BERLIN, Germany, July 4- Marathon World record holder Patrick Makau will face his compatriot Wilson Kipsang, the second fastest man ever over the distance, at the 40th BMW Berlin Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race on September 29, organisers announced on Wednesday.
Makau set the current World record in Berlin in 2011 when he ran 2:03:38.
Kipsang just missed breaking Makau’s record by a mere only four seconds just a few weeks later in Frankfurt.
Last summer, Kipsang won the bronze medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Both achieved their personal best times on the fast Berlin course: Mikitenko in 2008, when she ran a German record of 2:19:19; and Fitschen in 2012, with his personal best of 2:13:10.
The women’s elite international field will feature two great runners, Kenya’s Florence Kiplagat and USA’s Desiree Davila.
The 26-year-old Kiplagat won the 2011 BMW Berlin Marathon with a world class time of 2:19:44.
Her other successes include victories at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in 2009 and at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in 2010.
Davila, now 29, has been running marathons since 2007. In 2011, she placed second at the Boston Marathon in 2:22:38.
She is already familiar with running marathons in Berlin, as Davila placed tenth in the 2009 World Championships when the event was held in the city, albeit the Marathon was run on a different course.
Germany’s top two marathon greats also plan to compete in the capital: Irina Mikitenko and Jan Fitschen.
Mikitenko hopes to break the World best for masters (age 40 and over), which is currently at 2:25:43, while Jan Fitschen hopes to beat his personal best record on the fast course.
The demand for places in the 40th anniversary edition of the BMW Berlin Marathon was so great that the race was sold out after only 3.5 hours.
Organisers for the IAAF
