:14 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Benjamin Ngandu (KEN) 2:09:18 Melaku Abera (ETH) 2:09:27 Cuthbert Nyasango (ZIM) 2:09:52 Tomoya Adachi (JPN) 2:09:59 Chiharu Takada (JPN) 2:10:03 Yoshiki Otsuka (JPN) 2:11:40 Paul Kuira (KEN) debut

Defending Fukuoka International Marathon champion Patrick Makau will be targeting a third consecutive victory at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on Sunday (4).

Makau aims for hat-trick in Fukuoka

Former world record-holder Patrick Makau will aim for a hat-trick of Fukuoka Marathon titles when he lines up for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 4 December.
The 31-year-old Kenyan triumphed in the Japanese city in 2015 and 2014. Only four other men have three or more wins in Fukuoka. The last man to win three times in a row was Toshihiko Seko, who was victorious in 1978, 1979 and 1980.
Makau is one of three men in the field with a sub-2:05 personal best. World silver medallist Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia and James Kwambai of Kenya will be competing in Fukuoka for the first time. Tsegay has a best of 2:04:48 and finished third at this year&rsquo;s Boston marathon. Kwambai&rsquo;s best is 2:04:27 and earlier this year he won the Daegu Marathon in 2:10:46.
The field also includes the likes of Eritrean record-holder Yared Asmerom, Polish record-holder Henryk Szost and prolific Japanese racer Yuki Kawauchi.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia&rsquo;s 2012 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist Tariku Bekele and Kenya&rsquo;s 2015 Marugame Half Marathon champion Paul Kuira will be making their marathon debuts.
IAAF
<h3>Elite field</h3>
Patrick Makau (KEN) 2:03:38 James Kwambai (KEN) 2:04:27 Yemane Tsegay (ETH) 2:04:48 Dmytro Baranovskyy (UKR) 2:07:15 Yared Asmerom (ERI) 2:07:27 Henryk Szost (POL) 2:07:39 Kazuhiro Maeda (JPN) 2:08:00 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:08:14 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Benjamin Gandu (KEN) 2:09:18 Mulaku Abera (ETH) 2:09:27 Cuthbert Nyasango (ZIM) 2:09:52 Tomoya Adachi (JPN) 2:09:59 Chiharu Takada (JPN) 2:10:03 Paulo Paula (BRA) 2:10:23 Reid Coolsaet (CAN) 2:10:28 Yoshiki Otsuka (JPN) 2:11:40 Tariku Bekele (ETH) debut Paul Kuira (KEN) debu

Former world record-holder Patrick Makau will aim for a hat-trick of Fukuoka Marathon titles when he lines up for the IAAF Gold Label Road Race on 4 December.

Defending champion Makau leads Fukuoka Marathon entries

World half marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir will lead the field at the TCS World 10K in the Indian city of Bengaluru on Sunday May 15.
The 22-year-old Kenyan beat some of her more favoured compatriots in Cardiff to land her first global title.
&ldquo;I am slowly getting used to it,&rdquo; she said of her new role as a world champion. &ldquo;It still feels strange, but very good.&rdquo;
A party in her honour that awaited her back home in Kapsabet probably helped the new superlative sink in.
&ldquo;When I returned to Kenya from Cardiff, my church community organised a party for me with more than 100 people. It was a fantastic moment, we danced and sang.&rdquo;
Jepchirchir arrived at the championships with solid credentials, boosted by a 1:06:39 run at the RAK Half Marathon in February. But expectations weren&rsquo;t high, as she was only fourth in Ras Al Khaimah, finishing behind two runners she would face again in Cardiff, and was just the third fastest on the Kenyan squad.
However, all that mattered little when she pulled away over the final 200 metres to claim her first world title.
&ldquo;Winning in Cardiff improved my self-esteem and convinced me that a good constant training and professionalism are essential to reach the best goals. I don&rsquo;t think (being a world champion) will add a lot of pressure but it will surely be more challenging. My career and experience has taught me that if you feel confident in your training you cannot fear the other runners, but you must simply give your best.&rdquo;
Despite her global achievement this year, 10km might be her better distance. She has a personal best of 30:55 from 2015, which suggests that an assault on the TCS World 10K course record of 31:46, set by fellow Kenyan Lucy Kabuu in 2014, could be in the works.
Jepchirchir said she is aiming for a spot on the Kenyan Olympic team in the 10,000m, and her outing in Bengaluru will prove a good gauge ahead of &nbsp;the national trials in late June.
Nevertheless, Jepchirchir will not even be the fastest woman in the race as that honour belongs to another Kenyan, Gladys Chesire, whose 30:41 run in Berlin last October placed her as the ninth fastest on the all-time list.
Wude Ayalew of Ethiopia, a former course record-holder, returns after a runner-up finish last year.
Agnes Tirop, the 2015 world cross country champion who'll be making her road running debut, is another runner to watch, along with Jackline Chepngeno, an outstanding runner at youth and junior levels who will be making her second Bengaluru appearance.
<h3>Geremew set for title defence</h3>
In the men&rsquo;s race, Mosinet Geremew of Ethiopia will return to defend the title he won in 2015.
Last year, the Ethiopian, now 24, edged compatriot Fikadu Seboka by just two seconds in 28:16, a strong performance given the relatively difficult Bengaluru course.
"The course is not so smooth in some areas so you have to be careful," said Geremew, who won the Hyderabad 10K three years ago in 27:36, the fastest 10km ever run on Indian soil. "Bengaluru is a big and colorful race and I am really looking forward to coming back."
Geremew is one of eight men in the field who has dipped under 28 minutes for 10km, led by Morocco&rsquo;s Mohamed Ziani, who clocked 27:28 in Casablanca in March.
The men's field also includes Patrick Makau, the former world record-holder in the marathon who will be racing for the first time in India.
Look out also for Kenyans Edwin Kipyego, the winner at this year's Den Haag Half Marathon who has a 27:36 best, and Josphat Bett, the 2008 world junior 10,000m champion who has a 27:45 best.
Two-time Amsterdam Marathon winner Bernard Kipyego, who has clocked 28:04, shouldn't be discounted either.
Organisers for the IAAF

