High-quality fields have been assembled for the Seoul Marathon with several athletes capable of challenging the men's course record in the World Athletics Platinum Label road race on Sunday, 15 March.Five athletes in the men’s field have personal bests faster than the course record (2:04:43), four of whom represent Ethiopia.Follow our WhatsApp channel for more newsHaftu Teklu returns after winning last year’s race in 2:05:42. The Ethiopian’s personal best (PB) is exactly one minute faster, 2:04:42, set when finishing third at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.Seoul also holds special significance for Teklu as the site of his marathon debut in 2023, when he finished third in 2:05:53. In his most recent outing he clocked 1:02:25 at last month’s Burj2Burj Half Marathon in Dubai.Sisay Lemma, the fourth fastest marathon runner in history thanks to his 2:01:48 victory in Valencia in 2023, is the fastest athlete in the field. The Ethiopian has also claimed victories at the 2021 London Marathon and the 2024 Boston Marathon, the latter remaining his most recent win over the distance.WhatsApp integrated in Athletics Integrity Unit's fight against dopingAfter finishing 10th in Valencia later in 2024 and recording a DNF in Boston followed by 25th place in Valencia in 2:08:58 in 2025, Lemma will be eager to return to the podium in Seoul.Getaneh Molla, another Ethiopian contender, boasts a personal best of 2:03:34 from his marathon debut in Dubai in 2019, a race he won. Since then he has recorded victories in Ljubljana in 2024 and Lanzhou in 2025, while his career highlights also include third place in Sydney in 2023 and third in Amsterdam in 2:04:19.Tsegaye Getachew arrives in Seoul in strong form. The Ethiopian, a two-time Amsterdam Marathon champion in 2022 and 2024, finished third at the Tokyo Marathon in 2023 and set a PB of 2:04:18 when finishing third in Amsterdam in October 2025.##NAJAVA_MECA_9593450##Kenya also fields a strong contingent, led by experienced campaigner Sammy Kitwara, who owns a 2:04:28 best from Chicago in 2014. His last race in the classic distance dates back to March last year where he clocked 2:07:19 for fifth place at the Wuxi Marathon.While Kitwara's experience places him fourth on the entry list, his PB came more than a decade ago, leaving newcomer to the sport who recently won a different marathon in the Korean capital Nick Kitundu as a favourite to lead the country's charge.Kitundu made an immediate impact on his marathon debut when winning the JTBC Seoul Marathon in November in 2:05:32.He is joined by Enock Kinyamal, winner of the Eindhoven Marathon in 2024.Safari Rally: Muddy Sleeping Warrior claims favouritesMeanwhile, a new champion will be crowned in the women’s race, where three Ethiopian athletes with sub-2:20 PBs take on a Kenyan contender who has yet to lose at the marathon distance.Tiruye Mesfin heads the entries with a personal best of 2:18:35, set when finishing third in Valencia in 2024. The Ethiopian most recently placed third in Shanghai in November in 2:20:38 and will be aiming to secure the first marathon victory of her career.Bosena Mulatie has a personal best of 2:19:00 from her third-place finish at the 2024 Berlin Marathon. Although she did not finish in Seoul last year, she later placed sixth in Amsterdam in 2:21:23.Haven Hailu Desse brings a PB of 2:19:17, set when finishing fourth at last year’s London Marathon. The Ethiopian has already enjoyed success over the distance, including victories at the Osaka Women’s Marathon in 2023 and the Rotterdam Marathon in 2022, and she was runner-up in Amsterdam in 2024.Former Kenya cricket captain appointed as Uganda's head coachJoyce Chepkemoi Tele leads the Kenyan challenge. She won the Ljubljana Marathon on her debut in 2024 in 2:20:17, a time that remains her PB, and followed that victory with further wins in Mumbai and Guangzhou, meaning she has won each of her three marathons to date.Other Ethiopian entrants include Bekelech Gudeta and Zinash Senbeta.WomenTiruye Mesfin (ETH) 2:18:35Bosena Mulatie (ETH) 2:19:00Haven Hailu Desse (ETH) 2:19:17Joyce Chepkemoi Tele (KEN) 2:20:17Bekelech Gudeta (ETH) 2:20:59Zinah Senbeta (ETH) 2:21:05Anchialem Haymanot (ETH) 2:22:23Betelihem Afenigus (ETH) 2:23:20Ayinadis Teshome (ETH) 2:23:50Kebebush Yisma (ETH) 2:24:04Medina Deme Armino (ETH) 2:25:09Wu Bing (CHN) 2:26:01Monica Chebet (KEN) 2:26:30MenSisay Lemma (ETH) 2:01:48Getaneh Molla (ETH) 2:03:34Tsegaye Getachew (ETH) 2:04:18Sammy Kitwara (KEN) 2:04:28Haftu Teklu (ETH) 2:04:42Nick Kitundu (KEN) 2:05:32Enock Kinyamal (KEN) 2:06:28Gilbert Kibet (KEN) 2:06:39Collins Kipkurui Kipkorir (KEN) 2:06:44Edmond Kipngetich (KEN) 2:06:47Haftamu Abadi Gebresilase (ETH) 2:06:52Daisuke Uekado (JPN) 2:06:54He Jie (CHN) 2:06:57