Defending champion Wilson Kipsang and 2009 winner Meb Keflezighi will return to race the five-borough New York City Marathon on November 1, race organizers New York Road Runners announced on Monday.

The strong international field also includes Ethiopians Lelisa Desisa, 2010 champion Gebre Gebremariam, and Yemane Tsegaye. Desisa and Gebremariam finished second and third, respectively, at last year's marathon, and Desisa won his second Boston Marathon title in April. Tsegaye was second at Boston as well as in the IAAF World Championships Marathon in Beijing on August 22.

On a cold, windy day that produced tactical races, Kipsang surged from Desisa in the final mile to win last year's race in 2:10:59. A former world record holder in the marathon, Kipsang placed second at the London Marathon in April and dropped out of the world championships race last month. Desisa placed seventh in the world championships marathon. He and Tsegaye will race New York City just more than two months after that race.

Keflezighi, who placed fourth in New York City last year, will attempt a quick turnaround of a different sort. After New York, he'll have just more than three months until he defends his title at the 2016 Olympic Marathon Trials on February 13, 2016 in Los Angeles. Keflezighi, 40, pulled off an even tighter version of that sequence four years ago. After placing sixth at the 2011 New York City race in a then-personal best of 2:09:13, Keflezighi won the 2012 Trials a little more than two months later.

This will be Keflezighi's 10th appearance at the New York City Marathon. After turning 40 in May, he had discussed the possibility of running the Chicago Marathon on October 11, which would have given him more time to recover for the Olympic Trials and the chance to break the U.S. masters mark on a record-eligible course.

Two other American men expected to run the Trials, Nick Arciniaga and Craig Leon, will also race New York City. Arciniaga was 10th at last year's race.

The field will also include Kenyans Geoffrey Kamworor, who won this year's world cross country championships and the 10K silver medal behind Mo Farah at last month's track world championships, and Stanley Biwott, who has a best of 2:04:55.

NYRR has not yet released the marathon's professional women's field.

Scott Douglas Scott is a veteran running, fitness, and health journalist who has held senior editorial positions at Runner’s World and Running Times.

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