INEOS 1:59 names Marius Kipserem, Rotterdam champion, as pacemaker

Another slate of 13 elite runners has been named who will take turns pacing Eliud Kipchoge to what the world hopes will be the first-ever sub-two-hour marathon next month in Vienna, and it includes Marius Kipserem of Kenya, who set a new course record of 2:04:11 at the 2019 Rotterdam Marathon, and who also won the inaugural Abu Dhabi marathon in December 2018 (though the course was later discovered to be short).

Marius Kipserem was one of the pacemakers announced for the #INEOS159 Challenge today – he explains what taking part in the challenge means as Eliud Kipchoge attempts to make history pic.twitter.com/IqwbceMOor

— INEOS 1:59 Challenge (@INEOS159) September 18, 2019

The runners participated in testing for the challenge in Vienna earlier this month, and will return to Vienna for the event, scheduled to take place October 12, with a window until October 20 if weather conditions should present an obstacle.

RELATED: Paul Chelimo and Julien Wanders to join Kipchoge pacers at INEOS 1:59

Kipserem is 31. His performance at Rotterdam ranks him as the sixth-fastest marathoner of 2019.

The other named pacers in this group include:

Eric Kiptanui of Kenya, who holds the sixth-fastest half-marathon time (58:42) from the 2018 Berlin Half-Marathon

Micah Kogo of Kenya, 10000m bronze medallist at the 2008 Olympics

Chala Regasa of Ethiopia, who set a course record of 27:23 at the Valencia 10K Ibercaja in January, which is this year’s sixth-fastest time in the world over 21.1K.

Gideon Kipketer of Kenya, who set his marathon PB of 2:05:51 at Tokyo in 2017, where he finished second.

Stanley Kebenei of USA, who raced the World Cross Country Championships in Denmark in March, and who finished second in the USATF 3,000m steeplechase national championships and will have just competed at the World Championships in Doha when he returns to Vienna.

Shadrack Koech of Kazakhstan ran a PB in the 10K of 28:22 in the Netherlands this year, and a PB over 10,000m of 28:24:40, also set this year.

Moses Koech of Kenya finished third in 27:46 behind Joshua Cheptegei and Julien Wanders in the Durban 10K last year.

Thomas Ayeko of Uganda was part of the team that won gold at the Cross-Country World Championships in Denmark this year. He was fourth in the 5,000m at the Commonwealth Games in 2018 and has a half-marathon PB of 60:26.

Emmanuel Bett of Kenya has a 10,000m PB of 26:51:16 and a half-marathon PB of 60:08.

Timothy Toroitich of Uganda made the final of the 10,000m at last year’s Commonwealth Games, after winning bronze at the African Championships. He also won bronze at the first Commonwealth Games half-marathon in Cardiff.

Kaan Kigen Ozbilen of Turkey, who changed his name in 2015 (he is the former Mike Kipruto Kigen). He won silver medals in the 5,000m and 10,000m at the 2006 African Championships representing Kenya. He holds national records for Turkey in both the half-marathon (59:48) and the marathon (2:05:27). He also won a silver medal in the European Championships half-marathon in 2016.