World half marathon champion Peres Jepchirchir will lead the field at the TCS World 10K in the Indian city of Bengaluru on Sunday May 15.

World half marathon champion Jepchirchir to run in Bengaluru

The 87th Seoul International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, has been billed as likely to become a battle between defending champion Wilson Loyanae and former world record holder Patrick Makau on Sunday (20).
The two Kenyans both talked up the possibilities of breaking Loyanae&rsquo;s course record of 2:05:37, set when he won the first of his two titles in the Korean capital in 2012, at the traditional pre-event press conference on Friday.
"I want to establish a better record than the one that I have," said Loyanae, who has become a familiar face in Korea.
Last year, in addition to his Seoul win in 2:06.11, he won the Gongju Marathon last October in 2:07.01.
Also in the field is their countryman and 2013 Paris Marathon champion Peter Some, who is looking to bounce back after a poor outing in his last international race when he could onl;y come home a modest 10th at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon in October.
&ldquo;Loyanae and Makau are the two men who deserve the attention but I could also be number one,&rdquo; cautioned Some, whose best recent outings have been finishing fifth in the Tokyo Marathon in 2014 and 2015.
Leading the European challenge is Switzerland&rsquo;s Tadesse Abraham who was 10th in this race last year and 19th at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2016.
Abraham is normally a prolific racer but the 33-year-old has prepared specifically for this race since the start of the year and this will be his first outing of 2016.
In what has been designated a selection race for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the contest to be the first Korean home will be hard fought.
Yoo Seung-yeop was the first local runner home in 2015, in 14th place with a personal best of 2:13:10 to claim the Korean national title. After failing to finish in Beijing last summer, Yoo is targeted a top 10 place and a sub-2:10 time in order to redeem himself and clinch selection for Rio.
His biggest challenge could come from the man he beat by one place and 14 seconds 12 months ago, Shim Joung-Seub, who is also looking for a big improvement on his personal best of 2:13:28 in his only marathon to date.
Organisers for the IAAF
&nbsp;

The 87th Seoul International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, has been billed as likely to become a battle between defending champion Wilson Loyanae and former world record holder Patrick Makau on Sunday (20).

Course record the target at the Seoul International Marathon

Kenya&rsquo;s former world record holder Patrick Makau retained his Fukuoka Marathon title in 2:08:18 on Sunday (6), and became the first man to get back-to-back wins at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race since Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsegaye Kebede did so in 2008 and 2009.&ldquo;It was a good race for me. It was also a challenging race because of good runners from Kenya and Ethiopia,&rdquo; said Makau, who enjoyed near perfect weather for marathon running: complete cloud cover with temperature at the start of 12.9 degrees Celsius, humidity of 61 per cent and virtually windless conditions.&ldquo;After the (two) pacemakers dropped out at 25km, everyone was waiting to see who was going to take over the lead,&rdquo; explained Makau.&nbsp; Until the 25km point &ndash; with splits of 5km in 15:06, 10km 30:00, 15km 45:05, 20km 60:08 and halfway in 1:03:29 &ndash; the runners were on course for a time about 2:07:00 or possibly even a bit quicker given the growing trend for negative splits in major marathons.However, the pace then abruptly slackened to 3:07 for the next kilometre and never really recovered except for a few brief surges.After 30km was passed in 1:30:49, with 10km to go at 32km, the lead pack was down to Makau, his Kenyan compatriot Bernard Koech, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Feleke and local Japanese hope Satoru Sasaki. &nbsp;Just before 35km, Koech accelerated to leave all his three rivals temporarily behind. However, Makau quickly covered the break and moved up to join Koech. Just after 37km, and with less than 5km left in the race, Makau made his own move and clinched his victory in the 69th edition of the famous Japanese race, eventually coming home four seconds faster than his 2014 win. &ldquo;In Kenya, we put a marker at say five kilometres to go and practice surging at the maker,&rdquo; Makau explained after the race. But once Makau left Koech behind, he did not push the pace anymore and seemingly did just enough to win the race.To put Makau&rsquo;s wining time into context with contemporary standards, 2:08:18 is the same time that Australia&rsquo;s Rob De Castella ran at the 1981 Fukuoka Marathon which, 34 years ago, was a world best performance. &ldquo;Next year, I would like to run 2:05,&rdquo; said Makau, who will be 31 next March. If I can do that, it will be a good time for my age.<h3>Feleke finishes fast</h3>Behind Makau, Feleke passed Koech just after 39km to finish second in 2:08:31. The Ethiopian has now finished first or second in all of his completed marathons since October 2010.Sasaki also overtook the flagging Koech in the closing stages of the race to finish third in 2:08:56, with Koech coming home fourth in 2:09:43. "I was hoping to run faster, perhaps low 2:08, and I knew I could run such time based on the training I have done," said a slightly disgruntled Sasaki. "I was happier when I broke 2:10 for the first time in the 2014 Lake Biwa Marathon, because I was satisfied with that race."&nbsp; Nevertheless, Sasaki might have done enough to have gained a place on the Japanese team going to the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.The Fukuoka Marathon is one of several domestic qualifying races for the Japanese Olympic team, with the Tokyo Marathon in February and Lake Biwa Marathon next March still to come.Kenya&rsquo;s world record-holder Dennis Kimetto, who had announced his intention prior to the race to make a big impression after failing to finish at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015, incurred a slight injury to his right thigh at about two kilometres and fell away from the leading pack shortly afterwards, dropping out of the race just after five kilometres.Other runners to have disappointing outings included the well-known Japanese runner Yuki Kawauchi, who lost contact with the leaders after 11 kilometres and eventually finished eighth in 2:12:48 in what was one of the qualifying races for the Japanese Olympic team.Kenya&rsquo;s 2013 Fukuoka Marathon champion Martin Mathathi on this occasion finished 15th in 2:18:00.Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Kenya’s former world record-holder Patrick Makau retained his Fukuoka Marathon title in 2:08:18 on Sunday (6), and became the first man to get back-to-back wins at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race since Ethiopia’s Tsegaye Kebede did so in 2008 and 2009.

