Kenya’s Mbithi Hoping for Reign

The first thing Benson Mbithi did upon arriving in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon was flick on the nearest television set.

The defending L.A. Marathon men’s champion from Kenya was looking for a weather report for Sunday.

“That’s my main question for that day,” he said Friday at the Quality of Life Expo in the Convention Center. “Rain or no rain, I am trained to compete in any kind of climate.

“I have to be ready for the weather. I’m ready.”

Mbithi, 23, wasn’t so fond of the inclement weather in 2000, which included a brutal head wind and a deluge that created the worst weather conditions for the marathon in its 15-year history.

He not only had to beat a field of about 20,000 other runners, he had to battle the elements as well in a rain-soaked race over 26.2 miles.

“The course is very good,” he said at the time. “But the weather is very bad.”

In 2000, Mbithi had the element of surprise at his disposal as he was making his marathon debut in Los Angeles. But after winning the race in 2 hours 11 minutes 55 seconds, he won’t have such an advantage this weekend.

After placing fifth in the recent Kenyan Armed Forces 30K Road Race in 1:28:42, Mbithi sees himself as a favorite in L.A. Marathon XVI--although he did admit that he would most likely have to tweak his strategy of pouring it on at mile 18, in the hills near Hollywood.

“I don’t have to surprise them, but I have to change [my strategy] because the athletes from last year are not the same as this year,” said Mbithi, who will wear bib No. 1 as the defending champion. “Last year, I knew about them. But this year, I don’t know about them, so I have to change.”

One runner Mbithi is familiar with is countryman Peter Ndirangu, who finished third in Los Angeles last year in 2:17:42.

Ndirangu, 29, ran a career-best 2:08:46 at the Chicago Marathon last year and said he geared his workouts for this weekend in anticipation of another downpour.

“Last year I was not ready for the rain,” Ndirangu said. “But this year I was training even when the weather was terrible in Kenya, the conditions. So I’m ready to overcome anything that comes in front of me. I’m ready to overcome it.”

Another Kenyan who figures to be in the mix is Stephen Ndungu, who placed sixth, just behind Mbithi, at the Kenyan Armed Forces 30K.

Ndungu, 33, won the 2000 Houston Marathon in 2:11:28 and ran a personal-best time of 2:11:16 in Berlin in 1997.

“I’ve been training with Ndungu,” Ndirangu said. “Sometimes, when we go for speed work, sometimes he [beats] me, sometimes I [beat] him.”

Carlos Grisales of Colombia could also sneak into the leaders’ pack.

Grisales, 34, ran a personal-best 2:11:17 at the Boston Marathon and was fifth last year at the Country Music Marathon in 2:14:12.

“It’s a difficult course and a difficult race,” he said, “especially when you have a good field of competitors. But it does make things interesting.”

Another potential contender is Sergei Fedotov, 28, Russia’s six-time national cross-country champion who ran the 2000 Rotterdam Marathon in a personal-best 2:11:16. He also won the Twin Cities Marathon last year in 2:12:40.

Kevin Collins is one of two elite U.S. males entered, along with Gilbert Salazar.

Collins, 29, trains with the Discovery U.S.A. camp in Mt. Laguna, Calif. His best time in a marathon is 2:17:00.

He does not feel overwhelmed by the competition.

“I’m pretty excited about running with these runners, but I’ve run in lots of competitions with these types of runners,” Collins said. “It’s interesting. I’m just enjoying being here.”

Even if it rains.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

L.A. Marathon XVI

* When: Sunday

* Television: Channel 13

* Races: Bike tour (begins 6 a.m. at USC); wheelchair race (begins 8:20 a.m. at 5th and Figueroa); marathon (begins 8:45 a.m. at 5th and Figueroa); 5K (begins 9:45 a.m. at Staples Center)

* Late registration: Quality of Life Expo, today, L.A. Convention Center

* On the net: https://www.lamarathon.com