Six men under 2:06 to start Rotterdam Marathon
The ABN-AMRO Rotterdam Marathon on 14 April, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race, will feature six men who have gone under 2:06 for the classic distance and who will have the course record of 2:04:27 in their sights, organisers announced on Thursday (14).
The course record for the famous Dutch race, which has seen world records in the past, is jointly held by the Kenyan pair of Duncan Kibet and James Kwambai after their thrilling finish in 2009.
Fastest on paper in this year’s field is Ethiopia’s 19-year-old Berhanu Shiferaw. He clocked his personal best of 2:04:48 in January this year when finishing second in the Dubai Marathon.
Despite not turning 20 until 31 May, Rotterdam will be Shiferaw’s fifth Marathon.
Shiferaw will start alongside his compatriot Getu Feleke, who was second in the 2012 Rotterdam Marathon with a personal best time of 2:04:50.
Ethiopia’s Bazu Worku clocked a personal best of 2:05:25 when finishing third in Berlin in 2010 while only just slightly slower is the fourth in the quartet of outstanding Ethiopian runners, Tilahun Regassa, who ran 2:05:27 on his Marathon debut in the Chicago Marathon last October. Read more
