Leonard Korir on the Entry Lists for Sunday's Amsterdam Marathon

By Adam Kopet

Leonard Korir finished 13th in the 10,000 meters on Oct. 6 at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships. He is scheduled to make his marathon debut Sunday at the Amsterdam Marathon, two weeks later.

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Korir is one of the best U.S. runners over the half marathon distance. He ran 59:52 at the 2017 New Delhi Half Marathon. This year, he won the USATF Half Marathon and 20 km Championships.

Seeing Korir's name on the Amsterdam Marathon start list is a surprise. There was no previous indication that he was considering a marathon. After winning the USATF 20 km Championships, Korir told USATF.TV that he had no racing plans after the IAAF World Outdoor Championships. It seems he changed his mind.

The Amsterdam Marathon is known for being flat and fast. This year's field includes three men who have run under 2:05 in their careers. The Ethiopian duo of Ayele Abshero and Solomon Deksisa have run 2:04:23 and 2:04:40, respectively, and Kenya's Bernard Koech has run 2:04:53.

The race also includes Dutch record holder Abdi Nageeye, who ran 2:06:17 at the Rotterdam Marathon in April.

The women's race features five women who have run under 2:24 in their careers. Ethiopia's Azmera Gebru finished third in last year's race. She has a best of 2:22:53 from April's Paris Marathon. She will be joined by Bahrain's Mimi Belete, Ethiopia's Shasho Insermu and Gutene Shone, as well as Kenya's Linet Masai.