Kenya's Kiplagat, who holds the world record with a time of 1:05:09, won her second title in a row here with a 1:10:04 effort. Adola topped the men's field last year with a course record of 59.06 but he will have to run his best for a double in the presence of world record holder Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea.
PTI
New Delhi
Guye Adola and world record holder Florence Kiplagat will back themselves to defend the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon title against a challenging field in the 21km race here tomorrow.
Kenya's Kiplagat, who holds the world record with a time of 1:05:09, won her second title in a row here with a 1:10:04 effort.
Adola topped the men's field last year with a course record of 59.06 but he will have to run his best for a double in the presence of world record holder Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea.
Besides Adola, the other top Ethiopians are Mosinet Geremew and 2013 champion Atsedu Tsegay. Fresh faces include the likes of TCS World 10K champion Alex Korio, the Kenyan who clocked the fourth fastest time this year and Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia), one of the most consistent runners on the international circuit.
Another strong contender in the men's category is Moses Kipsiro of Uganda, having won two gold medals here at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in the 5000m and 10000m.
It will be tougher to stop Kiplagat in the women's field.
She bettered her world record time in February when she completed the Barcelona Half Marathon in 1:05:09. Giving her competition will be fellow Kenyan Cynthia Limo, who has won podium places in 10 out the 11 races she has run this year.
The others include Worknesh Degefa of Ethiopia and her compatriot and reigning Olympic marathon champion Tiki Gelana, who recently won a bronze at the Tokyo Marathon.
The winners in the men's and women's elite category will be richer by USD 27,000 respectively.
The Indian interest in the field is headlined by defending men's champion Suresh Kumar and women's national record holder O P Jaisha. Some established names such as Lalita Babar and Kavita Raut will also be taking part. The top Indian finishers in either category will get Rs 3 lakh.
The 11th edition of race, to be flagged off from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, is also seen as a celebration of running in the city. According to organisers, around 34,000 will be part of the running extravaganza.
The Half Marathon has received 13,200 entries, the DHL Corporate Champions have 200 teams (600 runners), while the Great Delhi Run has 19,000 entries.
In addition to that, The Senior Citizens' Run will have 800 participants, and the Champions with Disability event 400.
