Baptism of fire for Scottish runner in an event that features world-class line-ups on Sunday November 5

The TCS New York City Marathon is not known for being the fastest course in the world, but it continues to attract some of the best runners on the planet. This Sundays event includes Brigid Kosgei, Letesenbet Gidey, Peres Jepchirchir, Tamirat Tola and Shura Kitata with the British challenge led by Andy Butchart as he makes his debut at 26.2 miles.

With the Paris Olympics nine months away, athletes like Butchart know their best chance of securing a qualification standard is unlikely to be in the Big Apple. Yet the glamour and appeal of the race ensure it is on the bucket list of most marathon runners.

Part of the attraction is the events great history and this weekends event, for example, marks the 40^th anniversary of Rod Dixons famous last-gasp victory over Geoff Smith. Back then in 1983 Smith held a sizeable lead into the closing stages, only for Dixon to run him down in dramatic fashion, with the subsequent finish line photo creating an iconic image.

If the 2023 race is half as exciting, fans will be in for a treat. Butcharts build up seems to have gone well, too.

After clocking 27:47.43 at the Night of the 10,000m PBs in May and setting a parkrun world record of 13:45 in Edinburgh, he enjoyed a flurry of races in early September that included half-marathons at the Big Half (62:15) and Great North Run (64:30), Following this came altitude training at Font-Romeu before fine-tuning his preparations in Scotland.

He has marathon experience of sorts, too, after being one of the pacemakers in the London Marathon. The crowd was insane and it gives me a bit of a buzz to maybe try a marathon in a couple of years time, he said at the time.

The 32-year-old, who finished sixth in the Olympic 5000m final in 2016, holds the Scottish records for 3000m (7:35.18), 5000m (13:06.21) and 10,000m (27:36.77) although the national marathon mark of 2:08:14 held by Callum Hawkins could be tough to beat on the undulating New York course.

The mens field in New York suffered a double blow recently when 2022 winner Evans Chebet and two-time winner Geoffrey Kamworor of Kenya had to drop out. This means Tola, the 2022 world champion from Ethiopia, 2023 Great North Run winner and a 2:03:39 man, will start favourite.

Kitata, the 2020 London Marathon winner and two-time New York Marathon runner-up with a 2:04:49 best, is also a big contender together with Olympic silver medallist Abdi Nageeye of the Netherlands.

Added to this are Maru Teferi, the 2023 world marathon silver medallist from Israel; Albert Korir, the 2021 New York Marathon winner from Kenya; Cam Levins of Canada, the North American marathon record-holder with a best of 2:05:36; and Amedework Walelegn, the 2020 world half-marathon bronze medallist from Ethiopia.

Along with Butchart, another notable debutant is Ed Cheserek of Kenya.

The womens race has suffered some inevitable drop-outs too in recent weeks such as 2022 world champion Gotytom Gebreslase, last years runner-up Lonah Chemtai Salpeter and 2022 London Marathon champion Yalemzerf Yehualaw. But it still oozes quality.

Kosgei of Kenya will be looking to make her mark again after seeing her marathon world record of 2:14:04 fall last month to Tigist Assefa. Facing her is the world 10,000m and half-marathon record-holder Gidey of Ethiopia, Olympic champion and 2021 New York winner Jepchirchir of Kenya and 2023 Boston Marathon champion Hellen Obiri of Kenya.

It means Sharon Lokedi of Kenya will have her work cut out to defend her title. Running her marathon debut last year she clocked 2:23:23 to take victory.

In addition, Edna Kiplagat, a former New York City, Boston, London and World Championships marathon winner, will return aged 43.

Of the contenders, Jepchirchir looks in tremendous form after winning the world half-marathon title in Latvia one month ago. Gidey, meanwhile, ran the worlds fastest womens debut marathon of 2:16:49 in Valencia but went on to collapse when leading the World Cross in Australia before winning 10,000m silver behind Gudaf Tsegay at the World Championships in Budapest in August.

Look out as well for Mary Ngugi-Cooper, the British-based Kenyan athlete, whose best of 2:20:22 came London last year.

Leading the American women is two-time Olympian Molly Huddle, who will be racing her third TCS New York City Marathon after finishing third in 2016 and fourth in 2018.

In the wheelchair races, defending champions Susannah Scaroni of the United States and Marcel Hug of Switzerland return with British interest from JohnBoy Smith, David Weir, Simon Lawson, Eden Rainbow Cooper.

On Saturday (Nov 4), meanwhile, the Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5km acts as an appetiser to Sundays marathon and features Weini Kelati, Courtney Frerichs, Keira DAmato, Woody Kincaid and Zach Panning.

For viewers in the UK the marathon is due to be shown on Sunday (Nov 5) on Discovery+ from 1pm-4.30pm and Eurosport from 2.30pm to 5.15pm.

The complete elite fields can be seen here