WEIR HUNTING FOR SECOND MAJOR MARATHON TITLE IN 2018 IN NEW YORK

David Weir (coach: Jenny Archer; club: Weir Archer Academy) is bidding for his second New York marathon crown as he headlines the British representatives at this weekend’s race in the United States.

The Londoner returns to the city for the first time since taking victory in 2010, looking to secure his second major marathon title this year in the men’s elite wheelchair division.

The T54 athlete secured a record eighth victory on the roads of London in April, bettering his second-place finish in Paris a few weeks prior.

The six-time Paralympic champion will once again reignite his rivalry with fellow heavyweights, defending champion Marcel Hug (SUI), whom Weir edged to victory in London, and course record holder Kurt Fearnley (AUS), who has a record five victories in New York. Ten-time Boston Marathon champion Ernst van Dyk (RSA) will also be in the mix.

2018 Commonwealth Games T53/54 marathon silver medallist and Berlin bronze medallist JohnBoy Smith (Jenny Archer; Weir Archer Academy) joins fellow Gold Coast marathon medallist Simon Lawson (Ian Thompson; Carlisle Tri), who took bronze, in the field.

Chris Thompson (Alan Storey; Aldershot, Farnham & District) will look to follow up his recent record-breaking third straight success at the Great South Run by becoming the first Briton in 30 years to take victory in New York in the elite men’s race.

New York will be Thompson’s first 26.2-mile effort since last year’s London Marathon, where he finished 34th overall in a race won by Daniel Wanjiru (KEN), who is back to challenge defending champion, Geoffrey Kamworor (KEN).

Thompson’s lifetime best of 2:11:19 places him as the fastest of the three Brits that will be hitting the streets on Sunday, with his compatriots, Andrew Davies (Steve Vernon; Stockport) and Jonny Mellor (Vernon; Liverpool), arriving with respective bests of 2:15:11 and 2:12:57.

Three athletes in the field, Lelisa Desisa, Shura Kitata and Tamirat Tola (all Ethiopia) have all run quicker than the course record in their lifetime, the latter, ranked number four in the world in 2018, arrives as the fastest man based on personal bests alone with a PB of 2:04:06.

The elite races begin on Sunday at 8:30am ET (12:30pm GMT) with the women’s and men’s elite wheelchair classification, followed by the elite women at 9:20am and the elite men and 9:50am.

The New York Marathon will be shown live on Eurosport 2 from 2:15pm on Sunday.