Kenyan athlete Levy Matebo will be the fastest man on the startline at Sunday's Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2017 after the late withdrawal of Ayele Abshero
Levy Matebo, Dinkesh Mekesh
Levy Matebo, the fastest man at the SCMM 2017 startline
Kenyan athlete Levy Matebo will be the fastest man on the startline at Sunday's Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon 2017 after the late withdrawal of Ayele Abshero.
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Two-time champ Dinkesh Mekesh
In addition to eyeing the USD 42,000 first prize in the country's richest road race, he will also be chasing the USD 15,000 bonus on offer if the course record of 2:08:35, set last year by Matebo's compatriot Gideon Kipketer, is broken. "I want to see the course first and then I will plan my race but yes, I am aiming for course record," he told reporters here.
"In my last race (the Ljubljana Marathon in October) I was going for a fast time but the police car and TV van went off course about 600 metres from the finish and we followed them. I still finished third (in 2:09:37), but I was maybe two minutes slower than I could have finished so if I run under 2:08 on Sunday, I will be very happy," he added.
Meanwhile, Ethiopia's Dinkesh Mekesh, a two-time former Mumbai Marathon winner among women, is looking to cross the finish line as No. 1 for the third time. "My preparation went well. It's my fifth time in Mumbai. I hope I can win this race," said Mekesh, adding that having won the race twice before times, (clocking 2:28:46 in 2013 and 2:28:08 in 2014) she knows the course well.
Abshero withdrew from the race earlier this week due to a back injury.