Makau retains Fukuoka Marathon title

World record-holder Dennis Kimetto will be looking to bounce back at the 69th annual Fukuoka International Marathon on Sunday (6), an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, after his disappointing failure to finish at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 in August."It has been tough for me," the Kenyan runner told local reporters in Nairobi prior to his departure for Japan on Wednesday. "I did well in training, but the body did not respond well when called upon. I am still devastated for not finishing the race in Beijing, but I have since done my homework and hope to return stronger in Fukuoka."There are two races left to be used to consider the participation in Rio but that is beside the point. The Olympics will fall in place only if I do my work in winning in Fukuoka; that is my target," he said."I want to go to the Olympics but that is not the concern at the moment. Winning Fukuoka is my priority and a faster time of under two hours and five minutes is my target."If Kimetto &ndash; who ran the world record of 2:02:57 at the Berlin Marathon last year &ndash; achieves his ambition then he could break the course record in Fukuoka, which currently stands to Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsegaye Kebede who ran 2:05:18 in 2009.Another three runners also have faster personal bests than the course record, including Patrick Makau, the defending champion and former world record-holder.However, although the Kenyan won last year&rsquo;s race, the winning time was a relatively modest 2:08:22 and Makau has not run faster since the 2012 Frankfurt Marathon, which he won with a time of 2:06:08.&nbsp; Getu Feleke is a generally a consistent, if rather sparing, marathon runner. Except for his debut at the 2009 Vienna Marathon and later in the London 2012 Olympic Games marathon, where he dropped out, the Ethiopian has always cracked 2:10. His personal best stands at 2:04:50 from when he finished second at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon and in the past four marathons where he has finished, he has always come home either first or second with a time faster than 2:07.<h3>Koech also needs to be considered</h3>Kenya&rsquo;s Bernard Koech, like Feleke, is also a consistent marathon runner with a best of 2:04:53 from his debut over the classic distance at the 2013 Dubai Marathon. Except for the 2013 World Championships, where he dropped out, Koech has always run faster than 2:08:30 in all of his completed marathons.&nbsp; Martin Mathathi, a two-time World Championships bronze medalist, once at cross country and once on the track, won the 2013 Fukuoka Marathon and will also be on the start line.The Kenyan has run three marathons in his career, all in Fukuoka. After failing to finish the race on his debut three years ago, Mathathi won two years ago with 2:07:16. But last year, Mathathi was a disappointing 21st with 2:17:23 so the question is which version of Mathathi will turn up in Fukuoka this year.Samuel Tsegay Tesfamariam finished second at the 2014 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships and he may be on the verge of dramatically improving his personal best of 2:07:28. Another good Eritrean in the field is Amanuel Mesel, who has a best of 2:08:17.In addition to dueling for a place on the podium, both men could also challenge their national record of 2:07:27, set by Yared Asmeron at the 2011 Chunchon Marathon. Among the other invited runners from overseas are Ukraine&rsquo;s Serhiy Lebid who has a best of 2:08:32, Mongolia&rsquo;s Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (best of 2:08:50) and Zimbabwe&rsquo;s Cuthbert Nyasango (2:09:52).The race also doubles as one of the qualifying races to select the Japanese marathon team for the Rio 2016 Olympics Games but Yuki Kawauchi is the only Japanese invited runner with a sub-2:10 personal best. Satoru Sasaki (best of 2:09:47) and Masashi Hayashi (2:09:55) are also in the field but not as invited runners.Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

World record-holder Dennis Kimetto will be looking to bounce back at the 69th annual Fukuoka International Marathon on Sunday (6), an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, after his disappointing failure to finish at the IAAF World Championships Beijing 2015 in August.

