Showcase of Stars Set for Sunday

By Scott Bush

The TCS New York City Marathon takes place on Sunday. The staff at the New York Road Runners once again assembled a field worthy of international acclaim. Star-studded athletes from around the globe come to the Big Apple, looking for course records, top five finishes and maybe even a PR or two. Here are 10 reasons to get excited for the big race ahead.

Kipsang v. Mutai

In London this spring, Wilson Kipsang put on a show, beating one of the best fields in history, while fellow countryman Geoffrey Mutai finished sixth. Mutai is the two-time defending champion (2013 & 2011 - no race in 2012) and knows the course very well. The two plan to team up Sunday and go after Mutai's course record of 2:05:05. Teammwork in a marathon is always fun to watch, but it'll be even more fun once the race breaks and what happens between the two frontrunners.

Keitany v. Kiplagat

The men's side has a tremendous duo in Kipsang and Mutai, while the women's side has their own in Mary Keitany and Edna Kiplagat. The fun storyline of Keitany v. Kiplagat is Keitany makes her marathon re-debut, after taking two years off to have a family. She crushed a 65:39 half marathon effort (aided-course) at the Great North Run, besting a loaded field by over two and a half minutes (including Kiplagat). She's in shape! For Kiplagat, it's all about staying at the top. She ranks second in the World Marathon Majors standings. She won London in the sprint and is looking for redemption on her disappointing ninth place effort in NYC last year. Oh, and lets not forget Kiplagat is the defending World Champion in the marathon, having won in 2011 and 2013. Whoa!

The Toughness of the Course Records

The men's course record is 2:05:06. The women's course record is 2:22:31. Only two men, Geoffrey Mutai and Emmanuel Mutai, have run under 2:07. Yes, 2:07! Margaret Okayo's course record from 2003 not only withstood charges from some of the best marathoners in history, but her record time is 32 seconds faster than the next best. Those are some wild differentials and no matter how great Kipsang and Mutai run on the men's side and Keitany and Kiplagat run on the women's side, they'll all be hard pressed to make course history.

NYC Is On TV...Actual Television...Across the Country

You can catch most of the World Marathon Majors on livestreams somewhere online, but how often in the United States can you watch a major marathon on your TV (or your friends TV if you don't own one) no matter where you live in the country? From 9am-12:30pm on ESPN2 Sunday, fans can watch the action live. Sure, there will still be cut-aways and commercials that could ruin the race as the break is happening, but hopefully ESPN and NYRR put their collective entertainment-focused minds together and build a race coverage plan built for fans of the sport.

Meb Takes Another Shot at the Title

While the early pace will be fast and furious, it'll be interesting to see how reigning Boston Champion and 2009 New York Champion responds. He raced a few times since Boston on the roads, looking far from superior in most of his challenges, but that certainly doesn't mean he isn't fit and ready to challenge for top three again. He's a strength runner, an amazing tactician and always work to put himself in contention. Can he pull off the same magic we saw in Boston? Probably not, but if there's one thing we've learned, it's that you can never, ever discount Meb.

Desi's Back At It

It's been a few years since we saw Desiree Linden up challenge for a world marathon major victory, but maybe, just maybe, we'll see her get back after it on Sunday. Linden's stated she's in great shape, can roll 5:30 pace and believes she has a shot to finish top three. Such confidence is telling and after the excitement Shalane Flanagan brought fans at the Berlin Marathon, the NYC Marathon is all the more enticing when there's an American challenger or two up front. 

Upset Alert

While Kipsang and Mutai get plenty of pre-race buzz around their course record pursuit, with the record so far out of the norm of winning performances of the past, it wouldn't be all that surprising to see both athletes falter in the final stages of the race and see one of the chase pack come up and sneak in for the victory. Lelisa Desisa, who won Boston in 2013, is a easy top choice to pull off the upset. Defending champion Gebre Gebremariam, Peter Kirui, Micah Kogo and Olympic and World gold medalist Stephen Kiprotich all have the credentials to challenge. Upsets are always fun to watch, especially when there are so many athletes who can pull it off.

Rising American Stars

Annie Bersagel, Ryan Vail, Lauren Kleppin, Nick Arciniaga and Josphat Boit are all names American marathon fans need to know and know well. With the Olympic Trials a year and a half away, Sunday's race in New York City gives fans a highlight of stars to watch as the race in Los Angeles approaches. Bersagel and Arciniaga are the 2013 USA Marathon Champions, Vail placed tenth at the London Marathon, Kleppin placed third at the LA Marathon and Boit was the top American at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships. All five of the athletes have a shot to make the U.S. Olympic Team.

Puskedra Makes His Debut

Remember when Luke Puskedra ran to a fourth place finish at the Houston Half Marathon in 2012, finishing his debut at the distance in 61:36. Talk about a guy meant to race the marathon distance. Since 2012, it's been all speculation on when he'd make his debut. Well, the wait is over. Puskedra is ready to toe the line and go the 26.2 mile distance. You know any Alberto Salazar athlete will be mightly prepared for the distance.

The Return of Kara

If Kara Goucher's social channels count, Kara never really went away, but it's been a year and a half since she last raced a marathon. Injuries, a change in coaches and a move back to Boulder all added up, and while her 71:41 half marathon showing in Philadelphia earlier this fall shows she's not at the same level she's been in the past, to see Goucher attack the marathon distance, throw herself back in the game and challenge for a respectable finish time and place is a good step forward.