Event’s best-ever field announced for Sunday’s Brighton Marathon, as McCormick and Damen are among those in BM 10k action

The Brighton Marathon gets stronger every year and now, returning for the fifth time, the 2014 edition is to see its best-ever field race on a new, faster course on Sunday.

William Chebor and Raymond Kandie of Kenya lead the entries, while all three medallists from last year s race have opted to return. Chebor, who clocked 2:08:21 in Turin three years ago, comes to Brighton having won his most recent marathon in Jakarta in October.

All told, there are 21 IAAF qualified athletes, six of them women, and for the first time performers from Italy, Eritrea and South Africa join the fray.

Last year, Dominic Kangor of Kenya set the course record of 2:10:46 after a close tussle with Bernard Rotich. That time could be in danger with the course changes that have taken place making the route faster than ever.

Winchester s Chris Powner is making his marathon debut. He has a best half-marathon of 64:45 from two years ago and will be chasing the 2:19 qualifying time for Scotland s Commonwealth team.

On the women s side, Kenya s Hellen Mugo has a best of 2:27:16 more than a minute and a half faster than the course record of 2:28:50. South African Tanith Maxwell is hoping to win Commonwealth Games selection by getting back to her best of 2:32:33. Fastest Briton is Kendal s Rebecca Robinson with a PB of 2:37:14 from London in 2010.

The weekend also sees the ICONIQ Shlurp! Mini Mile events and a new BM 10km race featuring Nick McCormick (pictured) and Louise Damen – take place.

McCormick, who says he contemplated quitting last summer after struggling with injury, has recently proven he is getting back to his best with victories in the Brooks Armagh 5km and Trafford 10km in 2014, plus a swift split at the North of England road relays.

Following his outing over 10km in Brighton, the Morpeth Harrier heads to the United States for a 5000m road race in Boston on April 19 before his big early season goal a 5000m in Stanford where he hopes to impress English selectors ahead of this summer s Commonwealth Games.

You can read more on Nick McCormick and his return to form in the April 3 issue of AW - available here, or digitally here

The post Nick McCormick and Louise Damen Brighton-bound appeared first on Athletics Weekly.