Kimetto hopes to bounce back in Fukuoka after Beijing disappointment

World record-holder Dennis Kimetto and defending champion Patrick Makau are among the top athletes set to compete at the Fukuoka Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 6 December.It will be Kimetto&rsquo;s first marathon since withdrawing from the IAAF World Championships in Beijing two months ago. The Kenyan, who last year set a world record of 2:02:57 in Berlin, will be keen to end his year on a high, having finished third at the London Marathon earlier this year.Makau &ndash; who set a then world record of 2:03:38 in 2011 &ndash; has not competed at all in 2015. His most recent race was last year&rsquo;s Fukuoka Marathon, which he won in 2:08:22, and he will be bidding to become the first back-to-back winner in the Japanese city since Tsegaye Kebede in 2009.Japan-based Kenyans Martin Mathathi and Joseph Gitau are also former Fukuoka winners. 2007 world 10,000m bronze medallist Mathathi will return to the scene of his 2013 victory when he won in 2:07:16 on his debut at the distance. Gitau also set his PB when winning in Fukuoka, clocking 2:06:58 in 2012.Other Kenyans in the field include 2:04:53 man Bernard Koech and Benjamin Ngadu.Getu Feleke is the sole elite Ethiopian entrant. The former Amsterdam and Vienna winner set his PB of 2:04:50 in 2012 when finishing second in Rotterdam. This will be the 28-year-old&rsquo;s first race in Japan.World half marathon silver medallist Samuel Tsegay is one of two strong Eritrean athletes in the field. The 2:07:28 runner will be joined by compatriot Amanuel Mesel, who finished ninth in the marathon at this year&rsquo;s World Championships.Following an eighth-place finish in 2012, Zimbabwean record-holder Cuthbert Nyasango returns to Fukuoka.Nine-time European cross-country champion Serhiy Lebid will be competing in Fukuoka for the first time. Despite turning 40 in July, he clocked a respectable 2:10:21 at this year&rsquo;s London Marathon and set a PB of 2:08:32 last year. His sole marathon victory to date, his 2014 Nagano win, came on Japanese soil.Other internationals in the field include Mongolian record-holder Ser-Od Bat-Ochir, who finished third in Fukuoka last year, Brazil&rsquo;s Paulo Paula, a top-10 finisher at the 2012 Olympics and 2013 World Championships, and Canadian Olympian Dylan Wykes.Prolific racer Yuki Kawauchi leads the Japanese entries. The 28-year-old has contested the Fukuoka Marathon on five previous occasions, his best result being a third-place finish in 2013 in 2:09:05.<h3>Elite field (with PBs)</h3>Dennis Kimetto (KEN) 2:02:57 Patrick Makau (KEN) 2:03:38 Getu Feleke (ETH) 2:04:50 Bernard Koech (KEN) 2:04:53 Joseph Gitau (KEN) 2:06:58 Martin Mathathi (KEN) 2:07:16 Samuel Tsegay (ERI) 2:07:28 Yuki Kawauchi (JPN) 2:08:14 Amanuel Mesel (ERI) 2:08:17 Serhiy Lebid (UKR) 2:08:32 Ser-od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50 Koji Kobayashi (JPN) 2:08:51 Benjamin Ngadu Gandu (KEN) 2:09:18 Cuthbert Nyasango (ZIM) 2:09:52 Chiharu Takada (JPN) 2:10:03 Paulo Roberto Paula (BRA) 2:10:23 Hiroki Kadota (JPN) 2:10:46 Dylan Wykes (CAN) 2:10:47 Kazuki Tomaru (JPN) 2:11:25 Yoshiki Otsuka (JPN) 2:11:40

World record-holder Dennis Kimetto and defending champion Patrick Makau are among the top athletes set to compete at the Fukuoka Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, on 6 December.

