Defending champions Bernard Kipyego and Helah Kiprop of Kenya will return to defend their titles in the Cochin International half marathon to be flagged off from Marine Drive here on December 7.
Kipyego, a silver medallist at the World half marathon championships and a full marathon silver medallist at the Beijing Olympics, won last year's event with a timing of 62.54 minutes. Since then, Kipyego has won the Amsterdam Marathon 2014 and is in wonderful shape, according to elite athlete coordinator Edgar de Veer.
Kipyego will be looking forward to clock a time close to his personal best of 59.10.
Kipyego will face a tough challenge from 2013 Mumbai Marathon winner Jackson Kiprop of Uganda and Kenyan Eliud Tarus, who placed third last year in Cochin.
Also in the men's field are Ethiopia's Solomon Deksisa, Sahlesilassie Nigussie and Adugna Takele Bikila.
Deksisa is the winner of the San Diego Rock & Roll Half Marathon 2014, while Bikila is the Ethiopian National 10000m champion and the fastest 10K runner in 2013, clocking 27.30mins.
Kenyans Josphat Bett Kipkoech, Lucas Rotich and Peter Some will add depth to the men's field. Kipkoech is a former track athlete, who finished 2nd in the 10000m at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, while Some is the winner of the Paris Marathon 2013 and finished 2nd in the Lisbon Half Marathon 2013. Rotich finished 2nd at the Amsterdam Marathon 2014.
Among women, Helah Kiprop will be looking to improve on her last year's winning time of 71.54 and will be pushed hard by the rest of the field comprising Ethiopians Betelhem Moges, winner of the Amsterdam Marathon 2014 and Tadelech Bekele, a talented youngster who has a personal best of 2:23 in the marathon.
Also in the eight-member field is South African Rena Kalmer and Ethiopian Nurit Shimels.
Helah, who leads the women's field, is one of the best half marathon runners in the world. She finished second in the very strong Berlin half marathon in 2012. Last year, she bettered her personal best to 1.07.39, while winning the 2013 Berlin half marathon and followed it by winning the Cochin half marathon. She is also winner of the Bangalore World 10K.
