Kenya’s Chumba Headlines Xiamen Marathon

He has run five marathons under 2:10.

This Sunday, the 11th edition of the Xiamen Marathon in China kicks off. Expected to be in the front from the beginning is Kenya’s Dickson Chumba.

The 26-year-old has a good record with the race, taking second last year in an impressive 2:08:21. He also has a key marathon victory under his belt: the Marathon Eindhoven last year, in which he ran a personal record (2:05:46).

All told, Chumba has logged six marathons since he started running them in 2010. Of the six, five of them were sub-2:10.

Also in the mix is 36-year-old seasoned veteran Peter Kamais, who returns to China to defend his title. Kamais, who has only completed five marathons in his career, owns the course record in Xiamen (2:07:37).

Eunice Jepkirui leads the field for the women. Last October, the 28-year-old Kenyan ran 2:21:41 in Amsterdam, which was only her second career marathon.

As a teenager, Jepkirui was a middle-distance runner and competed in the inaugural IAAF World Youth Championships back in 1999.

For More: IAAF