Kimetto and Makau lead Fukuoka Marathon entries

Meb Keflezighi knows that the combination of factors which led to his emotional victory in last year&rsquo;s Boston Marathon is unlikely to come together again on Monday (20) at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.His rivals this year likely won&rsquo;t allow him to build a significant lead early in the race, as he did in 2014. But Keflezighi, by far the most successful US marathoner of this century, has arrived in Boston in better condition than he did in 2014 to enjoy his opportunity to wear bib No.1. Last month he ran 1:02:17 at the New York City Half Marathon, 36 seconds faster than in 2014.Keflezighi, who turns 40 in May, was Boston&rsquo;s oldest race winner since Clarence DeMar in 1930. DeMar, like Keflezighi an Olympic medallist, won seven times in Boston, his last at the age of 41; Keflezighi will have two more chances to win before he is older than DeMar was.Keflezighi&rsquo;s best races have come in situations where smart racing matters more than fast PBs, and those situations are the norm on the hilly Boston course.Starting in the distant suburb of Hopkinton, the course winds down through seven towns (Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton, and Brookline) before finally arriving in Boston proper for the final miles. After long downhill stretches in the early miles, runners climb through Newton &ndash; often the moment when the overly-ambitious discover the error of their ways &ndash; and then roll back down into Boston, this time with legs drained from the Newton hills.Keflezighi isn&rsquo;t the only former champion on the line. Lelisa Desisa, the 2013 champion, struggled in 2014 but clearly knows how to win in Boston. He returned his 2013 medal to the city after the drama which played out at the finish line hours after he crossed it. Should he win another one for himself, it might come with the keys to the city. The world silver medallist also has the second-fastest PB in the field, a 2:04:45 from Dubai in 2013.Not to be ignored is former world record-holder Patrick Makau. The Kenyan, whose record of 2:03:38 stood in the shadow of Geoffrey Mutai&rsquo;s jaw-dropping (albeit aided) 2:03:02 course record in Boston, last raced in Fukuoka, and will be making his first attempt at one of the more challenging courses in the World Marathon Majors series after a career of relatively flat races.Two-time world champion Abel Kirui, unlike Makau and more like Keflezighi, has excelled at racing tactically rather than just for speed. Also in the field is former New York City Marathon champion Gebre Gebremariam, who has twice finished third in Boston, and the 2014 runner-up Wilson Chebet, the only runner strong enough late in the race to come close to catching Keflezighi. Chebet is unlikely to let Keflezighi get more than two or three strides in front of him in 2015.Yemane Tsegaye and Tadese Tola make five men in the field with sub-2:05 PBs, with those two at 2:04:48 and 2:04:49 from Rotterdam 2012 and Dubai 2013 respectively.<h3>Open women&rsquo;s field</h3>The women&rsquo;s race is considered by many to be wide open in a way it hasn&rsquo;t been for several years. With many races coming down to the final kilometres since the professional women were given their separate start, it wouldn&rsquo;t be surprising to see as many as three or four women in contention through the last mile &ndash; or for the surges and attempts to thin down the field to start much earlier than usual.First mention must go to the two former Boston champions in this field, Sharon Cherop (2013) and Caroline Kilel (2011). Cherop is the fastest Kenyan in the field with a 2:22:28 PB, but both she and Kilel know the feeling of coming down the last straight on Boyleston Street with the race still undecided.Buzunesh Deba was runner-up in 2014 and has the fastest Boston time of any of the women entered: her PB of 2:19:59 was set here last year. The Ethiopian is based in New York City and is a familiar face there, placing second in that race twice. All 15 of her career marathons to date have been in the US and she has finished in the top two in 12 of those, winning eight of them. But her last victory was in 2011.Also in the &lsquo;past race-makers&rsquo; category are the two local hopes. Shalane Flanagan set the fierce early pace that brought the race&rsquo;s first sub-2:20 women&rsquo;s marks last year, including Deba&rsquo;s, and after running 2:21:14 last year in Berlin she returns to not chasing times but places. Flanagan grew up closer to Boston than Hopkinton and said last year she would keep coming back until she won. Flanagan&rsquo;s Berlin mark gives her a faster PB than either Cherop or Kilel.Desiree &lsquo;Desi&rsquo; Linden, whose surname was Davila when she nearly stole victory from Kilel in 2011, will return to the site of her best race looking for a better one.The actual fastest PB in the field belongs to Deba&rsquo;s countrywoman Mare Dibaba, who ran 2:19:52 in Xiamen earlier this year. Dibaba has run five marathons in the past 12 months, a much higher frequency of racing than most professional marathoners, but it clearly has not slowed her down.Not to be missed is Shure Ware, the young Ethiopian whose 2:20:59 in Dubai earlier this year is the fastest time ever achieved by a junior.Traditionally run on the Patriots&rsquo; Day holiday, a commemoration observed only in the states of Massachusetts and Maine, the Boston Marathon is the only major marathon run on a weekday. Founded shortly after the marathon event was created in 1896 with the modern Olympic Games, it is one of the oldest annually-run road races in the world. This year&rsquo;s running will be the 119th.From a field of 18 in 1897, last year the Boston Athletic Association, the race&rsquo;s organisers, accepted 35,000 entries. This year, approximately 30,000 runners will start in four waves, with the professional women starting at 9:32am local time and the professional men with the first wave of the mass start at 10:00am.Parker Morse for the IAAF

Meb Keflezighi knows that the combination of factors which led to his emotional victory in last year’s Boston Marathon is unlikely to come together again on Monday (20) at the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

