BY WILLIAM NJUGUNA AND IAAF
World half-marathon champion Gladys Cherono leads a quality field to the Ottawa ten kilometre race on May 23.
Cherono, who has a 10km personal best of 30:57, could even threaten the Canadian all-comers’ record of 31:05, set by Angela Chalmers in Vancouver in 1996 and unofficially bettered on a slight downhill course in the same city by Isabella Ochichi in 2006 with 30:55.
The women’s race in Ottawa starts about four minutes earlier than the men. The first athlete, man or woman, to cross the finish line receives akshs 170,000
Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga, who finished second in Ottawa last year in 32:20, will return to the race.
The 21-year-old won the African junior 5000m title in 2013 and has a 10km PB of 31:35.
Kenya’s Peris Chepchirchir will be another formidable contender. The 22-year-old won a handful of top-level road races in France last year, including a 10km victory in Houilles in a personal best of 31:34.
Courtesy of the-star.co.ke