Reigning SPAR European Cross Country champion Hilda Kibet of the Netherlands starts as a favourite for the Amsterdam Marathon to be held on Sunday 18 October.
Kibet, 28, also finished fifth at this year's World Cross Country Championships in Amman, Jordan. Her personal best in Marathon stands at 2:32.10 and going by her recent form that could change this Sunday.
She improved her personal best in 10000m to 30:51.92 in June and clocked 51:21.00 over 10 miles.
The Amsterdam Marathon will also serve as the Dutch national championships this year. If all goes well, Kibet should emerge as the overall women's race winner as well as the national champion.
Kibet is expected to face strong opposition from the Ethiopian quartet of Eyarusalem Kuma (2:26:51), Woinshet Girma (2:31:03), Meseret Legesse (2:31:37), debutant Etalemu Kidana and Spanish runner Teresa Pulido (2:31:56).
The men's field includes top runners like Charles Kibiwott (KEN), Julio Rey (ESP) and Tesfaye Tola (ETH) who all boast of personal bests under 2:07:00. Kibiwott, 35, and Rey, 37, have identical bests of 2:06:52 (both set in 2006) while Tola, 34, clocked 2:06:57 in Amsterdam in 1999. Kibet's partner Dutchman Hugo van den Broek is also among the leading contenders for the men's title.
Over 9,000 athletes from 67 countries will take part in the Marathon along with 17,000 participants at other distances on Sunday. Like most other courses in the Netherlands, the 1928 Olympic Games Marathon route that will be used for Sunday's race, is a fast one.
The weather conditions on Sunday is likely to be perfect for running, with temperature hovering in the vicinity of 13-15 degree, bright sunshine and no strong wind. The 1928 Olympic Stadium will serve as the start and finish line for the event.
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