FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Josphat Ndambiri goes for course record in Duesseldorf

Returning to the marathon after injury problems Kenya's Josphat Ndambiri
hopes to reignite his career in Sunday's METRO Marathon Duesseldorf.
Speaking at a press conference today the 32 year-old former Fukuoka
Marathon champion said that he intends to attack the course record of
2:07:48 and hopes to improve his personal best of 2:07:36. While Ndambiri
is the favourite Japan's Eri Okubo leads the women's elite field with a
personal best of 2:26:08. Adding other running events staged on Sunday
organisers registered around 16,000 athletes for the 15th edition of the
METRO Marathon Duesseldorf. Close to 4,000 of them will compete in the
marathon.

While the race organisers said that they hope to see a sub 2:10 winning
time on Sunday they may now have to readjust their pacemakers, because
Josphat Ndambiri plans for a much faster race. The 32 year-old received an
unexpected boost last Sunday when he watched the London Marathon on TV back
home in Kenya. Daniel Wanjiru caused a surprise by winning in 2:05:48.
"Daniel is my training partner. Since January we have done all the
preparation for the two April marathon races together. And we were always
on the same level," said Josphat Ndambiri, who suffered of a foot injury
for more than two years. At the end of 2011 the Kenyan ran a perfect
marathon debut when he won the Fukuoka race in what remains his personal of
2:07:36.

"On Sunday I want to win. But a time of 2:09 would be disappointing for me.
My aim is to break the course record and if possible run a personal best as
well," said Josphat Ndambiri. Ethiopia's Dereje Debele established the
course record of 2:07:48 in 2013.

Fellow-Kenyan Charles Cheruiyot will probably be Ndambiri's strongest
rival. He ran his personal record of 2:09:05 in Warsaw in 2014. A year ago
he achieved a fine second place in Vienna, where he clocked 2:10:09 despite
strong winds. Originally from Africa Norway's Weldu Negash Gebretsadik and
Poland's Yared Shegumo could do well on Sunday. They have personal bests of
2:09:14 and 2:10:34 respectively. Shegumo was runner-up in the marathon at
the European Championships in 2014.

National interest focuses on Julian Fl?gel, who will run his first marathon
after competing at the Olympic Games last year. He finished 71st in Rio.
While he originally targeted his personal best of 2:13:57 in Duesseldorf he
had to adjust his time goal. "Unfortunately I lost three weeks of training
in March due to a knee problem. Now I expect to run a time between 2:17 and
2:18 on Sunday," said Julian Fl?gel.

In contrast to the men, the course record of 2:25:49 will be out of reach
for the women. While Eri Okubo has a personal best of 2:26:08 she predicts
a much slower performance of above 2:30 for Sunday. "I think I will run
around 2:35," said the 34 year-old from Tokyo. While Eri Okubo could become
the first Japanese winner of the METRO Marathon Duesseldorf Carmen Martinez
Aguila of Paraguay and Portugal's Doroteia Alves Peixoto hope to challenge
her. Both have identical personal bests of 2:36:01.

SELECTED ELITE RUNNERS WITH PERSONAL BESTS

Men:
Josphat Ndambiri KEN 2:07:36
Charles Cheruiyot KEN 2:09:05
Weldu Gebretsadik NOR 2:09:14
Yared Shegumo POL 2:10:34
Robert Chemonges UGA 2:11:04
Mitku Seboka ETH 2:11:44
Julian Fl?gel GER 2:13:57
Marcin Blazinski GER 2:14:45
Abraham Adhanom ERI Debut
Daniel Da Silva BRA Debut

Women:
Eri Okubo JPN 2:26:08
Carmen Martinez Aguilar PAR 2:36:01
Doroteia Alves Peixoto POR 2:36:01

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

###