Kellyn Taylor and Diane Nukuri Racing Prague Marathon

By Adam Kopet

The 25th Volkswagen Prague Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label race, is set for Sunday and for the second year in a row, an American is among the favorites to win. Kellyn Taylor travels to Prague to take on an international field in hopes of running fast and earning the 2020 Olympic standard for the marathon.

A year ago, it was Galen Rupp who ran the Prague Marathon after he dropped out of the Boston Marathon due to asthma issues. Rupp went on to win in 2:06:07.

Taylor is among four women with recent sub-2:25 marathons. Hers came at last year's Grandma's Marathon where she won in 2:24:29. That ranks her eighth on the U.S. all-time performer list. Taylor is a member of the HOKA ONE ONE Northern Arizona Elite.

Among the other three women is the defending champion Bornes Chepkirui of Kenya who won last year's race in a personal best 2:24:19. Joining her with an almost identical personal best is Israel's Lonah Chemtai Salpeter who has run 2:24:17 and recently ran 1:06:09 at the Prague Half Marathon. Bahrain's Shitaya Eshete is the fourth sub-2:25 woman, having run 2:24:51 in her career.

Also competing is Diane Nukuri. She is a three-time Olympian for Burundi, having competed in the 5,000 meters in 2000 at the age of 15, and then running the marathon in 2012 and the 10,000 meters in 2016. Nukuri gained her U.S. citizenship in 2017. She ran 1:11:16 for sixth place at last month's Prague Half Marathon, which gives her the half marathon 'B' standard for the U.S. Olympic Trials marathon. She owns a marathon best of 2:27:50.

With Rupp recovering from surgery last fall, Rupp will not return to Prague to defend his win from last year. On paper, Morocco's Al Mahjoub Dazza appears a favorite. His 2:05:26 personal best from last year's Valencia Marathon is 13 seconds faster than the Prague course record.

Amos Kipruto of Kenya is another challenger not only for the win, but for the course record as well. He has a best of 2:05:43. A five-second personal best would give him the record if he won.

Kenyans Solomon Kirwa Yego and Bernard Kiprop Kipyego could also factor into the top places Sunday. They had both broken 2:07. Dejene Debele of Ethiopia is not far behind them with his 2:07:10 best.

In addition to the Prague Marathon being a good opportunity to run fast, the top-five men and women will automatically get the 2020 Olympic marathon standard, regardless of how fast the race is run.