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Kenyan athlete Veronica Maina Njeri is gearing up for a major test at the upcoming 2024 Xiamen Marathon, slated for Sunday 7.

The competition promises stiff challenges, with a lucrative Ksh 8.6 Million prize awaiting the victor who completes the race within the demanding 2:25:00 mark.

What Veronica Maina could win

A still substantial Ksh 3.9 Million will be awarded if the top finisher falls short of the time target.

Njeri enters the Xiamen Marathon scene following an impressive second-place finish in the 45th Istanbul Marathon in November 2023, where she posted a noteworthy time of 2:27:24.

The C&D Xiamen Marathon, a prestigious World Athletics Platinum Label road race, is set to feature an exceptional lineup.

Among the standout competitors is Ethiopia’s Gotytom Gebreslase, the 2022 world champion, boasting a personal best of 2:18:11.

Gebreslase aims not only for the title but also to break the course record of 2:19:52 set in 2015.

Megertu Alemu, another Ethiopian contender, holds the fastest time on record with an impressive 2:17:09 achieved at the 2022 Chicago Marathon.

Alemu, a consistent performer, clinched victory at the 2022 Seville Marathon and secured notable positions in the 2022 and 2023 London Marathon races.

Ruti Aga, also hailing from Ethiopia, adds to the formidable competition with a personal best of 2:18:09.

Veronica Maina’s competitors

Aga won the Yellow River Estuary Marathon in Dongying, China, last October, setting a new Chinese all-comers’ record.

Other notable participants in the women’s field include Tanzanian record-holder Magdalena Shauri, boasting a PB of 2:18:41, and Moroccan athlete Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest with a time of 2:25:03.

Elite fields

Women
Megertu Alemu (ETH) 2:17:09
Ruti Aga (ETH) 2:18:09
Gotytom Gebreslase (ETH) 2:18:11
Magdalena Shauri (TAN) 2:18:41
Aberu Ayana Mulisa (ETH) 2:21:54
Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:22:56
Zhang Deshun (CHN) 2:24:05
Fatima Ezzahra Gardadi (MAR) 2:25:03
Veronicah Njeri Maina (KEN) 2:26:41
Ftaw Zeray (ETH) 2:29:15