Florence Kiplagat will be aiming to break the world half marathon record for the third time in a row at the eDreams Mitja Marato Barcelona on February 14, in race’s first year as an IAAF Bronze Label Road Race.
Kiplagat, the 2010 world half marathon champion, set a world record of 1:05:12 two years ago in Barcelona. She took three seconds off that mark at the 2015 edition, also setting world records for 15km (46:14) and 20km (1:01:54) along the way.
The 28-year-old Kenyan went on to win the Chicago Marathon in October, her third big city marathon win following her 2011 and 2013 triumphs in Berlin.
Meanwhile, All Africa Games 10,000m gold medallist Alice Aprot is targeting another title at the IAAF Antrim International cross country meeting this weekend in Great Britain.
Aprot is fresh from winning Campaccio 6km cross country in a course record time of 18:56 as she prepares for the Sunday race.
“I am training well for the event and I hope I will post good results,” said Aprot, who is a sister to former world cross country champion Joseph Ebuya.
The athlete, who comes from Baragoi and trains in Iten, said she is using the meetings to prepare for the Africa Cross Country Championships in Yaoundé, Cameroon in March.
“This time, I want to represent Kenya at the Africa stage in cross country and I believe I have gained enough build up. What I need is only to make a cut during trials,” said Aprot, who has dominated local meetings. Last November, she won Kass 10km and went on to rule the Tuskys cross country in Eldoret.
Last year, she also set her personal best times in 10,000m (31:24.18) and 10km (31:02) in Brazzaville and Berlin respectively. “I hope to improve on my time both track and road. Already, I have started it with a course record,” she added.