He’ll chill … but only after Sunday’s race

The time for rest will come soon enough for Nicholas Chelimo. After a year of training, often twice a day, Chelimo will return home to Kenya for the holidays and relax with his family for a two-week break.

But those thoughts can wait for now — at least until Sunday morning, after he pushes himself through another 2-plus hours in defense of his Honolulu Marathon title.

“I’m only focused on this race,” Chelimo said Wednesday. “I’ll do my best.”

Chelimo returned to Honolulu on Monday as the reigning men’s champion and will make his third appearance in the event in Sunday’s 39th annual marathon.

He finished second to Patrick Ivuti in 2009 by 56 seconds, then pulled away from Richard Limo to win last year’s race in a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes, 18 seconds.

Chelimo, 33, is one of four past champions in this year’s elite field with the return of Ivuti after a year’s absence, seven-time champion Jimmy Muindi and Mbarak Hussein, this year’s designated pacesetter.

Chelimo also will be challenged by a group of talented first-time entrants, including fellow Kenyans Benjamin Kiptoo, Nicholas Manza, Patrick Nthiwa and Kiplimo Kimutai, and Tekeste Kebede of Ethiopia. Kiptoo won the Paris Marathon in April with a time of 2:06:31 and Manza finished fourth in Amsterdam in October at 2:06:34.

“The field is very strong,” Chelimo said. “It’ll be very competitive.”

Before each race, Chelimo said he offers a prayer of thanks with a request for “energy and knowledge.”

Both attributes come into play over a 26.2-mile course as runners contend with the morning humidity and the climb up Diamond Head Road just before the finish at Kapiolani Park.

“This is a course where running it once or twice is essential to running it well,” said agent Zane Branson, who represents Chelimo and Muindi and will attend his 20th Honolulu Marathon this weekend.

Chelimo said the race starts in earnest when the leaders reach the 30-kilometer mark, a stretch along Kalanianaole Highway after the runners loop through Hawaii Kai.

Following his runner-up finish to Ivuti, Chelimo bided his time with the early leaders in last year’s race before surging to the finish to leave Limo 2 minutes behind.

“I decided to try to see if I could do it,” Chelimo said of his decisive burst.

Chelimo decided to dedicate himself to running after high school and placed second in his marathon debut in 2007, finishing in 2:11.

He dropped his time each subsequent year and posted a personal best 2:07:38 last year in a second-place finish in the Eindhoven Marathon in the Netherlands.

He placed sixth in the Vienna Marathon in April, but didn’t finish the race in Eindhoven in October. Chelimo said falling short in his last attempt sharpened his preparation for his return to Honolulu.

“Now everything’s all right and I’m focused on this race,” he said.

Said Branson: ”He’s ready, he arrived in good shape and he’s a very strong competitor.”

Honolulu represents a chance for Chelimo to end the season on a strong note and perhaps build momentum into 2012.

Those preparations begin in January after taking some time off his feet, “but not too much,” he said.

“A little bit, then I start again.”