All eyes on Keitany and Kipsang at Sunday’s New York Marathon

The world’s sporting focus will shift to USA this weekend where a star-studded team of Kenyan elite runners tackle the New York City Marathon on Sunday.

Both men’s and women’s races have attracted quite some interest with former world marathon record holder Wilson Kipsang looking to bounce back in the men’s race after the disappointment of failing to finish September’s Berlin Marathon after suffering muscle cramp.

In the women’s race, defending champion and the world’s fastest marathoner currently, Mary Keitany, will be looking to win an unprecedented fourth title in the “Big Apple.”

Another top star, Ednah Kiplagat, a two-time world marathon champion and winner of this year’s Boston Marathon, will also be on the start list in New York, looking to finish the season on a high after also bagging silver at the IAAF World Championships in London in August.

Betsy Saina, fresh in marathon running after transitioning from the 10,000 metres on the track, completes the stellar Kenyan women’s cast at the “Big Apple.”

Kipsang, who also won this year’s Tokyo Marathon along with Keitany, Kiplagat and Saina all live and train in Iten in Elgeyo-Marakwet County, famous for its perfect high altitude training conditions and where athletes and athletics fans will have an opportunity to follow Sunday’s race live at a World Marathon Majors viewing party organized by Bank of Africa at Iten’s Keellu Resort.

The marathon “viewerthons will start at midday all the way to 8pm with the Bank of Africa also offering banking and investment tips to the runners.

Sunday’s “viewerthon” will also see the athletes taken through anti-doping education by the Anti-Doping Agency of Kenya (ADAK) throughout the day.

The BOA “Viewerthons” are a series of events where the bank invites elite and upcoming athletes along with the local community to follow the World Marathon Majors races live from Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York while being taken through education programmes.

The viewerthons act as an opportunity for athletes, fans to seek free, financial, taxation, career and anti-doping advice with the Kenya Revenue Authority among the organisations that have supported the campaign.

“Bank of Africa sees these Viewerthons as a chance to better interact with marathoners, athletic fans and our customers in a fun experience where we both educate and entertain our stakeholders. Our athletes have performed exceptionally well this year and we expect to end the series on a high note come Sunday,” said Bank of Africa’s head of marketing, Jimmi Wanjohi.

In addition to sponsoring the marathon viewing parties, BOA offers a distinctive package for sportsmen and women through its ‘Mwanariadha Account’ whose features and benefits further contribute to their financial goals as athletes.

For Kipsang, Sunday’s race will also offer the opportunity to reclaim the title he last won in 2014 on his debut, taking the tape in in 2:10:59. He will be joined by “man of all surfaces” Geoffrey Kamworor, the talented world cross country and half marathon champion.

Should Kipsang be victorious it will be the cherry on the cake for the 35-year old athlete having won the Tokyo Marathon with a time of 2:03:58 in February.