NAIROBI, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Olympic 5,000m champion Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya is not concerned about breaking the world record, but on winning London Marathon on her second attempt on April 22.
A year ago, Cheruiyot made her debut in the marathon but she had to settle for the fourth place in a race won by compatriot Mary Keitany who went on to set a new women-only course record of 2:17:01.
That time remains the second-fastest time in history with Radcliffe's world-record time of 2:15:25 set in 2003, which she ran with two male pacemakers, remaining intact.
"I always run my own race and I do not concern myself with who is competing against me. The strategy is to stick with the lead pack and see how it shapes up after the 30km mark," said Cheruiyot.
"For now I am pleased to announce that I will be competing in the London Marathon on April 22," she said on Monday.
Cheruiyot has since gone on and establish her mark in the marathon competing in several half marathon and also winning at the Frankfurt Marathon last year where she posted 2:23:35, which remains her personal best. In April during the London Marathon, Cheruiyot posted a time of 2:23:50.
Cheruiyot, 36, intends to compete at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 before finally hanging up her spikes and believes her quest will be greatly enhanced should she add the London Marathon crown to her illustrious collection of medals.
But with the likes Keitany, a three-time London Marathon champion, Tirunesh Dibaba, Mare Dibaba, Gladys Cherono and Brigid Kosgei in the line-up, it will always going to be a hard shot to take.
