Cherono: I am not happy but I will continue training
Erickson Kiprono
Chicago Marathon champion Lawrence Cherono says he will continue training despite the cancellation of the race on Monday.
It will be the fourth Abbott World Marathon Majors event to be cancelled after Boston, Berlin and New York races were moved to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The race was set for October 11 with an estimated field of about 45,000 runners and wheelchair athletes.
Cherono, who won the men’s race last year in a sprint finish against Ethiopians, has also been left disappointed by the cancellation.
He clocked 2:05:45 beating Dejene Debela, who timed 2:05:46 ahead of fellow countryman Asefa Mengistu who came in third at 2:05:48.
“My focus was to defend my title but now that has to wait until next year,” a disappointed Cherono said.
“We have to respect the decision taken by the authorities to cancell the race. That means we need to get ready for next year because the virus has disrupted the sporting calendar,” he added.
The athlete was to race in the Boston Marathon as well and the postponed 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games.
“I have to concentrate on my other daily chores like farming because there is no race I can participate in this year, but at the same time I’m waiting for the management to communicate if there will be any other small race,” Cherono said.
“I have no idea if the battle against coronavirus will have been won. But I can do farming and I will keep on training, even on my own, to make sure I will be ready to answer the call when the marathon competitions resumes,” he added.
So far Tokyo Marathon remains the only successful major marathon that was in March. Toronto Marathon, which was scheduled for October 18, has also been cancelled.
Cherono started posting good results in 2014 finishing second in Algiers before victory at Seville marathon later that year.
He won Prague Marathon in 2:07:24 in 2015 and went ahead to win Honolulu Marathon in 2:09:39.
Cherono finished second at the 2017 Rotterdam Marathon in the personal of 2:06:21 before winning Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:09.
He went back to Honolulu Marathon and defended his title in a course record of 2:08:27.
In 2018, he had his shot at the World Marathon Majors in London, but a hamstring injury slowed him down in the second part of the race and he eventually finished seventh in 2:09:25. Kipchoge won the race.
