Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge. [Photo/sportingnews.com]
The three greatest distance runners of their generation will race the London Marathon after Ethiopian legend Kenenisa Bekele confirmed he will join Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge on the start line for the IAAF Gold Label road race on 22 April.
Bekele is the world record-holder for 5000m (12:37:35) and 10,000m (26:17:53), the second fastest marathon runner in history (2:03:03) and the owner of three Olympic and five World Championship gold medals.
Bekele has run the past two Virgin Money London Marathons. He finished third in 2016 in 2:06:36 when he admitted he was at just 90 percent fitness and was the second last year in 2:05:57 behind Daniel Wanjiru.
“I am thrilled to be returning to London for the third year in a row and would love to go one better than last year and win the race,” said
Bekele. “Once again London has brought the best distance runners in the world together so I know it will not be easy.
“It will be an honor to race alongside Sir Mo Farah and Eliud Kipchoge as well as the other great athletes in the field. I have been training very hard with the aim of arriving in London in April in the best possible condition.”
“This is a truly mouth-watering prospect,” said event director Hugh Brasher. “Mo, Eliud and Kenenisa could all put forward a persuasive case for being the GOAT (the greatest of all time) and now they meet for the first time over the marathon distance at the Virgin Money London Marathon on Sunday 22 April.”