Press Release - Dusseldorf Marathon - 4/28/17

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

           Josphat Ndambiri goes for course record in Duesseldorf

Returning to the marathon after injury problems Kenya's Josphat Ndambiri 
hopes to reignite his career in Sunday's METRO Marathon Duesseldorf. 
Speaking at a press conference today the 32 year-old former Fukuoka 
Marathon champion said that he intends to attack the course record of 
2:07:48 and hopes to improve his personal best of 2:07:36. While Ndambiri 
is the favourite Japan's Eri Okubo leads the women's elite field with a 
personal best of 2:26:08. Adding other running events staged on Sunday 
organisers registered around 16,000 athletes for the 15th edition of the 
METRO Marathon Duesseldorf. Close to 4,000 of them will compete in the 
marathon. 

While the race organisers said that they hope to see a sub 2:10 winning 
time on Sunday they may now have to readjust their pacemakers, because 
Josphat Ndambiri plans for a much faster race. The 32 year-old received an 
unexpected boost last Sunday when he watched the London Marathon on TV back 
home in Kenya. Daniel Wanjiru caused a surprise by winning in 2:05:48. 
"Daniel is my training partner. Since January we have done all the 
preparation for the two April marathon races together. And we were always 
on the same level," said Josphat Ndambiri, who suffered of a foot injury 
for more than two years. At the end of 2011 the Kenyan ran a perfect 
marathon debut when he won the Fukuoka race in what remains his personal of 
2:07:36. 

"On Sunday I want to win. But a time of 2:09 would be disappointing for me. 
My aim is to break the course record and if possible run a personal best as 
well," said Josphat Ndambiri. Ethiopia's Dereje Debele established the 
course record of 2:07:48 in 2013. 

Fellow-Kenyan Charles Cheruiyot will probably be Ndambiri's strongest 
rival. He ran his personal record of 2:09:05 in Warsaw in 2014. A year ago 
he achieved a fine second place in Vienna, where he clocked 2:10:09 despite 
strong winds. Originally from Africa Norway's Weldu Negash Gebretsadik and 
Poland's Yared Shegumo could do well on Sunday. They have personal bests of 
2:09:14 and 2:10:34 respectively. Shegumo was runner-up in the marathon at 
the European Championships in 2014.

National interest focuses on Julian Flügel, who will run his first marathon 
after competing at the Olympic Games last year. He finished 71st in Rio. 
While he originally targeted his personal best of 2:13:57 in Duesseldorf he 
had to adjust his time goal. "Unfortunately I lost three weeks of training 
in March due to a knee problem. Now I expect to run a time between 2:17 and 
2:18 on Sunday," said Julian Flügel.

In contrast to the men, the course record of 2:25:49 will be out of reach 
for the women. While Eri Okubo has a personal best of 2:26:08 she predicts 
a much slower performance of above 2:30 for Sunday. "I think I will run 
around 2:35," said the 34 year-old from Tokyo. While Eri Okubo could become 
the first Japanese winner of the METRO Marathon Duesseldorf Carmen Martinez 
Aguila of Paraguay and Portugal's Doroteia Alves Peixoto hope to challenge 
her. Both have identical personal bests of 2:36:01.

SELECTED ELITE RUNNERS WITH PERSONAL BESTS

Men:
Josphat Ndambiri KEN 2:07:36
Charles Cheruiyot KEN 2:09:05
Weldu Gebretsadik NOR 2:09:14
Yared Shegumo POL 2:10:34
Robert Chemonges UGA 2:11:04
Mitku Seboka ETH 2:11:44
Julian Flügel GER 2:13:57
Marcin Blazinski GER 2:14:45
Abraham Adhanom ERI Debut
Daniel Da Silva BRA Debut

Women:
Eri Okubo JPN 2:26:08
Carmen Martinez Aguilar PAR 2:36:01
Doroteia Alves Peixoto POR 2:36:01

More information is available at: www.metro-marathon.de

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