NAIROBI, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- European 10,000m champion Lonah Chemtai Salpeter of Israel will compete in her first marathon on Sunday in Florence, Italy.
The 29-year-old Kenyan born-turned Israeli, has been pitching camp in the country in the final build up to her first marathon in 2018 and feels she has done enough to challenge the course record, which has stood for over a decade registered by Slovenia's Helena Javornik at 2:28:15 in 2002.
"After a short recovery period after the European championships in August, I started my build up towards the marathon. I had three good weeks of altitude training in Font Romeu (France) and Iten (Kenya)," said Chemtai on Friday.
Born in West Pokot, Kenya, the same village as legend distance runner Tegla Loroupe, Chemtai first went to Israel in 2008, working as a nanny at Kenya's embassy in Tel Aviv.
While jogging in Tel Aviv, she was noticed by athletics coach Moti Mizrahi, who suggested she train professionally. Later she met Israel coach Dan Salpeter, and the two were eventually married.
In 2016 she received Israeli citizenship and represented her adopted country at the Rio Olympic Games and later the London World Championships in 2017.
She however did not finish the marathon in Rio but held on to finish in position 41 at the London World Championships. Her personal best time stands at 2:40:16 from the 2016 Berlin Marathon.
Her fortunes however, changed in August when she won Israel's first gold medal in athletics at the European Championships. Israel paid her some 1.12 million shillings (11,000 U.S. dollars) for her win.
"Since winning the European title I'm now recognized by many people. Recently at Tel Aviv Airport I bought a travel adapter and the shop owner recognized me. He was happy at my European victory, he gave me the adapter as a gift, for free," she said.
"In the last two years, I have run with a much more positive attitude and this, I believe, has earned me great rewards."
Despite her slow time in marathon, Chemtai has improved a great deal and will be the athlete to beat in the Florence Marathon on Sunday.
She ranked best from Europe at the World Half marathon in Valencia in March, finishing in position 12 clocking 68:58.
She recently improved that mark to 67:55 at the Lisbon Half Marathon last month. Chemtai slashed the course record, set by Kenyan Mary Keitany in Lisbon in 2011 by two second.
"I started my high altitude training in France, but traveled to Iten, Kenya to begin preparing for the marathon. My objective is to win the Florence Marathon," she said.
The course record in Florence set by Slovenian Helena Javornik in 2002 of two hours, 28 minutes and 15 seconds might be an incitement for Chemtai to run faster.
Other Europeans in the race include Belorussian Volha Mazuronak (2:25:25), Italians Anna Incerti, Vincenza Sicari and Giovanna Volpato.
