Mark Brown of Gibraltar may well finish more than 10 minutes behind the winner in Debrecen, but his appearance at the first IAAF World Road Running Championships will be just as notable as the victor, because he will become the first athlete with a disability to compete at an event of this level.
British-born Brown, 44, lost his left arm after a traffic accident in Shropshire 25 years ago. He was a Private in the Queens Lancashire Regiment of the British Army at the time.
“It was just one of those things,” he reflected. “I’ve pretty much moved on.”
That is an understatement, because though he was a keen cyclist and soccer player before his accident, he is now a runner of the highest world class within his classification of disability, which is known officially as T46 Amputee.
Brown took a silver medal at the 2000 Paralympic Marathon, won at the 2003 European Championships 5000m and placed fifth over that distance at the Athens Paralympics with his personal best of 15:21.56. Those performances were all in a British vest, but having now gained Gibraltarian eligibility through residency, he will be competing for that territory in Hungary against the best in the world. He is a serious athlete, training twice a day and running up to 80 miles per week. In 2004 he competed in a marathon at the base of Mount Everest, part of a charity effort which raised a total of more than $50,000.
He clocked a personal best of 2:32:00 in the 2000 London Marathon, and his half marathon best is 70:30, which would have beaten 16 of the able-bodied finishers at the 2005 Worlds in Edmonton. He’s hoping for a few scalps here in Debrecen.
“I want to put on a good show,” he explained. “My own realistic aim is not to finish last, and not to let down the people of Gibraltar who have supported me so much since 2002.”
That was the year he left his native Burnley to live with his brother Steven on the “Rock”. Husband of Janet and father of two grown-up daughters Samantha and Claire, Brown now works for the Government of Gibraltar as a Mental Health&nbsp; nurse. His coach for four years has been fellow Gibraltarian Hector Romero.
“This is the pinnacle of my career,” admitted Brown, who benefited from British Lottery funding before his transfer.
“I’ll have to be careful not to get carried away and I’ll be calling on all my experience. For me to be a disabled athlete at an IAAF event is a testimony to my efforts over the years. At the end of the day I’ll do my best and hope that will be good enough. I hope this says to other athletes out there, ‘don’t worry about your disability, do your best, let your inspiration take you forward.’ Athletics opens up so many doors, I wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t for my disability.”
Mark Butler for the IAAF

Mark Brown of Gibraltar may well finish more than 10 minutes behind the winner in Debrecen, but his appearance at the first IAAF World Road Running Championships will be just as notable as the victor, because he will become the first athlete with a disability to compete at an event of this level.

“Athletics opens up so many doors” – IAAF World Road Running Championships

Debrecen, HungaryYesterday evening at 18:00hrs (16:00GMT) the IAAF Family gathered for a very special event which took place on the eve of the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships.
The name István Gyulai, Hungary’s late IAAF General Secretary who died in office earlier this year, had his name given to Debrecen’s Athletics stadium, a venue which had been until then unnamed. The stadium had been the original inspiration of both Gyulai and the Mayor of the City, Lajos Kósa, and was the venue of&nbsp;a most successful edition of the IAAF World Youth Championships in 2001.
“I thank and congratulate the Mayor and the city of Debrecen for naming its athletics stadium after Istvan Gyulai. This is a worthy tribute for a man who is sadly missed and who gave so much to the sport of athletics,” said IAAF President Diack.
“Istvan devoted his entire life to our sport. As a young man, he was an international athlete and then became Head of Sport for Hungarian TV, combining that career with important positions in Hungarian and international sport. He was a member of the IAAF Council from 1984 until 2001, and was appointed IAAF General Secretary in 1991, working tirelessly and with great imagination for the cause of world athletics. His colleagues on the Council and in our Member Federations, as well as all the members of IAAF staff, will sadly miss his friendly manner, his intelligence and his energy. I also believe that Istvan was extremely courageous in the face of a cruel illness, continuing to work as hard as ever, without complaint.”
“Istvan Gyulai was a great servant of Athletics and Olympic Sport: a unique talent on the track and at the Council table. Questioning, testing, enigmatic, and enthusiastic, pushing the boundaries, open to any new idea but prepared to test it to destruction, proud and brave.” 
“I am sure that he would have been extremely honoured to know that the authorities in Debrecen had noted his contribution to Hungarian and World Athletics by naming this stadium after him,” concluded Diack.
IAAF

Debrecen, Hungary – Yesterday evening at 18:00hrs (16:00GMT) the IAAF Family gathered for a very special event which took place on the eve of the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships.

