Albert Korir is worried about his chances of defending the title owing to the strong field invited for this year's New York City Marathon on November 6.
Korir, who is the 12th fastest in the field with a personal best time of 2:08:03, believes he has what it takes to replicate his last year’s performance but he will not underrate the field. Korir won last year's event in a time of 2:08:22.
He said this year's race has attracted top names in road racing and he is not certain of his chances to defend the title.
“I am the defending champion and I want to defend my title. However, this year’s field is a strong one. I have the mileage and I believe I can pull it off but in marathons, anything can happen,” Korir said.
The field has attracted other elite runners including Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands, Ethiopia’s Shura Kitata and Brazil’s Daniel Do Nascimento.
The 2017 Vienna City Marathon winner said with the calibre of training he is undertaking, he is hopeful of pulling off good results.
“I believe I have done my best in training and I have really been pushed to the limit by my training-mates and my body is responding well,” he said, adding that he has to work on his speed and endurance ahead of the race.
He said his biggest motivation is his interaction with young athletes in training. “I am working to inspire young athletes and that is why I can’t give up.”
He disclosed that he looks up to the world marathon record holder, Eliud Kipchoge for inspiration.
"The ‘No Human is Limited’ motto has kept me going and I hope to draw from Kipchoge's performance in Berlin last weekend to rule New York," he said. The 28-year-old said what pushed him to victory last year was self-belief.
