Abraham Kiprotich and Kemboi Chesire to gun for Two Oceans record and R1m prize
French long-distance runner is up against Kenyan ultra-marathon star in the 56km trek around Cape Town’s peninsula on Saturday
Kenyan ultra-marathon star Kemboi Chesire will defend his Two Oceans Marathon title on Saturday and if he covers the 56km trek around the Cape peninsula in under 3hr 03min 44sec, he will break the record set by SA’s Thompson Magawana in 1988 and earn a cool R1m incentive offered by main sponsor Old Mutual. Frith van der Merwe holds the women’s record of 3:30:36, posted in 1989. A strong East African contingent is in Cape Town well-prepared after training at altitude in Kenya. Chesire can expect no favours from Abraham Kiprotich, who has gone quicker over the standard-marathon distance of 42km than any other athlete in the elite field. He clocked 2:10:55 in Istanbul in 2018 and has a personal best of 2:08:33 at Daegu, South Korea in 2013. The 33-year-old Kiprotich was born in Kenya but took up French citizenship after serving in the French Foreign Legion and having lived in the country for many years. When he was just two years old his older brother, Paul Kipkoech, won the gold meda...
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