World's best ever field to be assembled at London Marathon 2014 March 13

Following last Sunday’s runnings of international marathons led by Ethiopian distance running legend Kenenisa Bekele’s triumph in Paris where he set a course record of 2:05:04 in his debut, coming Sunday 13 April will see a Super Sunday on the card  signifying the climax of the current Spring marathon season when  three IAAF Gold Label Road Races will take-off at London, Rotterdam and Vienna and two IAAF Bronze Label Races will do so at Lodz, Poland and Pyongyang, North Korea.

Leading the showdowns will be the Virgin Money London Marathon (also the 2^ndstop of the WMM series) which features the best ever  fields :

Men [CR 2:04:40 Emmanuel Mutai (KEN) 2011] with PB’s
Bib #
2 - Wilson Kipsang 32 (KEN) - 2:03:23 (WR) Berlin 2013 – WR holder
4 - Geoffrey Mutai 33 (KEN) - 2:04:15 Berlin 2012, 2:03:02 Boston 2011 (Fastest marathon ever run) – 7^th fastest marathoner all time (on a legal course)
3 - Emmanuel Mutai 30 (KEN) - 2:03:52 Chicago 2013 - CR holder,  4^th fastest marathoner all time
5 - Ayele Abshero 24 (ETH) -2:04:23 (debut) Dubai 2012 – 8^th fastest marathoner all time and 2^nd fastest debutant all time
6 - Tsegaye Mekonnen 18 (ETH) - 2:04:32 (WL) (debut)  Dubai 2014 – 3^rd fastest debutant all time, 11th fastest marathoner all time, world junior record holder

1 - Tsegaye Kebede 27 (ETH) - 2:04:38 Chicago 2012 - Defending champion (2:06:04), reigning WMM champion, 12th fastest marathoner all time  
7 - Feyisa Lilesa 24 (ETH) - 2:04:52 Chicago 2012 
8-  Stanley Biwott 28 (KEN) - 2:05:12 Paris 2012 

11 - Stephen Kiprotich 25 (UGA) - 2:07:20 Enschede (NED) 2011, reigning Olympic and World marathon champion

Among the above galaxy of stars at the Start will be two elite  track distance  stars who will start as debutants in the 42.195km road race viz:

=> Mo Farah 31 (GBR) (Somali-born), 3-time World champion and 2-time Olympic champion including reigning 5,000m and 10,000m “double-double” Olympic and World champion , Half marathon PB  1:00:10 (NR) South Shields, Bupa Great North Run (GBR) 2013
He had just arrived at London last Tuesday after an intensive high-altitude training programme at the Kenyan Rift Valley region and one of his aims is to break the 29-year old British marathon record  of  2:07:13 set by Steve Jones at Chicago in 1985

=> Ibrahim Jeilan (ETH), 25, former 10,000m  World champion at Daegu 2011 where he defeated Mo Farah into 2^nd place and vice versa he was defeated by Mo Farah into 2^nd placing of the 10,000m Final at World Championships Moscow  last year 

Interestingly, 27-time WR breaker, distance track and road running legend Haile Gebrselassie (ETH), 40, will be for the first time running as a lead pacemaker for the elite men’s field and he believes he can lead the world’s greatest marathon runners to a world record when he sets the pace.

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Women [CR 2:15:25 (WR)  Paula Radcliffe (GBR) 2003] with PB's
Bib #
102 - Tiki Gelana 27 (ETH) - 2:18:58 Rotterdam 2012 , reigning Olympic champion, 5^th fastest female marathoner all time
103 - Florence Kiplagat 27 (KEN) - 2:19:44 Berlin 2011, holds Half marathon WR 1:05:12 Barcelona 2014
104 - Edna Kiplagat 35 (KEN) - 2:19:50 London 2012 , 2 x World champion 2011 2013
101 - Priscah Jeptoo 30 (KEN) - 2:20:14 London 2012 - Defending champion (2:20:15), reigning WMM champion.
105 - Aberu Kebede 25 (ETH) - 2:20:30 Berlin 2012
106 - Boru Feyse Tadese 26 (ETH) - 2:21:06 Paris 2013
107 - Tetyana Gamera-Shmyrko 31 (UKR) - 2:23:58 Osaka 2013

Another female elite distance track star making her debut  is reigning 10,000m Olympic and World Champion, reigning 5000m WR holder Tirunesh Dibaba 29  (ETH) who has the following profile :

=> 5-time  World champion (5000m 2003, 2005, 10,000 2005, 2017, 2013)
=> 3-time  Olympic champion ( 5000m 2008, 10,000m Beijing 2008, London 2013)
=> 5-time World Cross Country champion
=> held 4 WR’s in career

=> Half marathon PB 1:06:56 South Shields (GBR) 2013 

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 Statistics :
WR's
M - 2:03:23 Wilson Kipsang (KEN) Berlin 2013 September 29
W - 2:15:25 Paula Radcliffe (GBR) London 2003 Apr 13

WL's
M - 2:04:32  Tsegaye Mekonnen (ETH) Dubai 24 Jan
W -  2:21:36 Mare Dibaba (ETH) Xiamen 2 Jan