http://www.iaaf.org/news/news/brighton-marathon-2014-elite-field-kangor-che
27 FEB 2014 General News Brighton, Great Britain Defending champion to face
tough opposition in Brighton
The new statistics show that 532,000 people immigrated to the UK in the
year ending September 2013, which the ONS said was "not a statistically
significant difference from 497,000 the previous year".
A quality line-up has been assembled for 6 April as the Brighton Marathon,
an *IAAF Bronze Label Road Race*, welcomes its most outstanding men's elite
field to date.
The two fastest runners in the field, William Chebor and Raymond Kandie of
Kenya, have personal bests faster than 2:10, while all three medallists
from last year's race - including course record-holder Dominic Kangor -
have opted to return.
Chebor, 31, who clocked 2:08:21 in Turin three years ago, comes to Brighton
having won his most recent marathon in Jakarta last October.
In addition to a host of strong Kenyans, a number of fast runners from six
other countries will be trying to topple the big names and for the first
time performers from Italy, Eritrea and South Africa join the fray.
Last year, Kangor set the course record of 2:10:46 after a close tussle
with Bernard Rotich. That time could well be in danger with the course
changes that have taken place, making the route faster than ever.
Since the first Brighton Marathon in 2010, both the men's and women's
course records have been broken every year. The top six men have all run
faster than the current benchmark, so hopes are high that the
record-setting trend can continue in 2014.
Among the debutants, Kenya's Robert Langat could be one to watch. Although
he has no previous experience over the full classic distance, his
half-marathon PB of 1:01:05 is just a few seconds slower than Chebor's.
Britain's Chris Powner is making his debut over the distance. He has a best
half marathon of 64:45 from Bath two years ago and will be chasing the
qualifying time of 2:19 for Scotland's marathon team for this year's
Commonwealth Games.
On the women's side, Kenya's Hellen Mugo has a best time of 2:27:16 which
is more than a minute-and-a half faster than the current course record of
2:28:50. A former winner of three international marathons, Brighton will be
Mugo's first race on British soil.
Tanith Maxwell, who represented South Africa at the 2013 IAAF World
Championships and 2012 Olympic Games, is hoping to earn Commonwealth Games
selection by getting close to her best of 2:32:33.
The fastest Briton is Rebecca Robinson with a lifetime best 2:37:14 from
the 2010 London Marathon.
Received on Thu Feb 27 2014 - 08:57:01 EST