On Sunday 16 October, Priscah Jeptoo and Meselech Melkamu will line up at the start of the TCS Amsterdam Marathon. Both athletes have run under the course record of 2.21.09 at some point in their careers.
With victories in London, Paris and New York, Priscah Jeptoo is the favourite woman to win the TCS Amsterdam Marathon. In 2011, she won in Paris and in 2013 in London and New York. Her trophy cabinet also holds a silver Olympic medal. In 2012, she ran a strong race and the Kenya missed out on the Olympic title by just five seconds. After these extremely successful years, she struggled with injuries, having broken her leg during the 2014 London marathon. The years that followed were difficult and she struggled to get anywhere near her personal best of 2.20.14. "I have been training hard and I am feeling really fit", she says. "I am really looking forward to Amsterdam and will be delighted if I can run it in 2.22".
Meselech Melkamu has had an impressive career on the roads and in cross-country events. The Ethiopian won five bronze medals at the cross-country World Championships. In 2009, she set an African record time of 29.53.83 for the 10,000 metres. She also came second in the same year in Berlin during the World Championships. In 2012, she changed disciplines to the marathon. During her debut, she won in France with a time of 2.21.01. Victories in Daegu and Hamburg followed soon after. The latter was her most recent victory, in April with a time of 2.21.54. In January, she was also third in Dubai with 2.22.29.
The two athletes are certainly very well matched. Others with a chance of a podium place are Abebech Afework and Lucy Karimi.
Know someone else who's interested in running and triathlon?