István Gyulai Athletics Stadium Inaugurated

Four of the leading contenders for honours at the inaugural&nbsp;IAAF World Road Running Championships, which tomorrow will be held over 20km on the streets of Hungary's second city, were the star guests of this afternoon's IAAF Press Conference.&nbsp;
Kenya’s Edith Masai, the&nbsp;three-time winner of the World Cross Country Championships short course title, and the current African record holder for 20km,&nbsp;Hungary's&nbsp;Anikó Kálovics, who is a multiple national championship winner and record holder,&nbsp;Zersenay Tadesse of Eritrea, the 2004 Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist, and&nbsp;Qatar's Mubarak Hassan Shami, the 2005 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships silver medallist, were present&nbsp;in the Ballroom of the Kölcsey Conference Centre in Debrecen at noon today to answer questions from the world's media.
Joining these three medal contenders was Jolanda Ceplak of Slovenia, the World Indoor record holder for 800m, who was present in her capacity as a representative of the IAAF Athletes’ Commission. 
Mihály Orendi, Executive President of LOC&nbsp;&nbsp;- "We have high expectations and we want to organise a very successful championships. We have 210 volunteers, 110 referees, 22 traffic officers and 30 civil guards."
And commenting on the death earlier this year of Hungary's former IAAF General Secretary István Gyulai, and in whose name the city's athletics stadium will be inaugurated later today, Mihály continued, "I want to say that István Gyulai was a very good friend of mine, and it is the least we can do to say we miss him. I feel he is close to us now."
Athlete Quotes
Edith Masai – "I am in good shape and I hope to run well tomorrow. The race will be very tough with Lornah and Anikó. It will not be easy but I will do my best. It depends on who will be pushing the pace and also on the wind conditions."
"My motivation is to run good. If I’m still running good then I’m not going to retire. I hope I can run in the Olympics and World Championships, but it all depends on the bodywork, like a car."
 Anikó Kálovics – "I’m especially pleased that that we have the World Championships in Hungary. Decision makers will pay high attention to this event."
"The road race events are my favourites, unfortunately when it comes to the track, I’m not really very fast. If you can’t do the last lap in 60 seconds, it is a disadvantage."
"There are a lot of African athletes and they are tough. Then there are 10-11 competitors who are 'dark horses'. We don’t really know their capacity. If I can be in the top&nbsp;20 finishers that will be good."
 Zersenay Tadesse – "Everyone comes here to win and I think that it will be a very fast race. I’m in good shape and I will try."
"The world record is very good, but there are no pacemakers here so we will see."
"I like cross country and road races, I hope to improve my speed but (track) 3000m and 5000m races are very tough for me."
Eritrean national coach, Abebe Zeruen – "Mostly he (Zersenay) has endurance as you will have seen at the Olympics, they beat him because he doesn’t have the finishing speed."
 Mubarak Hassan Shami – 
"I can improve my personal best because of what I’ve done in training, but a competition is a competition and I’ll do my best. We (Qatar) are confident."
The Prague Marathon dog affair - on his way to winning the Prague Marathon earlier this year, Shami had been chased for 300 metres&nbsp;by a loose dog on the course "He was trying to bite my my leg and the bike rider could not get in between us. The dog made me run like a rabbit, which is wrong in a marathon. I used all my energy to get away, and after I had no energy." "People should look after their dogs, it was lucky that I did not get bitten ... it was a very big dog (gesturing) with very big teeth.”
 Jolanda Ceplak – 
"No, I’m not going to retire, I’m at work here. It’s really strange to see some of the things you don’t notice when you’re are a competitor. I’m interested to see how much work goes into just two races, I’m really surprised."
 Mark Butler for the IAAF

Four of the leading contenders for honours at the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships, which tomorrow will be held over 20km on the streets of Hungary's second city, were the star guests of this afternoon's IAAF Press Conference.