Former champions ready to clash at Boston Marathon

Organisers of the Boston Marathon announced today that no fewer than five former winners of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race will be on the start line on 20 April.Defending champion Meb Keflezighi&rsquo;s participation was revealed earlier this month when the US field was announced. He will be joined by Lelisa Desisa and Wesley Korir in the men&rsquo;s race, while Kenyan duo Sharon Cherop and Caroline Kilel will face each other for the third time at the Boston Marathon.In addition, the fields include multiple winners of medals at global championships as well as a handful of big city marathon winners and a former world record-holder.The chase for the 2015 men&rsquo;s title will be aggressive. 10 men in the field have run faster than 2:06:30 and seven of them have PBs faster than 2:05:30.Former marathon world record-holder and two-time Berlin champion Patrick Makau leads the group. Makau recently won the challenging 2014 Fukuoka Marathon and is also a past winner of marathons in Frankfurt and Rotterdam.Lelisa Desisa, the 2013 Boston Marathon champion and world silver medallist, will challenge for the win as will two-time world champion Abel Kirui.Multiple world half-marathon champion Zersenay Tadese will be making his Boston Marathon debut. The Eritrean still holds the world record for the half marathon and has won global medals on the track and cross-country. World bronze medallist Tadese Tola is also in the field, as is fellow Ethiopian Yemane Tsegay, who has won eight global marathons.This group will face further competition from all three podium finishers in 2014: Keflezighi, Wilson Chebet and Frankline Chepkwony.Former Olympic silver medallist Keflezighi brings experience and a strategic approach to the course. Chebet is a three-time winner in Amsterdam and a Rotterdam champion, while Chepkwony is a past Seoul and Zurich champion.Also racing with valuable course experience are Wesley Korir, Gebregziabher Gebremariam and Bernard Kipyego. Korir won the Boston Marathon in 2012 in extreme heat. Former New York Marathon champion Gebremariam has twice finished third in Boston. Kipyego won in Amsterdam last year and has made the podium in Boston, Chicago and Tokyo.Rounding out the international men&rsquo;s field are the second-fastest Canadian marathoner of all time Dylan Wykes, 2011 World Championships fourth-place finisher Abderrahime Bouramdane, two-time Hannover winner Lusapho April of South Africa, and Ukrainian Olympian Vitaliy Shafar, who finished fourth last year in Boston.Other top US athltes, announced earlier this month, include Dathan Ritzenhein, Jeffrey Eggleston, Nicholas Arciniaga and Fernando Cabada.On the women&rsquo;s side, John Hancock has assembled the fastest field in the history of the event with ten women holding personal best times better than 2:23, six of whom have run faster than 2:22.Leading the way in terms of experience are past Boston Marathon champions Sharon Cherop and Caroline Kilel. Cherop, the 2011 world bronze medallist, won the Boston Marathon in 2012 and placed third in 2011 and 2013. Commonwealth silver medallist Kilel won in Boston in 2011.Chasing the Kenyan duo is a team of Ethiopia&rsquo;s most accomplished runners: Mare Dibaba, Aberu Kebede, Buzunesh Deba, Mamitu Daska and Ejegayehu Dibaba.Mare Dibaba recently retained her Xiamen Marathon title, equalling her PB of 2:19:52, which makes her the fastest in the field. Deba is champion of eight US marathons and was runner-up in Boston last year, clocking a PB of 2:19:59.Kebede has twice won the Berlin Marathon, setting her PB of 2:20:30 there in 2012. Former Dubai and Frankfurt winner Daska won over 10km and the half marathon in Boston last year. Ejegayehu Dibaba is an Olympic silver medallist and two-time world bronze medallist in the 10,000m. In her 2011 marathon debut in Chicago, she finished second.Also in the field are Los Angeles winner and Belarusian record-holder Aleksandra Duliba, Prague and Los Angeles champion Caroline Rotich, two-time Olympian Marisa Barros of Portugal, Linz and Zurich champion Lisa Stublic Nemec, African 10,000m champion Joyce Chepkirui and, making her marathon debut, half marathon specialist Cynthia Limo.USA&rsquo;s Shalane Flanagan, Desiree Davila Linden and Amy Hastings, all announced last week, will also be focused on making the podium.Organisers for the IAAF<h3>Elite field (with PBs)</h3> Men Patrick Makau (KEN) 2:03:38 Lelisa Desisa (ETH) 2:04:45 Yemane Tsegay (ETH) 2:04:48 Tadese Tola (ETH) 2:04:49 Gebregziabher Gebremariam (ETH) 2:04:53 Abel Kirui (KEN) 2:05:04 Wilson Chebet (KEN) 2:05:27 Frankline Chepkwony (KEN) 2:06:11 Wesley Korir (KEN) 2:06:13 Bernard Kipyego (KEN) 2:06:22 Abderrahime Bouramdane (MAR) 2:07:33 Dathan Ritzenhein (USA) 2:07:47 Lusapho April (RSA) 2:08:32 Meb Keflezighi (USA) 2:08:37 Vitaliy Shafar (UKR) 2:09:37 Zersenay Tadese (ERI) 2:10:41 Dylan Wykes (CAN) 2:10:47 Jeffrey Eggleston (USA) 2:10:52 Nicholas Arciniaga (USA) 2:11:30 Fernando Cabada (USA) 2:11:36 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;Women Mare Dibaba (ETH) 2:19:52 Buzunesh Deba (ETH) 2:19:59 Aberu Kebede (ETH) 2:20:30 Shalane Flanagan (USA) 2:21:14 Aleksandra Duliba (BLR) 2:21:29 Mamitu Daska (ETH) 2:21:59 Ejegayehu Dibaba (ETH) 2:22:09 Sharon Cherop (KEN) 2:22:28 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:22:34 Desiree Davila Linden (USA) 2:22:38 Caroline Rotich (KEN) 2:23:22 Marisa Barros (POR) 2:25:04 Lisa Stublic Nemec (CRO) 2:25:44 Amy Hastings (USA) 2:27:03 Joyce Chepkirui (KEN) 2:30:23 Cynthia Limo (KEN) debut

Organisers of the Boston Marathon announced today that no fewer than five former winners of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race will be on the start line on 20 April.

