NAIROBI, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Kenya's Marius Kipserem says he feels under pressure to run faster as he looks to conquer the Rotterdam Marathon once again on Sunday.
It will be Kipserem's third attempt to set a new course record in the Dutch city having taken part in the last three runnings of the event, winning in 2016 in a time of 2:06:11.
"If the weather is favorable, I think I can lower my time as I look forward to participating in major marathons in future," said Kipserem on Tuesday in Nairobi.
Kipserem leads a horde of Kenyan athletes at the Dutch marathon, including Buenos Aires Marathon champion Emmanuel Saina and Sydney Marathon winner Elijah Kemboi.
Kipserem, who won the Abu Dhabi Marathon last December in 2:04:04, was shocked when he was told the course was approximately 200 meters short of a full marathon. The IAAF has not sanctioned his time.
This has given the 31-year-old inspiration to run faster, a feat he is keen to achieve in Rotterdam on Sunday.
"I have put in extra training sessions to be strong and ready for the challenge. Training has gone well and I know I will be in for a tough challenge, but I am prepared for just that," he said.
Kipserem wants to set the stage for him to graduate to marathons in Tokyo, Boston, Beijing, Berlin, New York, London and Chicago.
"After Rotterdam, I want to test myself against the best in the big city marathons," he added.
Fellow Kenyan Elijah Kemboi, who is accompanying Kipserem to Rotterdam, said he will have a good race teaming up with his training mate.
"We train together and we will try to pace the race staying together. After 35km, it will be open to either of us to attack the course and win the race," he said.
Kenyan-born Turkish athlete Kaan Kigen Ozbilen and Dutchman Abdi Nageeye, who have both pitched camp in Eldoret, will also be up for the challenge.
"Training with the best athletes in the world has inspired me to perform well when we line up for the race on Sunday," said Kigen.
Last year's winner Kenneth Kipkemoi will not be defending his title, as he moves on to try to conquer the Boston Marathon on April 15.
