Stephen Sambu on his way to winning the 2014 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K. 

Since 2005, the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K in Central Park has drawn some of fastest 10K performances in road running history, all while raising awareness for kidney disease and organ donation. Tomorrow’s UAE Healthy Kidney 10K will be no different as four Olympians are set to toe the line Saturday morning and give the course record a scare. 

 

With the help of primary sponsor Arab Emirates, the UAE Healthy Kidney 10K offers $25,000 to the 2015 first-place finisher, which is the largest winner’s purse in any 10K in the world and in any non-marathon road race in the United States. An additional $30,000, known as the Zayed Bonus will be given to the top finisher if he or she breaks the course record (27:35 for men, 30:44 for women). Both men’s and women’s fields have the potential to see those marks go down Saturday in Central Park. 

 

In the men’s race, the 2014 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K champion Stephen Sambu will return in an attempt to defend his title from last year. 2014 saw some career highlights for Sambu, who captured a fourth-place finish in the loaded 10K (26:54) at the Prefontaine Classic, a third-place finish at the NYC Half (1:01:08), and most recently a runner-up finish at the United Airlines NYC Half (1:01:08). Sambu missed the course record by just four seconds at last year’s UAE Healthy Kidney 10K, and returns this year to shatter the mark. 

 

Sambu will be joined by 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist Wilson Kipsang, who will be making his UAE Healthy Kidney debut on Saturday. In 2014, Kipsang won both the TCS New York City Marathon and the Virgin Money London Marathon. In April, Kipsang captured a runner-up finish at Virgin Money London Marathon with a finishing time of 2:04:47, just five seconds race winner behind Eliud Kipchoge. 

 

2012 World Marathon Majors Champion Geoffrey Mutai will also be making his UAE Healthy Kidney debut. The 2014 New York City Half winner most recently threw down a 29:05 in the 10,000m in Eldoret, Kenya.  

 

The American standout on Saturday will be road 5K American record-holder Ben True who looks to take a stab at another American record this weekend. This past April, True broke a 19-year-old American record for the road 5K by running 13:22 at the B.A.A. 5K to lower the record by two seconds. He most recently clocked a runner-up finish in the 10K on the track at the Payton Jordan Invitational where he ran 27:43, just two seconds off of his personal best of 27:41 run at Payton Jordan in 2012. 

 

Other notable performers in the men’s race will 2015 United Airlines NYC Half winner Leonard Korir, who will be looking to improve on his runner-up finish at 2012 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K. Four time U.S. Olympian Abdi Abdirahman will return to make his fifth run at the event since his last appearance in 2012. Kevin Chelimo, Mourad Marofit, and Yonas Menrahtu will round out a stacked professional men’s field. 

 

On the women’s side, Joyce Chepkirui will return looking to improve upon her 2014 championship performance that shattered the previous course record by two minutes. The Iten, Kenya native had a stellar 2014 season that saw a Prague Half Marathon win and a Commonwealth Games 10K championship. Chepkirui most recently finished second at the United Airlines NYC Half in a finishing time of 1:08:42. 

Chepkirui on her way to winning the 2014 UAE Healthy Kidney 10K. 

Chepkirui will be challenged by Gladys Cherono who is returning from an Istanbul Half Marathon win (1:06:42) and a runner-up finish at the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon (2:20:03). In a stunning performance, Cherono won the 2014 IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships in 1:07:29. 

 

Great Britain’s Gemma Steel will return to New York City after three consecutive third-place finishes at the Oakley New York Mini 10K. In December, Steel helped lead Great Britain to the team title at the European Cross Country Championships with a decisive win in 28:27 over 8K. She most recently finished 18th at the IAAF World Cross Country Championships. 

 

2014 UAE Healthy Kidney third-place finisher Marcy Wacera, and fifth-place finisher Risper Gesabwa will both return to the course. 

 

Catch all the best road runners from around the world throw down in Central Park LIVE on FloTrack starting Saturday at 9:00 a.m. ET.