Five past champions sign up for Boston Marathon

Patrick Makau shrugged off almost two years of injuries woes and racing disappointments to win the 68th edition of the famous Fukuoka Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, in 2:08:22 on Sunday (7). It was about two minutes adrift of what Makau had said before the race that he was hoping to run, and almost five minutes shy of his former world record and personal best of 2:03:38 set in the 2011 Berlin Marathon, but Makau told local reporters that he was still happy with his performance and his return to winning ways after struggling to find his best form since his win at the 2012 Frankfurt Marathon.Breaking away from Mongolia&rsquo;s Ser-Od Bat-Ochir at about 38 kilometres, Makau became the fourth successive Kenyan to win at the Japanese race and he took his tally to five victories in 11 outings.In excellent conditions, with temperatures hovering about eight degrees Celsius and little wind, Ethiopia&rsquo;s Raji Assefa came through strongly in the final kilometres to finish second in 2:08:48, the second-fastest time of his career after his personal best of 2:06:24.Bat-Ochir, who broke the race open after 30km, was third with a national record of 2:08:50, improving his own mark by 10 seconds.A pack of about 30 runners passed the 5km check point in 15:16 before the pace picked up. The leaders covered the subsequent 5km sections in 15:04, 14:57 and 15:01.&nbsp; After passing the halfway point in 1:03:37, the pace makers dropped out and, consequently, the pace slowed down.Poland&rsquo;s Henryk Szost and Eritrean record-holder Yared Asmeron took over the lead briefly from halfway, then local runner Masakazu Fujiwara pushed the pace after 23 kilometres but the leading group was still 20-strong.Szost and Asmeron then went back into the lead, but the pace was still sluggish, with 25km being reached in 1:15:40. The race finally got going after 30km, passed in 1:31:10, after an injection of pace by Bat-Ochir. Only Asmeron was able to initially cover the Mongolian&rsquo;s move but the former soon fell back and Bat-Ochir was alone in front. However, after 32km, Makau and Assefa broke away from the pack and started to chase down the leader and they quickly caught Bat-Ochir. The threesome of Makau, Assefa and Bat-Ochir then passed 35km in 1:46:23.&nbsp; Just before 37km, Bat-Ochir made another surge and soon he was alone in front again but one kilometre down the road it Makau&rsquo;s turn to make his own effort, which took him past Bat-Ochir. Makau passed the 40km point in 2:01:43 and he was never challenged from that point.&nbsp;&nbsp; Fujiwara finished fourth in 2:09:06 and, as he was the first Japanese home in what was a domestic IAAF World Championships qualifying race, he has staked a claim for a place on the plane to Beijing next summer.Tomoya Adachi finished fifth with personal best of 2:09:59, thus finally breaking 2:10 for the first time at the marathon after seven attempts.&nbsp; By contrast, local star Kentaro Nakamoto &ndash; sixth at the London 2012 Olympic Games and fifth at the 2013 World Championships &ndash; who never finished worse than 10th in a marathon before, came home in 12th place while Kenya&rsquo;s Martin Mathathi fell off the pace early and was a modest 21st. Ken Nakamura for the IAAF<h3>Leading results</h3>1 Patrick Makau (KEN) 2:08:22 2 Raji Assefa (ETH) 2:08:48 3 Ser-Od Bat-Ochir (MGL) 2:08:50 4 Masakazu Fujiwara (JPN) 2:09:06 5 Tomoya Adachi (JPN) 2:09:59 6 Henryk Szost (POL) 2:10:02 7 Chiharu Takada (JPN) 2:10:03 8 Yared Asmerom (ERI) 2:10:09 9 Tsuyoshi Ugachi (JPN) 2:10:50 10 Mekubo Mogusu (KEN) 2:11:29

Patrick Makau shrugged off almost two years of injuries woes and racing disappointments to win the 68th edition of the famous Fukuoka International Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, in 2:08:22 on Sunday (7). 

Makau back to winning ways in Fukuoka

Five of the top seven finishers from last year&rsquo;s Fukuoka International Marathon - Martin Mathathi, Joseph Gitau, Henryk Szost, Chiharu Takada and Mekubo Mogusu &ndash; will be back on the start line of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race but much of the attention will also be on former world record holder Patrick Makau on Sunday (7).Makau not only ran a world record, 2:03:38 in the 2011 Berlin Marathon, but he has also run two sub-2:05 marathons, four sub-2:06 marathons and six sub-2:07 marathons.However, Makau has not run over the classic distance since the 2013 London Marathon, where he was only 11th with a modest 2:14:10, the worst completed marathon performance of his career, and he has had injury problems in the last 18 months.&nbsp; His last good marathon was more than two years ago in 2012 where he won the Frankfurt Marathon with 2:06:08, so the big question is: &ldquo;Has Makau regained the fitness that took him to the top of marathon world from 2009 to 2012?&rdquo;&nbsp; Makau says his goal for the race is to run around 2:05 or 2:06. If he runs another sub-2:06 marathon on Sunday then his sub-2:06 total will be five, which ties the best mark for the most sub-2:06 marathon held by Haile Gebrselassie, Geoffrey Mutai and Wilson Kipsang.&nbsp; He is just one of an impressive array of Kenyan runners in the 68th edition of this famous race which has seen a brace of world records, the last one coming from the Australian legend Rob de Castella who ran 2:08:18 in 1982.Mathathi to challenge Kebede's course record?Japan-based Mathathi is the defending Fukuoka champion. He has run the marathon twice, both times in Fukuoka and although he failed to finish the 2012 edition of the race, but won convincingly 12 months ago. &nbsp;Although Mathathi has only one completed marathon to his credit, he is superb at shorter distances, having gone under both 27 minutes for the 10,000m on the track and 60 minutes for the half marathon and so has a good chance to retain his title.The last man to do so was Ethiopia&rsquo;s Tsegaye Kebede, winning in 2008 and 2009, on the latter occasion setting the current course record of 2:05:18.Mathathi raced sparingly since his marathon victory last December, but won the Marugame Half Marathon in February with 1:00:11.Gitau is another Kenyan based in Japan was second last year but won the 2012 edition of the race in 2:06:58. Szost, from Poland, leads the European challenge. He was third in 2012 and fourth in 2013, and holds the national record with his run of 2:07:39 from 2012 Lake Biwa Marathon. However, Szost will be starting his third marathon in less than four months, after failing to finish at the European Championships in August and only finishing ninth in the Dutch city of Eindhoven in 2:16:26.Other contenders for the podium could be Ethiopia&rsquo;s Raji Assefa, with personal best of 2:06:24 from 2012 Paris Marathon, Ukraine&rsquo;s 205 Fukuoka winner Dmytro Baranovskyy who ran 2:07:15 in this race the follow year and Kenya&rsquo;s Isaac Macharia, with personal best of 2:07:16 from 2008 Dubai Marathon.Eritrean record holder Yared Asmeron, with a best of 2:07:27 from the 2011 Chunchon Marathon, will be looking to bounce back after failing to finish the Tokyo Marathon in February and could also be a factor. World Championships places at stakeThe race is the qualifying race for Japan&rsquo;s 2015 IAAF World Championships marathon team and several top Japanese runners have entered the race with the intention of making the team.&nbsp; The best Japanese man in the field is Kentaro Nakamoto. He has an excellent major championship record: he was sixth at the London 2012 Olympic Games as well as fifth at the 2013 World Championships and has a personal best of 2:08:35.The other Japanese runners with, perhaps, the best chances of making the team are Masakazu Fujiwara and Yoshinori Oda. The pairs claim to fame is that they are first and third fastest marathon debutantes in Japan, respectively.&nbsp; In the 2003 Lake Biwa Marathon, Fujiwara ran fastest debut marathon by a Japanese runner, 2:08:12, while Oda ran 2:09:03 in the 2011 Tokyo Marathon.&nbsp; Oda has ran five more marathons since but has not broken 2:11 again. Although Fujiwara won 2010 Tokyo Marathon, he could not crack 2:10 for the marathon in his next five marathons. However, in 2013 Lake Biwa Marathon, Fujiwara went under 2:09 for the second time in his career, and thus he could be regaining his top form.&nbsp; &nbsp;Both Tomoya Adachi, with a personal best of 2:10:22 from 2013 Lake Biwa Marathon, and Chiharu Takada with a best of 2:10:39 in Fukuoka last year, appear to be on the verge of sub-2:10 marathon.&nbsp; Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Five of the top seven finishers from last year’s Fukuoka International Marathon - Martin Mathathi, Joseph Gitau, Henryk Szost, Chiharu Takada and Mekubo Mogusu – will be back on the start line of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race but much of the attention will also be on former world record holder Patrick Makau on Sunday (7).


