Defending champion Mary Keitany of Kenya will return to the TCS New York City Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label road race, on November 3.
Keitany will be chasing her fifth career title in New York.
Last year, Keitany became the second woman to win in New York in the open division four times, recording the second-fastest time in event history in 2:22:48. It was her fourth win in five years—becoming the only woman besides Grete Waitz to win the race four times.
Keitany is the women-only marathon world record-holder (2:17:01) and a two-time winner of the Abbott World Marathon Majors, having taken the series titles in 2012 and 2016.
Keitany will be challenged this year by 2019 Boston Marathon champion Worknesh Degefa, 2019 Tokyo Marathon champion Ruti Aga, 2019 NYC Half champion Joyceline Jepkosgei and 2018 Boston Marathon champion and two-time U.S. Olympian Des Linden.
Joining them at the starting line will also be a strong group of US 2020 Olympic team contenders including Allie Kieffer, Sara Hall and Kellyn Taylor.
In the men's category, three-time world half-marathon champion Geoffrey Kamworor faces a stern test against defending champion Ethiopia Lelisa Delisa.
Desisa won his first New York title last year after finishing on the podium three times previously. He held off fellow Ethiopian Shura Kitata by two seconds to finish in 2:05:59, the second-fastest time in event history.
Desisa also has two Boston Marathon titles to his name, having won in 2013 and 2015. Stephen Kiprop will be the star attraction at the Valencia half marathon slated for October 27.
Kiprop illustrated fine form in 2018, winning three half-marathon races in the Netherlands and the Czech Republic and finishing fifth in Valencia clocking 59:21. But it was in 2019 that the 20-year-old leapt to stardom by winning at Ras Al Khaimah with a sizzling time of 58:42, the fastest in the world this year.
