The world’s top runners ready for face off at Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2014

Geoffrey Kamworor-World Half Marathon Champion, and Stanley Biwott-2014 London Marathon runner up in action

The Elite Athlete interaction at the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon (ADHM) 2014 Media Centre in New Delhi on Thursday brought together the event’s top male participants - expert roadrunner Geoffrey Kamworor and Stanley Biwott who is a leading track and field athlete - highlighting the ADHM’s character as a prized track & field and road-running event where the world’s top runners compete.

Geoffrey is the most experienced runner in the men’s ‘Elite’ field at this year’s run but will face stiff competition from fellow Kenyans Stanley Biwott, Stephen Kibet, Abraham Cheroben, who has clocked the fastest time in 2014, 58:48 at Valencia, among others. This trip to participate in the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon 2014 is his fifth visit to India. He has run the Delhi course twice in the past in 2011 and 2013 and finished as runner-up on both occasions. He was in India last to participate in the TCS World 10K Bangalore 2014 where he won the title and created new course record.

As 2014 World Half Marathon Champion and former world junior cross champion Kamworor ran the fastest half marathons of 2013 and 2014. His personal best of 58:54, set in RAK last year, ranked him number one on the IAAF top lists.

“I come to India because the people here are welcoming and friendly, this is my 5th time in India and I am aiming for number one position. I have had fair amount of success in Delhi in my previous two visits and I am fit to win if the weather goes in my way said Geoffrey kamworor -World Half Marathon Champion.

In the challenging men’s field, Stanley Biwott is in India for the first time. He is strong marathon and half marathon athlete with sub 2:05 and sub 59 personal bests. Training under Italian coach Claudio Berardelli since 2006, he has won his first sub 60 minute half marathon in 2012 by winning the Paris Half Marathon and creating a new course record, followed by another new course record in the Paris Marathon one month later!

Just few days away from Race Day, Biwott is ready to take on the challenge for the first time on Indian soil and ready to surprise the title contender and his Indian fans. Last year, he was outsprinted in the well-known RAK Half Marathon by Kamworor, an incident which will not let his confidence go down. Noteworthy that in the same run he achieved his personal best.

“This is my first time in India, I was the runner up in London marathon 2014 this I am more confident to break the shuttle as my conditioning and training was done very well and I hope weather remains good to support the run and I am looking forward to win “ Said Stanley Biwott

Kamworor holds the number one position this year after his 59:08 in Copenhagen. He is also the star in a movie called “the Unknown Runner”, a story, which gives the viewer a good picture of daily life of a Kenyan athlete growing up from talent to world star.

Biwott started competing in marathons and by winning races in South America, Spain and South-Korea he improved his times in almost every marathon he ran.

Such is the quality of the fields assembled - and the unpredictability of athletic performance - that any one of several contenders with less obvious credentials than the race favourites could come out of the pack to take victory on November23 at Delhi’s largest annual sporting celebration.

On that day, the same roads that Delhites live, toil, train and drive on day after day will provide a stage for people from diverse nationalities, lifestyles, and occupations to make half marathon history!