Eliud Kiptanui will battle former Paris marathon champion Peter Kemli Some in today’s 17th edition of Xiamen Marathon, the first IAAF Gold Label road race of 2019.
The duo will fight against defending champion Ethiopian Dejene Debela after Kiptanui ran the fastest man in the field having clocked a PB of 2:05:21 to finish second at the 2015 Berlin Marathon and last year time of 2:08:20 to finish fifth in Paris.
Debele’s winning mark in the southern Chinese city was the slowest in 11 years, more than five minutes shy of the 2:06:19 course record set by Moses Mosop in 2015, which has stood as China’s all-comers’ record since.
Some is another man to watch. The 28-year-old registered his PB of 2:05:38 to win the 2013 Paris Marathon and came close to that mark when finished third at the Daegu Marathon in 2:06:49 last April, the second fastest time of his career.
In women section Janet Jelagat Rono will battle Shasho Insermu of Ethiopian as well as Fantu Jimma.