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Agnes Keino, Meshack Koech to headline 36th edition of Munich marathon

Friday, September 30th, 2022 07:00 | By
Agnes Keino, Meshack Koech to headline 36th edition of Munich marathon
Agnes Keino (right) with a training mate during a past speedwork session at Eldoret Kipchoge keino stadium. Pd/EMMANUEL MASINDE

Kenya’s Agnes Keino and Meshack Koech will lead Kenya’s onslaught in the 36th edition of Generali Munich Marathon, Germany on October 9.

Keino, a former Strasburg 10km champion, has a lifetime best of 65:04 set at the 2018 Remich Route du Vin Semi Marathon.

She said her training has gone on as planned and remains hopeful this will translate into results come that day.

“I have had intense training ahead of the race and am in good shape but I want to try my best to win the marathon,” said Keino.

Keino has twice shown strong form in Copenhagen this year. She finished third in the marathon in May with a personal best of 2:25:08 and this month she ran her fastest half marathon to finish tenth in 68:47.

She has to contend with Ethiopia’s duo of Mare Dibaba and Aberu Mekuria. Dibaba is among the best women marathon runners in the world.

The 32-year-old crowned her career so far in winning the world title in Beijing in 2015.

A year later she took a bronze medal at the Olympics in Rio. She also won the Chicago Marathon in 2014, and has been second twice in Boston; in 2014 and 2015 and has a high-quality personal best of 2:19:52.

Since delivering another impressive performance to finish runners-up in the Berlin Marathon in 2019 at 2:20:21, she has run just one marathon during the Covid pandemic period, finishing 14th in Boston.

Three marathons

Mekuria has won her last three marathons. Her personal best is 2:24.30 in winning in Chongqing in China in 2019 and she won in Osaka, Japan in the same year as well as triumphing in Riga in Latvia this year.

Koech is looking to break 2:10.00 for the first time in his career in Munich but he has gone close already, having clocked 2:10.17. He will team up with Edwin Kimaiyo who has a best of 2:09:12 which he set in finishing fourth in Shanghai in 2017.

He was also fifth in Copenhagen with 2:09.44. The duo will face off with Ethiopia’s Mengistu Zelalem who ran 2:08.48 for third place at Castellon in Spain in 2020. The marathon starts in the Olympic Stadium before making its way through the inner city and finishing in the imposing setting of the Olympic arena.

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