Kenya's Wilson Kipsang has taken his training for the Tokyo marathon a notch higher as he seeks his first win in over a year.
Kipsang, whose last victory in marathon was back in 2015, has been struggling for form and came close to winning in Berlin last year but was edged out by Ethiopia's Kenenisa Bekele, reports Xinhua.
However, as he increases his workouts ahead of the Tokyo marathon on February 26, Kipsang believes he will be ripe for the win.
"I have done really well in training. I have been doing of late the track training to get my body ready for Tokyo Marathon. I need to work on my speed, which comes in handy at the finish line," he said on Friday from Eldoret.
The 35-year-old said the huge financial incentive on offer in Tokyo was not what swayed him to go east and not to the western world.
"They gave reasons and convinced me to run in Japan. Now I have the inspiration and intend to fulfil just that. I hope it will be a win for me," he said. Winners in Tokyo will take home $85,000.
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This year's Tokyo Marathon, the 11th event, marks the start of a new decade and round in the World Marathon Majors.
The course is renewed and faster this year and organisers are hopeful that if the weather is right, the athletes will have motivation to break the course record.
"We have been hoping to break the Japanese all-comers record of 2:05:18 on the Tokyo Marathon course for the last three years. Will the third year be a charm?" the organisers posted on the race website.
The men's elite field is led by Kipsang, himself a former world record holder 2:03:13, which he set in Berlin in 2013.
Kipsang, who improved his marathon personal best in the last September's Berlin Marathon, said he will go after the world record over the faster Tokyo Marathon course.
His main competitions include Dickson Chumba (Kenya, personal best 2:04:32), the 2014 Tokyo Marathon champion, and Tsegaye Kebede (Ethiopia 2:04:38).
Kebede is excited about improving his own Japanese all-comers record of 2:05:18 from 2009. He is coming back with a vengeance.
On the other hand, women's field is led by Kenyan Lucy Kabuu, one of the few who have run under the two hours and 20 minutes mark. The women's field includes five sub-2:25 marathon runners.
Kabuu is expected to battle with Amane Gobena, second last year and Birhane Dibaba, who ran the Tokyo Marathon for the last three years and won in 2015. The world class course record is expected over the new Tokyo Marathon course.
--IANS
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