Former Olympic 3,000m steeplechase champion Brimin Kipruto makes his debut in the road races at the Boulogne-Billancourt Christian Grangier Half-Marathon, in France.
The 33-year-old, who is also won the 2007 world 3,000m SC champion, was eliminated in the heats at the 2017 IAAF World Championships in London, in his last track competition.
Having now shifted his focus to the roads, he will have much to do in Boulogne-Billancourt in company of compatriots of Josphat Tanui and Ishmael Kalale.
Tanui has a personal best time of 59:22 set last year in Usti, suggesting that Franklin Chepkwony’s course record of 1:00:11 from 2013 could be in jeopardy. His season’s best, however, is 1:01:14 from the Prague Half Marathon in April, while his most recent performance at the distance was a 1:02:42 clocking in Usti Nad Labem in September. Kalale has set two half marathon PBs this year. The 23-year-old was runner-up in Verona in February in 1:01:03 before lowering his personal best to 1:00:47 in Lisbon a month ago.
The field also includes Precious Mashele of South Africa, who set a PB of 1:01:48 last year in Boulogne-Billancourt, Yismaw Ayeno of Ethiopia, who was fifth in Marseille-Cassis, and Taye Girma, whose 10km PB of 28:06 indicates he could play a leading role in what will be his first half marathon debut.
In the women’s race, Kenya’s Parendis Lakapana will attempt to move up from her second-place showing last year. She set a PB of 1:09:13 on that occasion to finish 44 seconds adrift of Rahma Tusa, who broke the course record with 1:08:29. Two months ago, Lakapana won in Krems in a time of 1:09:23, only 10 seconds outside her PB.
Her main opponent should be compatriot Susan Jeptoo, who clocked a best of 1:09:02 in Lille last year. This year, she has set PBs of 31:59 for 10km and 2:30:50 for the marathon, while she also prevailed in Porto in a season’s best of 1:11:06. Irvette Van Zyl of South Africa, Karine Pasquier of France and Hanane El Bajaoui of Morocco should also be in contention for a podium finish.