By Jeff George

After a seven-month layoff due to injury, Geoffrey Mutai will return to racing at the Mattoni Ceske Budejovice Half Marathon on Saturday evening.

The 34-year-old Kenyan was a star on the road running circuit between 2010 and 2012, and ran 2:05 or faster in three consecutive years (including his famous 2:03 in Boston). But the next two years were a struggle. His racing and training suffered until he was finally diagnosed with a subtle lower-leg injury last year.

Now that he's healthy, he's working to regain the fitness that made him a threat to win every race he entered.

"Although I am not yet in my top shape, this race is to build myself up," Mutai said. "My training has been going well, and I hope this race will test me and tell that I am ready for even stronger races."

Mutai's confidence also appears to be on track. He set an aggressive goal for his first race in seven months: finish in under 59 minutes.

WATCH Mattoni Ceske Budejovice Half Marathon LIVE on FloTrack

He should have plenty of competition to push him. Fellow Kenyans Frankline Chepkwony and Henry Rutto Kiplagat have flirted with the one-hour mark in previous races. Brazilian Paulo Roberto Paula will bring his extensive marathon experience (and 2:10 PB) to the race. He stayed in the country after running a half in Karlovy Vary two weeks ago. 

Kentaro Nakamoto (2:08 marathon PR) and Takashi Ichida of Japan have both run in the 62-minute range; the latter did so earlier this year. Moroccan countrymen Abdelmajid El Hissouf and Abdelkabir Saji also have 62s on their resumes to go with 2:10 and 2:12 marathons, respectively.

Mutai said, "I have learned that I cannot run alone. I will run with the group, and I hope we will stay together far into the race."

The flat, fast course in Ceske Budejovice should help the veteran runners chase their 60-minute goals. A young, talented, aggressive runner in 22-year-old Barselius Kipyego will also help push the pace. The up-and-coming Kenyan sits at No. 6 in the world this year after running 59:30 in the Prague Half Marathon, where he finished second. A win this weekend would be another big step toward international prominence for a promising athlete.

In contrast to the deep experience on display in the men's race, the women's field is much younger. The favorite is 24-year-old Risper Chebet of Kenya, who is racing in the Czech Republic for the third time this year. Her prior starts netted her 1:09:24 and 2:27:23, both in Prague. She expressed confidence in her ability to race well in any conditions, and set a high goal: "For me, I would be very happy if I can run under 1:09." If achieved, that would move her into the top 18 in the world this year.

The only other woman in the race with a sub-1:10 is fellow Kenyan Esther Chemtai Ndiema, who ran 1:09:49 in Prague two years ago. Ethiopian Ashete Bekere should be in contention for a podium finish, as could Kenyans Lucy Wambui Murigi and Janet Jelegat Rono. The last two have both run 2:27 for the full marathon, and so has countrywoman Sarah Jebet, who will make her half-marathon debut this weekend. These six runners are all age 28 or under, but there is an even younger athlete that might be able to stay in the lead group. Japan’s Ai Utsunomiya is the wildcard in the race at only 20 years old, but she is a legitimate contender—she ran 1:11:08 earlier this year. 

The potential for light rain before or during the race was a topic of interest among the runners. Longtime Czech star Petra Kaminkova, who entered the race late after a quicker-than-expected recovery from the Karlovy Vary half marathon two weeks ago, shared her experience running on the cobblestones of her native country. "For me, the key is having the right shoes. I have a pair of adidas with a special outsole that makes it almost impossible to slip."

Mutai seemed pleased by the possibility of precipitation during the race: "I fear the sun more than I fear rain. During training in Kenya last month it rained often, so I am used to it. Here, if it is raining, there is no mud!"

Jiri Homolac hopes his recent training in Kenya will help him, too. He traveled there in January, and he credits that experience for his strong start to 2016. "I was able to make changes to my physical training and my mental approach." He said it helped lead to his 2:16 full marathon in Hamburg two months ago. Homolac moved his training base to Livigno in the Italian Alps, where he hopes to continue the progress he made on his visit to Africa. After Saturday's race, he will return there for the next five weeks to prepare for the European Championships half marathon.

Last year’s Ceske Budejovice half marathon was affected by high temperatures, which resulted in slower times than the quick course would normally produce. That won’t be the case in 2016—all the factors seem to be in place for two new race records. The men’s record of 59:49, set in the inaugural race in 2012, will take a strong effort to reach, but the women’s record of 1:10:54 is definitely under threat.