Mathathi to defend Fukuoka Marathon title but Makau the centre of attention 

Kenya&rsquo;s Patrick Makau will be contesting his first marathon of the year this weekend in Fukuoka.The former world record-holder talks about his life in more detail by answering our work, rest and play questions.<h3>Patrick at work</h3> What is your favourite training session?Patrick Makau: My favourite training session is 10 x 2000m in 5:40 with a one-minute recovery (200m jog). When you do this kind of training at altitude and on a soft dirt track, you know that you are ready to contest a marathon. What is your least favourite training session?PM: Gym work and stretching. It has to be done, but I still don&rsquo;t like them very much. What are your three favourite things about being an athlete?PM: Providing a better life for my family, travel, and competing against the best in the world. Who is your favourite training partner?PM: My favourite training partners are all the members of my small group with whom I train in Ngong, near Nairobi. We have a mild temperament and the younger athletes push the speed sessions while the marathoners are working together during long runs. On easy days there is lots of talk and laughter and the whole group makes training more interesting. Where is your favourite training venue?PM: Masai land near Ngong. It is flat, straight and I consider it my office.<h3>Patrick at rest</h3> What is your favourite music to relax to?PM: Music from my Kamba tribe, Swahili music and gospel.&nbsp; Describe your perfect day without training.PM: Family, ocean, sunny weather and a blanket on the grass. What is your favourite stress reliever?PM: My wife Catherine (Mutwa, a 32:52 10km runner). As a former athlete, she knows what I need and I get a lot of support and strength from talking with her. She always tells me if I am doing something wrong and I appreciate her support very much. If you could pick any other athlete in the world with whom to relax, who would it be?PM: My mentors &ndash; Patrick Ivuti, Jimmy Muindi and Paul Tergat. We would talk and laugh. They are very fine gentleman. Where is your favourite place to relax?PM: My rural area in Machakos. While jogging there, I think of my past and my difficult childhood and I feel blessed and at peace. <h3>Patrick at play</h3> Why do you have a passion for kung-fu?PM: I just like the way they make movies and it is always good fighting bad, like in real life. Their training is always very serious, similar to marathon runners. Also, they do a lot of fighting in their minds and that is how I approach the marathon as often the race is decided in the mind &ndash; days and weeks prior to actual event. I like that part the most. What is your favourite kung-fu movie?PM: I don&rsquo;t have a favourite movie, but as long as there is good story of good versus evil or a story of dedication and perseverance, I am happy to watch. Which track and field athlete, other than yourself, would make the best kung-fu artist?PM: My training-mate Nicholas Manza (a 2:06:34 marathon runner). He is tall, has long legs and arms and makes many faces. He thinks quickly and makes jokes, so I am sure he would do well. If you could celebrate winning a big city marathon with a kung-fu move, which one would it be?PM: The kick like when an actor turns 360 degrees and ends up in a powerful pose. How often do you watch kung-fu movies?PM: Every once in a while. Recently, as I am returning back after a long period of injury without competition, I&rsquo;ve been watching DVDs when I competed strongly. Someone from my management team joked that there is a young guy in these races, running well and looking like a younger version of me. I am not sure I liked that joke! Steve Landells for the IAAF

Kenya’s Patrick Makau will be contesting his first marathon of the year this weekend in Fukuoka. The former world record-holder talks about his life in more detail by answering our work, rest and play questions.