NAIROBI - Kenya's Eliud Kipchoge said Monday that he will draw inspiration from the hard battle to retain his World Marathon Majors (WMM) crown in 2019.

Kipchoge won the Berlin Marathon in 2:01:39 in September, improving the previous world record by 1 minute and 18 seconds, the biggest single improvement in a men's marathon world record since 1967.

Kipchoge is among the favorites expected to wrest in the series dubbed "Where Champions Run" in the streets of Tokyo, London, Boston, Chicago and New York.

He leads the leader board after chalking maximum points in the first round in Berlin in September.

"The key to running well a marathon is all in the mind. Hard work and determination are key. I want to do well on the global scene and once my management have decided, I will know, which city I will be racing in next," Kipchoge said in Eldoret.