Wilson Kipsang to make NYC Marathon Debut

World-record holder Wilson Kipsang of Kenya  will make his New York City Marathon debut in November.

The Kenyan set the mark of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 23 seconds in Berlin last year.

The announcement on Wednesday sets up a showdown with countryman Geoffrey Mutai, the two-time defending champion and course-record holder in New York.

Mutai ran the fastest marathon in history in 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, which doesn’t count as a world record because the course is considered too straight and downhill.

There will be seven former NYC Marathon champs in the field on November 2.

Men:

• Gebre-Egziabher Gebremariam of Ethiopia (2010) and
• Meb Keflezighi of the United States (2009)

Women:

• Priscah Jeptoo  of Kenya (2013)
• Firehiwot Dado of Ethiopia (2011)
• Edna Kiplagat of Kenya (2010) and
• Jelena Prokopcuka of Latvia (2005, 2006)

Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba also returns to try to become the first New Yorker in 40 years to win the race.

The Ethiopian was the women’s runner-up in the last two NYC Marathons.