Peter Kirui is set to grace the start of the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on Sunday, October 21, but it won't be as a pace setter. Kirui, the sixth place finisher over 10,000m at last year's World Championships in Daegu, South Korea, has made a name for himself as a pacer.

He helped Patrick Makau break the world record (2:03:38) in Berlin last year. His personal record in the marathon is 2:06:31 achieved when he paced Wilson Kipsang last autumn in Frankfurt where he finished sixth. The promising 24-year-old Kenyan is now focusing on his own fast time in Amsterdam at the IAAF Silver Label Road Race.

Kirui has an impressive track record. He not only helped Makau's record setting in Berlin but he also ran the best time that has ever been run at 30 km (1:27:38) in this race. A month later in Frankfurt, winner Kipsang was assisted by Kirui, where the latter achieved the fastest time at the 35km point and went on to finish in 2:06:31.

In 2010 he paced Makau in Rotterdam to 2:04:48 and the late Samuel Wanjiru in Chicago to 2:06:24. This year Kirui won the New York Half Marathon in a personal best of 59:39. Tiki Gelana, who in 2011 ran a course record (2:22:08) in Amsterdam, became the Olympic champion in London. Will Kirui be the Olympic champion in Rio de Janeiro in 2016? The Kenyan is a runner with good prospects for the future. In Amsterdam he is sure to make an attack on the current course record of 2:05:44 set by Getu Feleke in 2010.