The men’s course record will be the target at the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon on Sunday and possibly the Turkish Allcomers’ record could go as well.
Abebe Negewo of Ethiopia and Kenya’s Kenneth Kipkemoi head a strong elite field with personal bests of under 2:05 while there is a total of eleven athletes who have run below 2:10.
Kenyan Sharon Cherop, who won the marathon bronze medal at the World Championships in 2011, and Ethiopia’s Sintayehu Lewetegn are the fastest women on the start list with PBs of sub 2:23.
They will be challenged by the 2016 Olympic Steeplechase Champion Ruth Jebet of Bahrain. Five more women feature personal records below 2:25.
The elite fields of the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon are among the best ever assembled for Turkey’s major race at the classic distance.
Around 7,500 marathon runners will compete on Sunday, starting on the Asian side of Istanbul and then finishing on Sultanahmet Square in the city’s historic center on the European side. Adding races at shorter distances organisers of the 46th Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon expect a total of 42,500 runners.
The World Athletics Gold Label Road Race starts at 9 am on Sunday and will be shown by live stream with English commentary worldwide.
The men’s race: Negewo and Gezahegn ready for chasing records
With five men on the start list who have run below 2:07 the course record is an obvious goal.
It was Kenya’s Daniel Kibet who established the current mark of 2:09:44 back in 2019. Istanbul lost this Turkish allcomers’ record to Izmir in 2021, where Lani Rutto of Kenya holds the current course record with 2:09:27.
Ethiopians Abebe Negewo and Kelkile Gezahegn both feel ready to break the Istanbul mark if the weather conditions are suitable. The forecast suggest dry conditions with temperatures around 16 Celsius. However it might turn a little windy.
“I have trained well and I am in fine form. It will be the first time that I run the Istanbul Marathon. Although I don’t know the course the record is my goal,“ said 40 year-old Negewo, who has a PB of 2:04:51 and leads the entry list.
“Nowadays you can still run strongly at the age of 40 and I am sure I can continue for a couple of more years.“
Fellow-Ethiopian Kelkile Gezahegn, who ran his PB of 2:05:56 in Rotterdam in 2018 and won the Frankfurt Marathon in the same year, has never raced in Istanbul as well.
“I want to run a good race and it would be great if I could win and break the course record. I know that it will be a challenge since the field is strong. I have trained well and I thank the organisers that now I have the chance to show it in Istanbul,“ said Gezahegn, who at 28 believes he will still be able to improve his personal best.
Kenyan Kenneth Kipkemoi, who has a personal best of 2:04:52, Ethiopia’s Dejene Debela (2:05:46) and Mohcin Outalha of Morocco (2:06:49) are the other runners with PBs of sub 2:07 on the start list.
Sezgin Atac is a domestic runner to watch and could achieve a fine result on Sunday. The 26 year-old improved to 2:08:40 in Sevilla early in the year, but missed out on the Olympic Games due to the demanding qualifying standard.
The women’s race: Chebet versus Jebet, but Kibet could surprise
At the age of 40 Sharon Cherop is still going strong. The former World Championships’ bronze medallist and Boston Marathon winner from 2012 has a personal best of 2:22:28.
The Kenyan, who was second in Hannover this spring with 2:24:41, is the fastest woman on the start list.
“I have trained well and I am ready. Maybe my form is a bit better than before the Hannover Marathon in April,“ said Cherop before leaving Kenya for Istanbul on Thursday night.
“I know that there is a strong field. I will try my best and run my race. You never know what can happen. For me at the start line every one is a potential winner – that is how I approach my races. If there is good competition it can make me stronger.“
While Ethiopia’s Sintayehu Lewetegn is the number two on Istanbul’s entry list with 2:22:36, former steeplechase world record holder Ruth Jebet will run her fourth marathon and is still unbeaten at the distance.
The 27 year-old must still be regarded a marathon newcomer though. Ruth Jebet ran her marathon debut in Mersin, Turkey, less than a year ago and broke the course record with 2:23:08.
The former Kenyan, who competes for Bahrain for more than ten years now, then went on to take the Chinese races in Zhengzhou and Harbin with 2:26:48 and 2:28:12 respectively.
“It was not too difficult to switch from the steeplechase to the marathon, but it takes time,“ said Jebet, who trains in the Nandi Hills near Nairobi. “On Sunday my goal is to improve my personal best.“
An athlete who could cause an upset on Sunday is Betty Kibet. The 24 year-old Kenyan will run her debut at the Türkiye Is Bankasi Istanbul Marathon and is said to be in fine form. Betty Kibet has a promising half marathon PB of 66:37.
Elite Runners with Personal Bests
MEN
- Abebe Negewo ETH 2:04:51
- Kenneth Kipkemoi KEN 2:04:52
- Dejene Debela ETH 2:05:46
- Kelkile Gezahegn ETH 2:05:56
- Mohcin Outalha MAR 2:06:49
- Frederick Kibii KEN 2:08:09
- Wilfred Kigen KEN 2:08:39
- Sezgin Atac TUR 2:08:40
- James Kiplagat KEN 2:09:08
- Benard Kipkorir KEN 2:09:26
- Mathew Samperu KEN 2:09:54
- Elijah Cheruiyot KEN 2:10:27
- Yavuz Agrali TUR 2:10:41
- Abraham Kipyatich KEN 2:10:51
- Benard Sang KEN 2:10:59
WOMEN
- Sharon Cherop KEN 2:22:28
- Sintayehu Lewetegn ETH 2:22:36
- Urge Diro ETH 2:23:05
- Ruth Jebet BRN 2:23:08
- Margaret Agai KEN 2:23:28
- Zenebu Bihonegn ETH 2:24:16
- Muluhabt Tsega ETH 2:24:23
- Ayantu Abdi ETH 2:24:45
- Gladys Jerono KEN 2:32:50
- Betty Kibet KEN Debut
- Christine Kioko KEN Debut
