Kenya's Chris Kipyego, the 2011 Grandma's Marathon champion, is among the favorites in Sunday's 30th Twin Cities Marathon from Minneapolis to St. Paul.
Kipyego, 37, needed a photo finish to defeat countryman Teklu Deneke for the Grandma's Marathon title in a personal-best 2 hours, 12 minutes, 17 seconds on June 18.
A victory in the Twin Cities Marathon would earn Kipyego $15,000 plus a $10,000 bonus for claiming titles in Minnesota's two major 26.2-mile races. Andrew Musuva of Kenya won both races in 1999.
In a record field of 11,200, other contenders among elite men are Kenyan Julius Koskei, who has run 2:10:14, and Coon Rapids, Minn.-based John Njoroge, who finished third in the 2009 Twin Cities Marathon and has a best of 2:10:00.
Leading the elite women are Russia's Nedezdha Leonteva and Kenya's Doreen Kitaka. Leonteva has a best of 2:31:57 and has been a medalist in two Russian marathon championships. Kitaka, also based in Coon Rapids, has run 2:32:00 and was fourth in the 2011 Grandma's Marathon in 2:32:31. Other contenders include Truphena Tarus of Kenya, Elena Nagovitsyna of Russia and American Emily Harrison of Flagstaff, Ariz.
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The 8 a.m. race also serves as the USA Masters men's and women's championships for runners 40 and older.
An accompanying TC 10-Miler, with 8,000 entrants, starts at 7:09 a.m.
