Defending champion Lelisa Desisa will attempt an unprecedented double on Sunday when he bids to retain his New York Marathon crown just four weeks after winning gold at the World Championships in Doha.
After prevailing in gruelling conditions in Qatar last month, where the race began just before midnight to avoid the worst of punishing heat and humidity, Desisa faces the chill of a New York autumn on Sunday as he tries to defend his title.
No runner has ever won World Championship gold followed by a victory in New York, the last of the year’s major annual road-running marathons.
The 29-year-old from Ethiopia is determined to mount a serious defense of his New York crown, but admitted to reporters this week he is uncertain of whether his weary body will hold up.
