Kenya's Albert Korir will defend his title in the men’s race at the TCS New York Marathon on Sunday, November 6.
Korir will face a star-studded lineup that includes fellow Kenyan Evans Chebet, American Daniel Do Nascimento, Shura Kitata of Ethiopia, Mohamed El Aaraby of Morocco and Dutch Abdi Nageeye.
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Korir won the 2021 New York Marathon in 2:08:22, where he improved his 2019 performance by 14 seconds.
“I’m very happy to return to New York after my victory last year, but I also feel a great responsibility to defend my title.
“It was surprising to me that the list of athletes who have returned to defend their title has very few names on it, but I am training very hard to join them. It is never easy, but I have the benefit of experience,” Korir stated ahead of the race.
The defending champion noted that despite this year's strong field, he believes he can still win.
Surprisingly, Korir is only the 12th fastest in the field, taking Personal Bests into consideration.
Fellow compatriot Evans Chebet is the quickest of the men’s entries with a PB of 2:03:00, a time he set when he won the 2020 Valencia Marathon.
Kenyan-born American Shadrack Kipchirchir will debut at the marathon, seeking to out pace Chebet and Korir.
Marathon world record holder Eliud Kipchoge kicked off the TCS New York Marathon when he sounded the gong on Friday, November 4.
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