Eshetu Wendimu and Mamitu Daska emerge as favourites for the Paris Marathon
The 35th edition of the Paris Marathon will take place on 10 April. The Ethiopian runners, Eshetu Wendimu and Mamitu Daska have emerged as the favourite runners for the event.
The race, comprised of 40,000 runners from 109 countries across the world will kick off at the Arc de Triomphe at 8:45 in the morning. After the start, the venue of the race will guide the athletes towards Champs-Elysees to Place de la Concorde. From there
on, the Rivoli Street will lead the participants towards Place de la Bastille, on the way towards the Route Saint-Hubert. The loop will be closed via Bois de Vincennes.
The return leg towards the west is expected to play a critical role in determining the expected winner, as there they will be entering on to a long slope which extends along the Seine River. This is right before the famous Bois de Boulogne where the runners
will encounter the final uphill stretch at the distance of 36 km. By that time, as it is being expected, only a few of the eighteen runners who have so far finished the track under two hours and ten minutes, will be lining up to cross the finishing
line at 42.195 km. following the tradition of the Paris Marathon, the runners will cross the finishing line on Foch Avenue.
During the past decade of the Paris Marathon, the title has been shared by the Ethiopian and Kenyan runners. And now, even though Tadesse Tola, the winner of the 2010 event will not be defending his title, Eshetu Wondimu, one of his team-mates who has a
personal best of two hours, six minutes and forty six seconds, will certainly eye the Paris Marathon title. The 29-year-old Wondimu, who is making his first appearance in Paris, is very likely to take the victory.
The other Ethiopians participating into the race are also reported to have a strong argument for the title. One of them is Terefi Wodajo, the experienced runner who made his Marathon debut back in 2002 and who holds an impressive personal best of two hours,
seven minutes and forty five seconds. However, after hitting the PB in Amsterdam, the athlete has not run much. Another strong contender for the run is Zembala Yegeze. He hit his personal best last year and clocked two hours, eight minutes and forty eight
seconds. He will have the advantage of already knowing the track well.
Entering on to the field with the aim to out-do the traditional rivals, the Kenyan contingent is comprised of the athletes as strong and experienced as Tadesse, Alfred Kering, and Bernard Kipyego. Tadesse, who had finished second, last year, is also among
the favourites for the event. While the 32-year-old runner Kering, who has a personal best of two hours, seven minutes and eleven seconds, will also be adding up to the strength of his squad. Kipyego, the 26-year-old runner who made an eye opening debut last
year in Rotterdam where he clocked two hours, seven minutes and one second, is also all set to give the Ethiopians a tough time on the track.
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