Spectators positioned alongside the authentic course, as well as those at the Panathenaic Stadium who opt to watch the runners at the finish line of this great celebration of the Marathon Movement on the 10th of November, will find themselves constantly glancing at stopwatches. Competition is expected to be fierce and threaten the set course record, even that of the classic route.
Raymond Bett is the familiar face being the athlete who has won the race twice and set the course record at 2:11:35 however he will not be the only one. On the contrary, despite his return to the ACM with a new record in mind, he must keep his eye out for strong competition.
Of course his compatriots pose the biggest threat. Kenyan athlete Mariko Kipchumba, set a personal best record of 2:06:05 during a superb solitary winning performance in Reims last year, unmatched by any other athlete found at the Starting line in Marathon.
Also part of the group of elite African runners and one that can cause serious problems to both of them is Paul Kosgei, as he is familiar with the course after coming in second in 2012, finishing at 2:12:20, beating the previous course record. Belor Yator on the other hand is an athlete who has successfully ran three times under 2:10:00, posing a significant threat, while he has won the Dusseldorf Marathon two consecutive times.
This year the level of the female runners is the highest compared to previous years. 27-year old Gisou Mintaye Tilahoun has the best performance at 2:28:30. Japans Ivamura Seika with a personal best at 2:33:15 and Ethiopian Bayou Abebe with this years personal best at 2:36:16. Europes worthy representative is Ukranian Svetlana Stanko with her record set at 2:31:28.
