Olympic champion Peres Jepchirir, Kenenisa Bekele, Abdi Nageeye, Kibiwott Kandie and Molly Seidel are among the entries for Sunday’s big race

The 50th edition of the New York City Marathon this weekend features a line-up to match the historic occasion.

Olympic champion Peres Jepchirchir of Kenya leads the women’s field while Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia takes on Olympic silver medallist Abdi Nageeye of Netherlands.

The event on Sunday (Nov 7) also sees strong domestic interest with Olympic bronze medallist Molly Seidel, among others, in the entries.

Jepchirchir took gold in Japan in difficult conditions in 2:27:20 in August and she has won the world half-marathon title twice too. “This has already been a magical year and I am excited that it is not yet over,” she says.  “The 50th year of something is often called its ‘golden anniversary’, so how fitting it will be that for New York City’s 50th running I will run as the Olympic gold medallist.”

Challenging Jepchirchir is Namibia’s four-time Olympian and 2019 world bronze medalist Helalia Johannes, who was 11th in the Olympic marathon, plus Ethiopia’s Ruti Aga, who won the Tokyo Marathon and finished third at the New York City Marathon in 2019.

Seidel is not the only strong US female runner in the race either. Aliphine Tuliamuk, the Tokyo 2020 US trials winner, also competes, as does 2012 Olympic silver medalist Sally Kipyego and 2018 Boston Marathon winner Des Linden.

“Winning the bronze medal in Sapporo showed that I can run with the best in the world, and on any given day, anything is possible,” says Seidel. “I can’t think of a better year to run my first New York than in its 50th running.”

Ethiopia’s 2019 Chicago Marathon runner-up Ababel Yeshaneh and Kenya’s Nancy Kiprop, the fourth place-finisher at the event in 2019, will also toe the line.

Greek 10,000m record-holder Alexi Pappas and Kenya’s Viola Cheptoo, the sister of five-time Olympian Bernard Lagat, will make their New York debuts.

In the men’s race Bekele is attempting to win in New York despite running the BMW Berlin Marathon on September 26 where he placed third in 2:06:47 behind winner Guye Adola.

Bekele, the former world 5000m and 10,000m record-holder on the track, insists he can regroup and gather himself to produce a great performance in is debut appearance in the New York event. However he will have strong opposition.

Nageeye clocked 2:09:58 in Japan in August to finish runner-up to Eliud Kipchoge. “For me, winning the silver medal in the Olympic Games was not a surprise,” he says. “There were many good athletes in the race, but I knew my preparation had been good. I was ready for the conditions, and most importantly I believed in myself.

“I will take that same focus into my preparations for New York, and my belief and confidence in my abilities is even higher than it was in Sapporo. There is nothing I want more than to bring a New York City victory back home along with my Olympic medal.”

Bekele says: “I am proud of the many accomplishments in my career, but I have never had the opportunity to compete in the TCS New York City Marathon. I am excited that 2021 will be the year for me to make my attempt in New York.

“Some of my greatest success has come in cross-country running and I am told that the hills and turns of New York reward athletes with the strength that comes from running cross-country. I will do my best to join that great list of New York City champions.”

World half-marathon record-holder Kibiwott Kandie of Kenya makes his marathon debut in New York and will be a major contender if he converts his 57:32 form for 13.1 miles to the 26.2-mile distance.

Other contenders include Kenya’s Albert Korir and Ethiopia’s Girma Bekele Gebre plus 2016 race winner Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea, while the American challenge is led by Jared Ward and Ben True – the latter making his marathon debut.

Switzerland’s Marcel Hug leads the men’s wheelchair racing field against two-time winner Daniel Romanchuk of the United States and Britain’s David Weir, while another Swiss para-athlete, Manuela Schär, is aiming for a fourth consecutive win in the race.

Whoever wins on Sunday, it promises to be a great occasion. Fifty years ago the first New York City Marathon took place in Central Park with an entry fee of just $1 and a budget of $1000. Of the 127 registered runners, there were 55 finishers.

Today, around 1.2 million people have run in the event, which now extends through all five boroughs and attracts the world’s greatest runners.

The marathon is live on Eurosport 2 for viewers in the UK from 2.15-5pm (GMT). The wheelchair races start 8am local time with the elite women at 8.40am and men 9.05am.