LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles is so important to Wesley Korir that he is reminded of it every time he looks at his 6-month-old daughter, McKayLA.
Korir and his wife, Tarah, named her as a nod to the city where he is the two-time defending marathon champion.
His bond with the city would grow even stronger if Korir becomes the first three-time winner of the Los Angeles Marathon on Sunday.
The Kenyan who lives and trains in Louisville, Ky., will have to fend off a field that includes four men who have run 2:09:44 or faster, including three fellow Kenyans.
Ben Maiyo has a personal best of 2:07:09 and was runner-up in the 2005 L.A. Marathon. Benson Barus ran 2:09 or faster twice last year and Nicolas Kamakya ran 2:08:42 in 2009.