Commonwealth Champion to run Brighton
Commonwealth Games Marathon champion, John Kelai, has signed up to run the Brighton Marathon on Sunday April 15th, organisers confirmed today.
Kelai, 35, hit the headlines two years ago in Delhi when he coasted to gold in 2:14:35, almost a minute clear of the field.
Given the faster course in Brighton this year, with two inclines at miles five and nine taken out, Kelai is expected to challenge the course record of 2:16:07.
Resident in Eldoret, home city to many of the great champions produced by this East African nation over the last 25 years, the Kenyan’s best time for the distance came in Eindhoven 2005 when he clocked 2:09:09.
Kelai has twice won the historic Enschede marathon (2005, 2010) and also triumphed twice in Mumbai in 2007/2008, as well as notched up fine wins in Toronto and Brussels.
“Securing John for only the third Brighton Marathon is a huge coup for the race. I’ve met John several times and he’s a great ambassador for the Kenyan runners that we’ve seen dominate distance running in recent years.
“His record of consistency in races all over the world is rare and I know he’ll give Brighton as big an effort as the welcome he’ll receive.” said Race Director Tim Hutchings.
Able to boast wins in eight of the 20 marathons he has contested to date, an unusually high success rate, Kelai also has a swift half marathon to his credit of 62:45.
