Kenyan athletes Peres Jepchirchir, the Olympic marathon champion, and Hellen Obiri, a defending champion, are gearing up to participate in the upcoming Great Manchester Run 10km race on Sunday.
Jepchirchir views this race as a crucial part of her training for the upcoming marathon season, with high hopes for achieving excellent results.
Based in Kapsabet, Jepchirchir will face stiff competition from Obiri, who recently triumphed in the Boston Marathon in the United States. The event will feature other top-class athletes as well. Jepchirchir expressed her excitement about returning to competition after a lengthy period of dealing with injuries, emphasizing her determination to excel in the upcoming challenges.
“I felt great competing in the London Marathon and securing a place on the podium. It was a delightful experience to assess my body’s response, and I was thrilled with my performance. I am confident that I will perform well in the upcoming events,” Jepchirchir remarked, reflecting on her recent achievement in the London Marathon.
Obiri, having transitioned from dominating track events in the 5,000m and 10,000m categories, has solidified her presence in road races.
Despite having only resumed training two weeks ago, she remains optimistic about the race on Sunday. While she holds the course record from last year’s event, Obiri maintains a focused mindset without specific expectations.
Among the contenders, Senbere Teferi, a former world silver medalist in the 5,000m from Ethiopia, as well as British athletes Mollie Williams, Steph Twell, Rose Harvey, and Lily Patridge, will also be vying for victory.
In the previous edition of the race, Obiri established a course record, crossing the finish line in 30:15, ahead of British athlete Eilish McColgan (30:19) and Kenya’s Ruth Chepng’etich (30:29), who settled for third place.
