Kenyan marathoner Dominic Ngeno learnt to run in Kenya’s high-altitude Rift Valley and has run some of the toughest courses in the world.

So chasing the course record in Sunday’s fast and flat Perth Running Festival Marathon should present no problem for the 29-year-old with relatively calm conditions forecast.

Ngeno arrived in Perth late on Thursday night, along with his biggest threat in the 42.2km race, Japanese runner, Ryoma Takeuchi.

Ngemo has a personal best of 2hr6min run in Paris in 2025. Takeuchi has a 2:08:20 from his fourth place in this year’s Gold Coast marathon.

The Perth course record of 2:16:43 was set by Kenya’s Paul Eyanae in 2024.

“I have run some flat courses and some hard courses like Los Angeles, which is tough and I ran a 2:10 to win there,” Ngeno said.

“Looking at this course I say it’s good for me. If I can run nice, I can break the course record here.

“Approaching 25-30km, we can push for 3:05 (minute per kilometre) pace, even three. It depends on how my body responds.”

Ngeno was leading the recent Gold Coast Marathon at the 30km before withdrawing with a calf strain.

“I was over it in a week. I feel good now,” he said.

Takeuchi, 34, said he would try and match his opponent to the 30km mark and “then decide how I will approach it”.

The race doubles as the WA State Marathon Championship and is part of the Abbott World Marathon Major Age Group World Rankings and is an accredited World Athletics Label Road Race.

A sold out field of 18,500 registered runners will compete across the marathon, half-marathon, 10km and 4km.

The marathon field of 5500 will mark the biggest ever staged in WA with 58 countries represented.

AFL legend, Channel 7 broadcaster and Telethon ambassador Kane Cornes will run in the PRF Marathon on Sunday, before running another 42km around Rottnest Island four days later to raise money for sick WA children.

The PRF is now in its third year and has raised more than $600,000 for Telethon.

The marathon starts at 6am, the half marathon at 7.40am and the 4km at 8.45am at Optus Stadum, while the 10km begins at Langley Park at 9.40am.