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Organizers of the BUPA Great Manchester Run on May 18 announced today that reigning world marathon champions Luke Kibet and Catherine Ndereba will headline their fields.
The two Kenyans earned their world titles in the steamy conditions of Osaka last August. Kibet overwhelmed the men's field by one minute and 19 seconds, while Ndereba had to beat back a formidible challenge from China's Zhou Chunxiu in the final kilometers to win by a much narrower eight seconds.
Most recently, Kibet raced the Flora London Marathon, finishing 11th. His training was curtailed by the post-election violence in Kenya where he was assaulted, sustaining a headwound from a thrown rock. Ndereba did not run a spring marathon, but has run several road races. She won the Scotia Bank Semi-Marathon de Montreal on April 20 and was most recently second at the Lilac Bloomsday 12-K in Spokane, Wash., last Sunday.
The top British entrants are Dan Robinson and Tomas Abyu, said the event's elite athletes manager Andy Caine.
The Manchester course is very fast and legal for record-setting. Last year Kenyan Micah Kogo set a British all-comers record when he won at Manchester in 27:21. The fastest women's time is 31:07 set by Berhane Adere of Ethiopia in 2006.
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