National 5,000m champion Daniel Simiyu will make his international debut on Saturday at the Slayun International Marathon in Morocco where he will compete in the 21km race.
The athlete said he is targeting to lower his personal best of 63:00 in the half marathon by two minutes.
He registered his current personal best during the 2019 Family Bank Eldoret Half Marathon three weeks ago.
“I look forward to improve on my time and clock under 61:00. I have prepared well and I know I can do it. My future is bright and I will keep working hard,” said the long-distance runner who is under the Moyo Sports Management.
After missing the opportunity to don the national colours for the first time despite qualifying for the 2019 IAAF Championships in Doha, Simiyu opted for the road races which seem to have calmed his disappointments.
Coached by Erick Kibet in Iten, Simiyu has also won the Kisii 10km road race and also competed at the Ndalat Gaa cross country two weeks ago. On Sunday, he claimed the Standard Chartered Nairobi Marathon 10km title in 28:22.
Despite looking for a career in the road races, the 24-year-old says he is not yet done with the tracks.
“I won’t leave the track until I represent Kenya internationally. For now, I look forward to making the 5,000m cut for Team Kenya for the 2020 Olympic Games,” added Simiyu who boasts of a personal best time of 13:15 in the 12 and a half -lap event.
