Godana and Girma are the favourites for Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes

There is little doubt that the Kenyan and Ethiopian dominance will continue at the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes, an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race, on Sunday.

They have won each of the seven men’s titles on offer in the brief history of France’s second-biggest marathon, with four victories for Kenya end three for Ethiopia. And although last year’s winner Shume Hailu of Ethiopia won’t defend his title, East African athletes will once again be the favourites for the eighth edition of the race this weekend.

Plenty of candidates will be looking to take the title with seven athletes having PBs within one minute of each other.

But perhaps the favourite is Ethiopia’s Abdela Godana, despite being relatively inexperienced compared to others in the field. He has not yet run faster than 2:10, but he has the fastest season’s best of this year’s field as he clocked a PB of 2:11:37 in Barcelona in March in just his second outing over the distance.

Women’s Race

In the women’s race, 36-year-old Rose Chepchumba will attempt to retain her title. Last year the Kenyan won in a personal best of 2:33:52, finishing 1:40 ahead of her compatriot Emily Rotich, who achieved her third second-place finish at the Marathon des Alpes-Maritimes Nice-Cannes.

But Ethiopia’s Woynishet Girma has a better PB than the pair of Kenyans and looks to be the favourite. The 29-year-old has a best mark of 2:27:51 set in Amsterdam in 2010 and has run faster than 2:30 on four occasions.

Read more at: IAAF.org