World-record holder Kipsang to run NYC Marathon

NEW YORK (AP) World-record holder Wilson Kipsang will make his New York City Marathon debut in November.

The Kenyan set the mark of 2 hours, 3 minutes, 23 seconds in Berlin last year.

The announcement Wednesday sets up a showdown with countryman Geoffrey Mutai, the two-time defending champion and course-record holder in New York. Mutai ran the fastest marathon in history in 2:03:02 in Boston in 2011, which doesn't count as a world record because the course is considered too straight and downhill.

There will be seven former NYC Marathon champs in the field on Nov. 2. Along with Mutai, they are: Gebre Gebremariam (2010) and Meb Keflezighi (2009) on the men's side, and Priscah Jeptoo (2013), Firehiwot Dado (2011), Edna Kiplagat (2010) and Jelena Prokopcuka (2005, 2006) for the women.

Bronx resident Buzunesh Deba also returns to try to become the first New Yorker in 40 years to win the race. The Ethiopian was the women's runner-up in the last two NYC Marathons.