It will be the sixth time that the pair have faced off against each other over 26.2 miles during their career.

If you thought you saw the last of Kenenisa Bekele running against Eliud Kipchoge in a competitive marathon then think again.

Aged 43 and 40 respectively, the dynamic duo are both set to grace the elite field at the TCS New York City Marathon (November 2).

Bekele has competed over 26.2 miles in the Big Apple on just one occasion – he finished sixth in 2021 with 2:12:52 – but this will be Kipchoge's debut at the meeting, marking his completion of all seven Abbott World Marathon Majors.

After glittering track and cross-country careers, the pair moved to the roads and set course records in their debut marathons. Bekele won the 2014 Paris Marathon in 2:05:04 – bettering marks set by Haile Gebrselassie, Paul Tergat and Sammy Wanjiru – while Kipchoge beat the field by over two minutes with 2:05:30 at the 2013 Hamburg Marathon.

They first went head-to-head at the 2014 Chicago Marathon and have since faced each other on four other occasions over 26.2 miles– 2016 London, 2017 Berlin, 2018 London and the 2024 Paris Olympics. They were also both meant to compete at the Covid-19 affected 2020 London Marathon but Bekele pulled out at the last minute due to injury.

Ahead of New York City, here is a breakdown of their five previous marathons through the years:

2014 Chicago Marathon – Bekele 4th and Kipchoge 1st 

A decade on from their famous battle over 5000m at the Athens 2004 Olympics, Bekele and Kipchoge met on the roads for the first time ever at the 2014 Chicago Marathon.

Kipchoge was more experienced over 26.2 miles at this stage of their careers and one year earlier had placed second behind compatriot Wilson Kipsang, who broke the world record with 2:03:23, at the 2023 Berlin Marathon.

Victory on his debut in Paris earlier in the season meant Bekele was confident going into Chicago but the Ethiopian knew he would have to perform at his best to beat Kipchoge.

Unsurprisingly they both flew out the traps, with the leading pack passing the 5km and 10km marks in 14:43 and 29:30 respectively. Just one second separated Kipchoge and Bekele at halfway with 62:11 and 62:12. Neck and neck at the 30km mark – they went through in 88:46 and 88:47 – it was still anyone's title in Chicago.

Bekele's next 5km was a lot slower however and he fell back from the leading trio, which included Kipchoge, Sammy Kitwara and Dickson Chumba. By this stage Kipchoge's tail was up and by 40km he'd established a six-second lead on Kitwara before finishing in 2:04:11.

It was fourth place for Bekele, who clocked 2:05.51 and was one minute and 40 seconds behind Kipchoge. This was just the start of their many battles in the marathon.

2016 London Marathon – Bekele 3rd and Kipchoge 1st 

Fans would have to wait two years for Bekele and Kipchoge's next clash over 26.2 miles but they weren't to be disappointed as the Kenyan put on a masterclass in London.

Kipchoge had already racked up three major marathon victories – 2014 Chicago, 2015 London and 2015 Berlin – and was the reigning champion going into the British capital.

Expectation was therefore high, especially with the Rio Olympics on the horizon, and Kipchoge obliged, winning the race in a course record of 2:03:05.

It was also the second fastest time in history and just eight seconds off Dennis Kimetto's world record from the 2014 Berlin Marathon.

Bekele placed a career high third in London and ran 2:06:36, seeing off Ethiopia's Ghirmay Ghebreslassie for the final podium spot.

2017 Berlin Marathon – Bekele DNF and Kipchoge 1st

This was expected to be one of the closest battles between Bekele and Kipchoge in the marathon, who were both in fine form over the distance. Bekele had won the previous year's race in a huge personal best of 2:03:03, putting him second on the all-time list.

Kipchoge meanwhile was not only the reigning Olympic marathon champion but had also attempted to become the first ever human in history to run a sub-two hour marathon at the Nike Breaking2 project in Monza. Two years later he'd achieve the feat in Vienna.

Both Bekele and Kipchoge started well in Berlin and, in rainy conditions, went through 5km and 10km in 14:28 and 29:04 respectively. Nothing separated the duo at halfway either as they went through in 61:29.

By the 25km mark, something was noticeably wrong with the Ethiopian however, who had dropped back by 21 seconds to the leading pack. That gap was one minute at 30km and soon afterwards Bekele dropped out of the race.

Kipchoge peerlessly powered on and beat debutant Guye Adola by 14 seconds with 2:03:32.

2018 London Marathon – Bekele 6th and Kipchoge 1st 

The men's elite field at the 2018 London Marathon was a who's who of talent, with Kipchoge and Bekele joined by the likes of Mo Farah and reigning champion Daniel Wanjiru (in October 2020 Wanjiru was banned for four years due to abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport).

Kipchoge arrived in London as the favourite, due to the fact he'd won in Berlin so convincingly. Bekele however, at this point of his career, was quicker than the Kenyan (2:03:03 versus 2:03:05).

As with their other marathons, barely anything separated the duo at halfway and they went through in a blistering 61:00. By the 30km mark though, Kipchoge had already established a gap of one minute and six seconds to his rival.

He didn't look back. Crossing the line in 2:04:17, Kipchoge triumphed in London for the third time in four years while Bekele was sixth in 2:08:53.

Later that season Kipchoge broke the world marathon record with 2:01:39 in Berlin, before Bekele ran 2:01:41 for victory in the German capital a year later.

2024 Paris Olympics – Bekele 39th and Kipchoge DNF 

A lot of fans thought that the last time they would see Bekele and Kipchoge go head-to-head in the marathon was in London but, five years on, the distance running greats both competed at the Paris Olympics.

Making his fourth appearance at the Games and first since London 2012, Bekele arrived in Paris off the back of a masters world record of 2:04:15 for second place at the London Marathon.

Kipchoge had now seen the late Kelvin Kiptum break his own world record of 2:01:09 but was still competing at marathon majors, having finished 10th in Tokyo earlier in the season.

With both athletes at the latter stages of their careers, this race was as much about representation as competition, with the opportunity to wear their country's colours big pulls for both men.

On the undulating Parisian course, Kipchoge started well and was part of the leading pack that went through 10km in 30:59. The reigning double Olympic champion, going for an unprecedented three consecutive golds in the distance, pulled out at the 30km mark however, due to the recurrence of a back injury. It was his first DNF in a marathon.

A decade on from his marathon debut in the same city, Bekele finished in 39th with 2:12:24.

Was that their last dance together? Not just yet. The pair will face off at this Sunday's New York City Marathon, with the packed crowds almost certain to celebrate two legends of the sport.