Ethiopian Women, Kenyan Men Headline Boston Marathon | Runner's World & Running Times

Ethiopian Women, Kenyan Men Headline Boston Marathon

Field includes established stars, up-and-comers, and top Americans.

By

Scott Douglas;

Image by

Photo Run

Published

January 15, 2013

This year’s Boston Marathon will likely be another East African-dominated race up front, given the strong women’s and men’s international fields that race organizers announced this morning.

Defending women’s champion Sharon Cherop of Kenya will face a strong trio of Ethiopian women on April 15. The fastest of the bunch is Asalefech Mergia (seen above), who set her 2:19:31 PR while winning last year’s Dubai Marathon in a course record. She’ll be joined by 2012 world half-marathon champion, Meseret Debele, who won last October’s Amsterdam in a PR and course record of 2:21:09 two weeks after her world half-marathon win, and Mamitu Daska, a former Houston Marathon winner with a 2:21:59 best. Daska enters her Boston training cycle fit, as she won last Sunday’s Houston Half Marathon by more than two minutes.

Cherop’s strongest Kenyan compatriot should be Rita Jeptoo. She won Boston in 2006 and then overcame several sub-par years by placing second at Chicago last year in a personal best of 2:22:04.

The women’s field also includes Tetiana Gamera-Shmyrko of Ukraine, who was fifth in last August’s Olympic Marathon; Alemita Begna of Ethiopia, the course record holder at the Houston Marathon; and Madai Perez, whose 2:22:59 PR is the Mexican record.

The top American women in the field are 2012 Olympic marathoners Shalane Flanagan and Kara Goucher. Last week Serena Burla, who has a 2:28:27 PR, and Stephanie Rothstein-Bruce, who has a 2:29:35 PR, were added to the field.

Men’s defending champion Wesley Korir might need another hot day like last year to overcome runners with faster PRs. Although he improved his personal best to 2:06:13 at Chicago last fall, the Kenyan has only the ninth fastest PR in the field.

Moses Mosop’s 2:03:06 best is the fastest in the field. He ran that (tailwind-assisted) time to place second at Boston in 2011 in his debut at the distance. Mosop, who has world records for 25,000 meters and 30,000 meters on the track, was scheduled to run last fall’s New York City Marathon. When that race was canceled, he opted to return to training rather than find a replacement race. Along with Korir and Mosop, the marathon’s strong Kenyan contingent includesLevy Matebo, second at Boston last year and owner of a 2:05:16 PR, andDickson Chumba, an up-and-comer who set his 2:05:46 PR last fall.

Markos Geneti is the strongest Ethiopian in the men’s field. He won Los Angeles in 2011 in his marathon debut, and last year set his personal best of 2:04:54. Gebre Gebremariam, winner of the 2010 New York City Marathon, was third at Boston in 2011, but hasn’t been as impressive in his more recent marathons.

Two intriguing marathon debutants at Boston will be Micah Kogo and Lucas Rotich, both of Kenya. Kogo is a former world record holder for 10-K on the roads, and won the bronze medal at 10,000 meters in the 2008 Olympics. He set his half-marathon best of 59:07 last year. Rotich also has a sub-60:00 half-marathon PR (59:44) and great track credentials, including a 26:43 10,000-meter best.

Last week race organizers announced a strong American men’s contingent. Led by the three men who made the 2012 Olympic Marathon team—Meb Keflezighi, Ryan Hall, and Abdi Abdirahman—it also includes Jason Hartmann, fourth at Boston last year, and national 25-K record holderFernando Cabada.