Olympic champion and defending Chicago Marathon champion Samuel Wanjiru, and Boston Marathon title holder Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot will be among elite athletes who will be taking part in this year’s Edition of Chicago Marathon which will be held on the 10th of October.
Other athletes include Kenya’s Vincent Kipruto, who placed third in last year’s race and this year’s London Marathon winner Tsegaye Kebede of Ethiopia.
The participation of these runners will be pivotal in deciding the winner of the 2009-2010 World Marathon Majors series.
Wanjiru and Kebede are tied at the top in the current series standings with 50 points apiece.
A victory by one or the other in Chicago would likely determine the champion of the series, which concludes with the New York City Marathon on 7th of November.
Meanwhile, over 1000 athletes are expected to take part in the Great Highlands Marathon on 4th of next month.
Aside from the 42km course, the race which is going to take place in Kericho has also been expanded to include a 10 km Race, 8km/6km Junior Race.
Marathon organizers say that a lot of athletes have taken advantage of the early registration to confirm their participation.
The prize money for the race has also been revised upwards, with the winner of the 42km race now taking home 200,000 shillings.
The race whose slogan is ‘running in the home of athletics’ is aimed at promoting sports tourism as well as championing environmental conservation of the Great Highlands.
Great Highlands will be the first full marathon to be staged in the South Rift and will give an opportunity to young and budding athletes from the area to take part in the race.

CAROL MUTHONDU