43, 064 runners to compete at Xiamen marathon, half marathon

The 2015 Xiamen International Marathon will kick off on Saturday with a total of 43,064 runners to compete in half marathon and marathon races.

The organizers revealed during a new conference here on Friday that 43,064 runners from 53 countries and regions have registered for the races including 23,675 in marathon and 19,389 in half marathon event.

Defending champion Mare Dibaba of Ethiopia will be the favorite title contender in women's marathon race. The 25-year-old clocked two hours, 21 minutes and 36 seconds to reach the top podium in Xiamen Marathon last year, shattering the previous record of 2:22:38 set by China's Zhang Yingying in 2008.

In the men's event, Tadese Tola of Ethiopia, whose personal best time is 2:04:49, will be the runner to watch on Saturday.

Two months after he claimed a marathon bronze medal at the 2013 IAAF World Championships in Moscow, the 2010 Paris Marathon champion timed 2:07:16 to win in the 2013 Beijing Marathon as he trimmed the event record set in 1986 by 19 second.

It has been the fastest ever time for marathon races so far organized by the Chinese Athletics Association. And Tola has already set his eyes for the 20,000 US dollars prize for breaking the course record in Xiamen.

Moses Mosop of Kenya is another contender in the men's race with a personal best of 2:05:03 as he finished third at the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon.

The highlight of Mosop's career was in 2011 when he clocked 2:03:06 to finish as the runner-up to Geoffrey Mutai (2:03:02) at the Boston Marathon, nearly one minute less than the world record of 2:03:59. As the course of Boston Marathon was a point-to-point course with an overall downhill slope, the time was not officially recognized by IAAF.

The event record of men's race in Xiamen is 2:07:32 set by Ethiopia's Negari Terfa in 2013.

It will be the 13th edition of Xiamen Marathon since the IAAF gold label race was launched in 2003. And this year the organizers have decided to change the circuit of the race for city construction concerns. The new course will not go through the downtown area of the city and will also exclude the famous Yanwu Bridge which stretches over the sea.

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