RUNNING GERMANY: DUESSELDORF – METRO GROUP MARATHON DUESSELDORF ON SUNDAY: Endeshaw Negesse confident of breaking course record in Duesseldorf

The fastest runner ever entered into the Metro Group Marathon Duesseldorf is confident that he can fulfil the expectations: Endeshaw Negesse announced that he is sure to run faster than the present course record of 2:07:48 on Sunday. The 24 year-old Ethiopian features an impressive personal best of 2:04:52. He heads the strongest men's elite field in the history of the Metro Group Marathon Duesseldorf, which will see its 12th edition.

Four men are on the start list with personal bests of sub 2:07, five more have run under 2:10. While the men's race looks open and could produce a thrilling contest there is a clear favourite in the women's event. Ethiopia's Selomie Getnet is the favourite. She has a personal best of 2:25:15 which is 34 seconds faster than the course record she goes for. America's Annie Bersagel hopes to further improve on Sunday. Adding other running events the Metro Group Marathon Duesseldorf has registered a record number of around 16,000 athletes so far.

"It is my goal to break the course record and to achieve a 2:06 time or may be even faster," said Endeshaw Negesse during Friday's press conference, which took place at the Duesseldorf Airport. For the Ethiopian it will be his first marathon since he clocked his world-class PB of 2:04:52 in Dubai in January 2013. "I had a knee injury which kept me out for a longer period. But when I started preparing for Duesseldorf four months ago I had no problems. Preparations for this race were very good," said Negesse, who lives and trains in Addis Abeba. Among his training partners there is the Dubai and Boston Marathon champion of 2013, Lelisa Desisa. "We always train together and we are on the same level," said Endeshaw Negesse, whose longest training runs are 45 kilometres.

Three more runners have personal bests of sub 2:07 and could be able to break the present course record: Ethiopia's Shami Abdulahi Dawud ran 2:05:42 in Dubai in 2012, Gilbert Yegon clocked 2:06:18 when winning the Amsterdam Marathon in 2009 and fellow-Kenyan Nicholas Kemboi clocked 2:06:33 in Dubai 2013. On Sunday they will be challenged by the defending champion Dereje Debele, who ran the present course record of 2:07:48 last year.

Another one to watch is Kenya's Moses Masai. If he manages to transform his great track speed to the marathon distances he could put in some performance on Sunday. So far the bronze medal winner of the 10,000 m World Championships final in Berlin 2009 has a modest PB of 2:11:00. He ran this in his debut race Dubai 2013. Then he dropped out of the BMW Frankfurt Marathon in autumn due to an injury problem. "I am told Moses is in good form and his preparations went very well," said Christoph Kopp, the elite race coordinator for the Metro Group Marathon Duesseldorf.

Kopp also hopes that German André Pollmächer can further improve. The 31 year-old has a PB of 2:13:05 and intends to run around 2:12. That would be the fastest time by a German this century.

In the women's race Selomie Getnet is the only runner with a personal best of well under 2:30. The Ethiopian favourite clocked 2:25:15 a year ago, when she took second in Rome.

While Kenyan debutant Jane Kiptoo is tipped to do well, a surprise could come from an American woman: Annie Bersagel showed a fine performance at the World Half Marathon Championships last month, when she placed 13th with a personal best of 70:09. This indicates that she could well improve her personal best of 2:30:53, which she ran when winning the St Paul Twin Cities Marathon in 2013. "I will start the race conservative and aim for a half marathon split time of 1:15. Then I hope to go faster in the second half. But this is a marathon and a lot of things can happen," said the 31 year-old, who is married to a Norwegian and lives in Oslo since 2012.

Bersagel's marathon career only really started last autumn. She ran her debut in 2009, clocking 2:44:17. "That was enough to qualify for the Olympic trials in Houston 2012. But there I dropped out after colliding with another runner and suffering a hamstring injury."

She did not enter another marathon until last autumn when she improved by almost a quarter of an hour in the Twin Cities race. "After that success I now feel much better when it comes to marathon training and racing." Duesseldorf is her next step. "I chose this race because the course is flat and fast," said Bersagel, whose dream goal is to make the Olympic Marathon team for Rio 2016.

Source: METRO GROUP Marathon Düsseldorf

Main contenders, men:

Endeshaw Negesse ETH 2:04:52
Shami Abdulahi Dawud ETH 2:05:42
Gilbert Yegon KEN 2:06:18
Nicholas Kipkemboi KEN 2:06:33
Dereje Debele ETH 2:07:48
Josphat Keiyo KEN 2:08:41
Afewerk Mesfin ETH 2:09:49
Shengo Kebede ETH 2:09:53
Gosa Megersa ETH 2:09:58
Dennis Ndiso KEN 2:10:47
Tumicha Woranaa ETH 2:10:53
Aleksey Sokolov RUS 2:10:59
Moses Masai KEN 2:11:00
André Pollmächer GER 2:13:05

Women:

Selomie Getnet ETH 2:25:15
Annie Bersagel USA 2:30:53
Winfrida Kwamboka KEN 2:31:47
Tatiana Vernyhor UKR 2:33:51
Nina Stöcker GER 2:37:46
Jane Kiptoo KEN Debüt
Meseret Agama ETH Debüt

More information is available at: www.metrogroup-marathon.de