NAIROBI, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Having given the Commonwealth Games a bye, Kenya's Marius Kimutai will line up for the Seoul Marathon with the aim of achieving his third successive victory on Sunday.
However, speaking on his prospects on Saturday, Kimutai said he is not worried over the challenge he anticipates from other elite runners eyeing the IAAF Gold Label road race.
"I have prepared well for this race and it will be nice to clinch my third title in Seoul. But I'm not looking down upon my competitors because everyone enters a race with the aim of winning. It will be tough for all of us," he warned.
Since setting his personal best time of 2:05:47 in Amsterdam in 2016, Kimutai won both of his marathons last year, clocking 2:06:04 in Rotterdam and 2:08:33 in Ljubljana. In between those runs, he also set a half marathon best time of 1:00:07.
The 26-year-old has finished on the podium at 11 of his 12 marathons to date, winning six of those races.
But Sunday's race could be one of his toughest as he faces two other men who have run within two hours and six minutes, including fellow Kenyan, three-time winner in Seoul and course record-holder Wilson Erupe Loyanae.
The first victory for Loyanae in the South Korean capital was in 2012, clocking a course record of 2:05:37. He won again three years later in 2:06:11 and then defended his title in 2016 in 2:05:13, an improvement on his course record.
He returned to Seoul last year, but in a high-quality race finished fifth in 2:06:27. He failed to finish the Gongju Marathon seven months later, but is determined to put that behind him with a good run on Sunday.
Like Kimutai, Deribe Robi will be contesting the Seoul Marathon for the first time. The Ethiopian set his best of 2:05:58 at the 2015 Eindhoven Marathon.
The women's race also features someone who knows how it feels to win in Seoul, including defending champion Margaret Agai, who finished in 2:25:52 last year.