Head-to-head battles you won’t want to miss this spring

With a World Championships and Olympics just around the corner, runners are looking to go fast this spring. Part of going fast is finding a good course, but also a stellar field. Here are some match-ups that are going down at the Boston and London Marathons in the coming weeks.

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Eliud Kipchoge vs. Abraham Kiptum–London Marathon

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The London Marathon will see several very interesting match-ups, but one that is particularly exciting is the marathon world record-holder versus the half-marathon world record-holder. Kipchoge and Kiptum will go head-to-head on April 28, with Kipchoge positioned as a favourite to win and Kiptum as an underdog. While Kiptum’s personal best of 2:05:26 is almost four minutes slower than Kipchoge’s world record, Kiptum did run a 2:04:16 in December of 2018 at the Abu Dhabi marathon, finishing second. This time couldn’t be counted as there was speculation that the course was short, but it shows potential. Kipchoge also hasn’t raced since his world-record performance in October 2018, so there’s no way to be sure of his shape heading into London.

Emily Sisson vs. Molly Huddle–London Marathon

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The women’s marathon in London has a stellar lineup, and the Huddle and Sisson battle could make history for American women. Both women have had impressive 2019 seasons. Sisson ran within seconds of Huddle’s American half-marathon record in Houston. Then the two women competed against each other last weekend at the Stanford Invitational 10,000m, where Sisson came out on top in 30:49 and the third fastest American woman of all time.

Huddle is going in with an extremely impressive personal best of 2:26:44, and London will be Sisson’s debut. Both women are clearly in incredible shape, and the women’s field is top-notch, so they are sure to push each other to some of the fastest American women’s times in history. Deena Kastor’s American record of 2:19:36 may not be within reach just yet, but it likely will be one day soon for these women.

RELATED: Deena Kastor is still setting American records

Jordan Hasay vs. Des Linden–Boston Marathon

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Hasay ran the fastest-ever American marathon debut at Boston in 2017, but Linden is the defending champion. The women’s personal bests of 2:23:00 and 2:22:38 are within seconds of each other, and both have been targeting Boston 2019 for a long time. The women’s marathon is on a very obvious upswing at the moment, and the battle between Linden and Hasay exemplifies it. Linden has been a staple of the American road running scene for years, she’s extremely consistent, experienced and patient. Hasay, on the other hand, is eight years Linden’s junior and much less experienced at the marathon distance. Hasay was a breakout high school track star, who struggled for a couple of years on the track before transitioning to a stellar road-running career.

Lawrence Cherono vs. Geoffrey Kirui–Boston Marathon

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Cherono is the 2018 Amsterdam Marathon champion, where he ran his personal best of 2:04:06, and Kirui is the reigning marathon world champion and the 2018 Boston runner-up. Both men are from Kenya but Cherono has always been a road runner, whereas Kirui started on the track. Cherono comes in with the faster personal best, but Kirui is on the rise and is certainly in contention for the win.