Mumbai: Two-time men's winner and Delhi Commonwealth Games champion John Kelei plans to ask the Kenyan Athletics Federation to give him the chance to defend his CWG marathon title at Glasgow, scheduled later this year, during the 11th Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon on Sunday.
"That's my primary target. There are so many challengers, hundreds of them, in Kenya, but I want to defend my Commonwealth Games title in Glasgow, my primary target. My victory in Delhi is still fresh in my mind," said Kelei at the media conference organised here today to showcase some of the elite athletes who are to take part in the January 19 race. A strong favourite for his third title here, the 37-year-old Kenyan had crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 14 minutes and 35 seconds to win the gold in the 2010 CWG at New Delhi on October 14, 2010.
The Games in Glasgow, UK, are scheduled from July 23-August 3. The winner of Mumbai Marathon in 2007 and 2008, in which he clocked sub-2:13 times on both occasions, also took part in the 2009 (3rd) and 2011 (6th) editions with less success, but is confident that he would send a 'strong signal' to athletics authorities at home by his run here.
"If I can win in hot and humid conditions here I can do better in colder Glasgow. Mumbai is a lot tougher and I want to do well and send a strong signal to the federation," said Kelei, who has won the Enschede Marathon three times and the races at Singapore, Brussels and Zhekgkai once each. He described his victories here and in Toronto in 2007 "as the toughest of his distance running career" and is confident of doing well on Sunday in his sixth attempt.
"I have prepared very well for this race. The competition will be very strong. I feel very positive but there could be surprises," said the athlete, who has won nine of the 24 marathons he has participated in so far. He's sure to face tough competition from the likes of compatriot and former Chicago marathon winner Evans Cheruiyot, who has a personal best of 2:06.25, and Ethiopians Eshetu Wendimu (PB: 2:06.46) and Hailu Mekonnen, with a personal best of 2:07.35.Hailu, who finished 23rd last year clocking 2:15, said he was expecting a good result this year.
The Ethiopian, with a personal best of 2:07.35 - clocked when winning the Tokyo Marathon in 2011 - is a two-time bronze medal winner in the world cross-country championship and was a very good metric miler and 5,000 runner before switching over to road racing in 2005. South Africa's 2013 World Universiade half-marathon champion Gladwin Mzazi was another who sounded upbeat about Sunday's race. "I'm very confident. I will cope well with the conditions."
The top title contender in the women's full marathon, also worth USD 41,000 for the winner - Ethiopian Dinknesh Mekash - who was second last year in 2:28.46, is going into this race after finishing fourth in 2:25 at Paris last year. "I have been training a lot and am expecting a lot. I will definitely try to clock my personal best as well as try and create a new course record," she said.
Dinknesh leads a strong Ethiopian contingent. Among them are Etalemahu Kidane (PB 2:25.49), Asnakech Mengistu (PB 2:25.50) and Aberu Mekuria (PB 2:26.07), who also finished third last year. Two of her chief rivals, Kenya's Eunice Kales and Ukraine's Yulia Ruben, were also optimistic of their chances.
"I trained at a place which is good for training. My last race was a cross country run on November 24," said Yulia, who won the Turin Marathon in 2011. There will be six pacemakers in the men's race and two in the women's event helping the runners keep to course record pace. There is a bonus for breaking the course record too. Jos Hermens of Global Sports Communication, The Netherlands, the elite athletes' coordinators, said there is a big chance of a new course record being set in the men's race, but was not as confident of it being achieved in the women's main event.
