Top Kenyans set to Dominate Prague Half, by David Monti, RRW, used with permission.

Peter Cheruiyot Kirui of Kenya on his way to victory in the 2014 Sportisimo Prague Half-Marathon (photo courtesy of Runczech.com)

Prague is one of my new favorite cities. I just spent a week there for the 2015 European Indoor Championships. I loved walking around the city, enjoying cafes and learning about my family’s history.

Here is a fine preview from our friend, Dave Monti, of Race Results Weekly, who is writing about the Prague Half Marathon, coming up on March 28. As with all Race Results Weekly content, we use this column with permission.

TOP KENYANS SET TO DOMINATE PRAGUE HALF
By David Monti
(c) 2015 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved, used with permission

(19-Mar) — Some of the world’s best Kenyan runners, led by multiple world record holder Leonard Patrick Komon and two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat, are set to dominate the Sportisimo Prague Half-Marathon in the Czech capital on Saturday, March 28. Organizers announced today a very strong elite field for the 17th edition of the IAAF Gold Label Road Race.

On the men’s side, elite athletes coordinator Jana Moberly has recruited 12 runners with sub-61:00 personal bests, led by Komon who clocked 59:14 in his debut at the distance in Berlin last March. Komon is the world record holder for both 10-K (26:44) and 15-K (41:13). Also taking to the cobblestone streets of Prague will be reigning champion Peter Cheruiyot Kirui (59:22 PB), and 2014 Birell Prague Grand Prix 10-K winner Geoffrey Ronoh (59:45). Chepkirui recorded a decisive victory in 2014, winning by 32 seconds.

“I started pushing at 13-K and kept it going through 15-K,” Kirui told Race Results Weekly after last year’s race. “Around 18 kilometers, I looked back and I could still see one of my friends so I knew I had to keep pushing through the end. By 20 kilometers, I realized I would be the winner and would run a PB.”

Two-time TCS New York City Marathon winner Geoffrey Mutai has withdrawn from the race so he can focus on his preparations for the Virgin Money London Marathon on April 26.

“This is, of course, one of the strongest fields we’ve ever had in Prague,” observed organizing committee president Carlo Capalbo through a statement. “We’ve never had 12 runners with personal bests of under 61 minutes in the race. I think we can look forward to some great competition.”

On the women’s side, Kiplagat –who has a career best time of 1:07:41– will be challenged by Lucy Kabuu, the fastest women in the field with a 1:06:09 personal best. Veteran road racer Lineth Chepkurui (1:07:47) is the third top Kenyan in the women’s field.

Athletes from other nations should also challenge for the podium, including Eritrean men Amanuel Mesel and Samson Gebreyohannes, Ethiopian men Adugna Takele and Atalay Yirsaw, and Ethiopian women Worknesh Degefa and Waganesh Mekasha. The top entrant from Europe is Croatian national record holder Lisa Nemec, fourth last summer at the European Championships Marathon.

The course records are 58:47, by Ethiopia’s Atsedu Tsegay (2012), and 1:06:19 by Kenya’s Joyce Chepkirui (2014).

According to the independent Association of Road Race Statisticians, the Sportisimo Prague Half-Marathon is one of Europe’s most competitive road races. Indeed, the men’s field of the 2011 edition is ranked the 24th most competitive half-marathon of all time with a field rank of 851 points.

Here are the top contenders with personal best times:

MEN –
Leonard Komon, KEN 59:14
Peter Cheruiyot Kirui, KEN 59:22
Azmeraw Bekele, ETH 59:39
Geoffrey Ronoh, KEN 59:45
Daniel Wanjiru, KEN
59:58
Amanuel Mesel, ERI 1:00:10
Nicholas Kipkemboi, KEN 1:00:11
Samson Gebreyohannes, ERI 1:00:13
Adugna Takele, ETH 1:00:15
Cuthbert Nyasango, ZIM 1:00:26
Bernard Bett, KEN 1:00:46
Atalay Yirsaw, ETH 1:00:59
JiÅ™Ã HomolÃ¡Ä, CZE 1:05:41
Petr Pechek, CZE 1:06:33

WOMEN –
Lucy Kabuu, KEN 1:06:09
Edna Kiplagat, KEN 1:07:41
Lineth Chepkurui, KEN 1:07:47
Worknesh Degefa, ETH 1:07:49
Waganesh Mekasha, ETH 1:08:48
Netsenat Achamo, ETH 1:09:10
Lisa Nemec, CRO 1:09:16
Diane Nukuri, BDI 1:09:12
Afera Godfay, ETH 1:09:52
AneÅ¾ka DrahotovÃ¡, CZE 1:14:25
Ivana SekyrovÃ¡, CZE 1:14:06
Petra KamÃnkovÃ¡, CZE 1:12:17

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Author

Larry Eder
Larry Eder has had a 52-year involvement in the sport of athletics. Larry has experienced the sport as an athlete, coach, magazine publisher, and now, journalist and blogger. His first article, on Don Bowden, America's first sub-4 minute miler, was published in RW in 1983. Larry has published several magazines on athletics, from American Athletics to the U.S. version of Spikes magazine. He currently manages the content and marketing development of the RunningNetwork, The Shoe Addicts, and RunBlogRun. Of RunBlogRun, his daily pilgrimage with the sport, Larry says: "I have to admit, I love traveling to far away meets, writing about the sport I love, and the athletes I respect, for my readers at runblogrun.com, the most of anything I have ever done, except, maybe running itself." Also does some updates for BBC Sports at key events, which he truly enjoys. Theme song: Greg Allman, " I'm no Angel."
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