Daniel Wanjiru, the Virgin Money London Marathon champion has been added to the elite field for The Big Half in London on Sunday, March 4.
The Kenyan, who clinched victory at the London Marathon last April the will take on British pair Mo Farah and Callum Hawkins in the capital’s new half marathon event.
Wanjiru has a half-marathon personal best of 59:20 and it’s the fastest amongst the three distance running titans. Farah has a PB of 59:32, which is also the British record, which he set in Lisbon in 2015 while Hawkins ran a Scottish record of 60:00 in Japan in February 2017.
“I am really looking forward to returning to London to race in The Big Half. I have very happy memories of running on London roads and the fantastic crowds,” said Wanjiru.
“It is a privilege to be racing such a legend as Sir Mo Farah and I know that both he and Callum Hawkins will be big rivals to me in this race. The Big Half will be a great race.”
The 25-year-old won the London Marathon last year in 2:05:48 in only his second marathon. In 2016 in his marathon debut, he won the Amsterdam Marathon in 2:05:21.
The Big Half starts by Tower Bridge and finishes in front of the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, using many of the same roads as the first half of the Virgin Money London Marathon.
Farah and Hawkins had been announced as the headline names for The Big Half in November 2017. At the time Britain’s most decorated track athlete Farah said: “I am thrilled to be part of The Big Half. It will be an ideal preparation race for me for the London Marathon six weeks later. Everyone knows I love running on the streets of London and I look forward to this new event.”
Hawkins, who finished fourth at the World Championships last year, added: “I am really looking forward to The Big Half now I know I will get the chance to race Mo again. I’ve made no secret of the fact that I love testing myself against the very best athletes in the world and they don’t come any better than Mo.