Kenya's Chepkirui eyes New York half-marathon conquest

Nairobi, Feb 25
Kenya's reigning Commonwealth Games (CWG) 10,000 metres champion Joyce Chepkirui will use the New York half-marathon to gauge her preparedness ahead of her debut at the Boston Marathon April 20.

The 26-year-old Chepkirui, who will launch her first full marathon attempt in the United States, Wednesday said she is using the half marathon in New York March 15 to gauge her preparedness, reports Xinhua.

"I have been training hard with the Boston Marathon in my focus. But I have to check and see how my body will react as I run in competition," she said.

"That is why the New York marathon is important to my preparations. It is one step towards my goal to compete in Boston," Chepkirui said here.

Chepkirui, who is also the Africa 10,000m champion, has done well over the 21km distance and recently won the Prague Marathon. However, she faces a daunting task to add the New York title in her collection.

Up against her will be Olympic 5,000m silver medallist Sally Kipyego, who won the New York Half Marathon race in 2014.

The top three from last year's race are set to fight for the title again, with Buzunesh Deba (Ethiopia) and Molly Huddle also returning.

Another athlete with history in the big city half marathon is 2013 champion Caroline Rotich, who will hope to reclaim her title. There is also Germany's Sabrina Mockenhaupt and Dutch talent Jip Vastenburg.

However, it is Chepkirui, who will be the favourite to strike gold. She is the fastest in the field with a personal best time of an hour and 06.19 minutes, which she set last year in Prague.

Her management said in a statement: "Happy to confirm that Chepkirui is scheduled to race on Sunday, March 15 in 2015 New York City Half Marathon, as a test run for her quest to win Boston Marathon."