Kenya’s Olympic Steeplechase Champion from Sydney 2000, Reuben Seroney Kosgei, will run the TUI Hannover Marathon on May 6 and hopes to significantly improve his personal best.

The elite fields look strong enough to break the course records on the very flat course. The TUI Marathon Hannover is Germany’s newest IAAF bronze label road race.

For the first time the TUI Marathon Hannover will feature an athlete of the calibre of Reuben Kosgei.

The 32 year-old, who also was World Champion in the Steeplechase in 2001, had run his first marathon attempt in Vienna in 2009. In warm conditions he did not finish the race. In the autumn of that year he had a second go at the distance and had more success. In Florence he finished second with 2:11:22, beaten by just one second.

Coming to his third marathon Reuben Kosgei is said to be preparing with much more intensity than before. “We really hope that he can significantly improve his personal best in Hannover,” said Christoph Kopp, who is the Elite Race Coordinator of the TUI Marathon Hannover.

There will be strong oppostition for Kosgei in Hannover. The fastest in the field will be Nixon Kipkoech Machichim. The Kenyan ran 2:08:22 when placing fourth in the Toronto Marathon in 2010. This year he has already competed in the Mumbai Marathon, where he placed fifth in 2:11:37.

Three more runner with personal bests of sub 2:10 will be in the field on 6th May: Kenyan Edwin Kutto, who is the brother of the reigning World Marathon Chamapion Abel Kirui, has achieved 2:08:57 in Eindhoven last year. Amos Matui (Kenya/2:09:35) and Botoru Tsegaye (Ethiopia/2:09:57) are the other two. The two-year old men’s course record from Yussuf Sangoka (Kenya) stands at 2:08:52.

In the women’s race the course record will be the target as well. Last year’s winner Georgina Rono (Kenya) is the holder of this one with 2:31:19.

Ethiopia’s Fatuma Sado will be the favourite on 6th May. The winner of the Hamburg Marathon in 2011, who has run 2:28:01 in that race, intends to run the first sub 2:30 time in the history of the TUI Marathon Hannover.

Her strongest rival could be the experienced Leah Malot (Kenya), who has a personal best of 2:29:17. Halima Hassen Beriso (Ethiopia/2:32:42) and Natalya Puchkova (Russia/2:33:02) could also play a part.