Kipyego to kick on in Capital with cross country title bid

BERNARD KIPYEGO will switch his road running shoes for cross country spikes next month when he competes in Edinburgh.

The 22-year-old Kenyan winner of last May's Bupa Great Edinburgh Run is returning to the Capital in a bid to land the even more prestigious BUPA Great Edinburgh International Cross Country title on January 10.

Kipyego will face an enormous task in Holyrood Park where, in the nine kilometre-contest, he faces an awesome field headed by Eritrea's former world champion Zersenay Tadese. Kipyego took third place behind Tadese when he lifted his gold medal in 2007 in the heat and humidity of Mombasa, the podium finish clearly proving his pedigree as a cross country runner.

Andy Caine, the event's elite athletes' manager, said: "It's building up into something very special, with Eliud Kipchoge (the Olympic 5000m silver medallist) in the field along with (fellow Kenyan) Augustine Choge (the Commonwealth title holder at that distance).

"Kipyego's done well on the roads this year, winning the BUPA Great South Run in October, and he had no hesitation in accepting an invite to return to Edinburgh. Although Tadese and Kipchoge may know the course extremely well having been regular competitors here, I think it will be a very open competition."

Caine is off to Brussels this weekend for the European Cross Country Championships, where he will be attempting to attract some top stars to the event. "It won't be easy, as in the past many have decided to race elsewhere once they have seen the strength of the Edinburgh field – and it is already looking formidable," he admitted.