An Olympic marathon gold medalist and a former world marathon record holder are both expected to toe the starting line at Sunday's Classic 10K in Middletown.Frank Shorter, who grew up in Middletown and won the 1972 Olympic marathon, will make his annual visit and run the race that retraces his boyhood training routes.
Also expected to run is Khalid Khannouchi, who set world records in the marathon in 1999 and 2002.
Neither is expected to win. Shorter is retired from competitive racing, although he remains active in the sport, and Khannouchi is recovering from an injury and using the Classic 10K as a "fun run," according to race official Dave DaCosta.
Khannouchi set the world marathon record in 1999 in the Chicago Marathon at 2:05.43. He then advanced the record to 2:05.38 in London in 2002.
Khannouchi is a native of Morroco who is now an American citizen. He lives in New York.
The current marathon record is held by Haile Gebrselassie, who ran a 2:03:59 in Berlin, Germany, in 2008.
The 2008 men's Classic 10K champion, Worku Beyi, an Ethiopian living in the Bronx, is expected to defend his title. Also, Joseph Ekuom, who won the Kingston Classic 10K and runs for the Westchester Track Club, will race.
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