Two-time world marathon champion Edna Kiplagat will use April’s Boston Marathon as a platform to feature in the London World Championships, where she will be seeking her third title.
Edna won back-to-back World Championships marathon titles in Daegu (2011) and Moscow (2013). In an interview, Kiplagat said she is looking beyond Boston and the whole idea is to be ready for the World championships in London in August.
“It is my prayer that I compete for Kenya at the World Championships but that of course comes with good preparations and I must prove myself first in Boston,” she said.
Kiplagat has already kicked off her preparations for Boston although she thinks it’s too early to start setting targets. “I am giving myself until end of month before I can gauge myself and set targets. For now, I can’t say anything about Boston because I have just started my training. Maybe by the end of February and depending on how the body responds, I will know,” she said.
The athlete, who first represented Kenya in the world Junior Championships in 3000m, winning silver in 1996 in Sydney and bronze in Annecy respectively placed second at the Chicago Marathon last October. In Boston, Edna will be up against 2015 Berlin Marathon winner Gladys Cherono and Caroline Rotich, who won Boston same year. Defending champion Ethiopia’s Atsede Baysa will equally be here to defend her title. Other athletes in the field are Amsterdam and Mumbai marathon winner Valentine Kipketer, two-time Honolulu Marathon winner Joyce Chepkurui and 2016 Milan marathon winner Brigid Kosgei.