Athletes Quotes - IAAF Press Conference, Debrecen 2006

As occurs the day before every&nbsp;IAAF World Athletics Series event, an IAAF Press Conference was held&nbsp;at noon today to&nbsp;officially launch the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships which are being held tomorrow morning, Sunday 8 October. Hosting the conference was IAAF President Lamine Diack, who was joined by IAAF General Secretary Pierre Weiss, the Mayor of the City of Debrecen and&nbsp;LOC President Lajos Kósa, and LOC Executive President Mihály Orendi. Lamine Diack - It gives me great pleasure to be with you today on the occasion of the first edition of the IAAF World Road Running Championships. I would like to thank Hungary for its willingness host of major international athletics competitions. I can still remember the 2004 edition of the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Budapest which was one of the best ever. I am delighted to see that this policy continues, with the Hungarian federation continuing to bid with enthusiasm, but also with the vital support of city and regional authorities as is the case here in Debrecen. I am also pleased that some months after our former General Secretary Istvan Gyulai passed away, we are returning to his native country with an IAAF competition. I believe that he would be delighted to know that we are in Hungary again, and I congratulate the city of Debrecen for deciding to name its athletics stadium after Istvan Gyulai. This is a worthy tribute for a man who is sadly missed and who gave so much to the sport of athletics. But returning to Debrecen, I am confident that we will have great spectator support for the competition because this city has a great reputation for organising road running and other sports events, and that our athletes will get the most enthusiastic support possible around the course. 
This weekend’s competition is the final IAAF World Athletics Series competition of 2006. It has been a long year – but an exciting one – and I believe it is a good opportunity to stop and remember what has made our sport stand out this year.&nbsp; Ever since the beginning of the year, when we had a sold out stadium in Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games athletics and a super edition of the World Indoor Championships in Moscow, our competition system has been a real promotion of athletics.
The new IAAF World Athletics Tour and World Athletics Final and the IAAF Golden League have injected greater coherence into the competition structure. The last edition of the World Athletics Final, which took place in Stuttgart, for the first time, was a near sell-out and last week’s IAAF World Cup in Athens had more than 35,000 spectators on the first day, which is far more than any of the recent editions. 
The IAAF is carrying out an ongoing reform of the international competition calendar and the structure of 1 day meetings, as part of the IAAF World Athletics Plan, and we fully expect to be able to deliver an even more coherent global athletics season that builds to an exciting and compelling climax.&nbsp; This can only be good for the fans, broadcasters, sponsors and for inspiring a new generation of young people to embrace our sport.&nbsp; As the IAAF approaches its centenary in 2012, it has never been better placed to drive forward the global development of athletics, ensuring a golden future characterised by growth, innovation and vibrancy.
This is why we are very pleased with this IAAF World Road Running Championships not only allows our elite road runners an important competition opportunity, but also give the IAAF a bridge into the world of the recreational runner, a community that has discovered running, and who have helped make the road running scene one of the most vibrant in our sport.
This competition remains popular not only with our member federations but also with elite athletes as it is the only event that allows road runners to become World Champions. We can certainly anticipate some exciting battles for honours here in Debrecen, with US$140,000 on offer in prize money from the IAAF for individuals, with US$30,000 for a win, and the first six in each race eligible for an award. Team awards worth US$105,000 are also on offer, starting with US$15,000 for the winner.
Thanks for your attention and I’d like to wish the organisers and athletes the best of luck on race day!
Lamine Diack IAAF President

As occurs the day before every IAAF World Athletics Series event, an IAAF Press Conference was held at noon today to officially launch the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships which are being held tomorrow morning, Sunday 8 October.

IAAF President’s speech - Debrecen 2006 Press Conference

Tightly competitive fields of runners assembled from 43 nations, racing on a super fast loop course, should make the 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary (Sunday 8 October) over 20km an athletics spectacle to savour.
Click here to go to <A href="http://www.iaaf.org/wru06/results/byEvent.html" target=_blank>START LIST </A>
or downloadable as pdf files via the following links:
<A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36473.pdf" target=_blank><A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36473.pdf">MEN</A><A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36473.pdf"></A> </A><A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36483.pdf" target=_blank>WOMEN</A>
&nbsp;
Biographies - pdf files
<A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36485.pdf" target=_blank>MEN</A>
<A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36484.pdf" target=_blank>WOMEN</A>
 IAAF

Tightly competitive fields of runners assembled from 43 nations, racing on a super fast loop course, should make the 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary (Sunday 8 October) over 20km an athletics spectacle to savour.

START LIST and Biographies - 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships

In the second of our race previews, we examine the merits of some of the leading contenders in the&nbsp;Women’s 20km Race at the 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday 8 October.
<A href="http://www.iaaf.org/WRU06/news/Kind=2/newsId=36466.html" target=_blank></A></A><A href="http://www.iaaf.org/WRU06/news/Kind=2/newsId=36466.html">Click here for the preview of the Men’s 20km Race</A><A href="http://www.iaaf.org/WRU06/news/Kind=2/newsId=36466.html"></A> Following a mass relay race for students at the start of the morning, the women’s 20km opens the championships properly on Sunday at 11.00hrs local time (09.00 GMT), offering the home spectators the best chance of individual success. 29-year-old Anikó Kálovics is a multiple Hungarian national champion and record holder, with PBs of 15:29 (5k), 31:42 (10k), 49:24 (15k) and 69:16 (HM). With experience of two Olympic Games at 10,000m, and a fifth place at the European Cross Country Championships last year, she should be aiming for a top-10 finish, and may well be inspired on home territory.
The name of two World track champions loom large over the entry list. However, the participation of Ethiopia’s Berhane Adere (2003 World 10,000m champion) and Uganda’s Dorcus Inzikuru (2005 3000m World Steeplechase champion) is in doubt. The former, who also won the World Half Marathon title in 2002, has reportedly withdrawn following her half marathon victory in Newcastle last weekend, while the Ugandan has recently suffered a serious allergy attack and is said to be unfit to race.
But whatever occurs with these two names, Sunday’s event can still boast a World Championship gold medallist in Romania’s Constantina Tomescu, who won last year’s World Half Marathon Championships, the IAAF World Athletics Series event which has been replaced by this year’s inaugural World Road Running Championships. With a 1:05.27 PB set&nbsp;this year Tomescu is the fifth fastest over 20km in the world, and the third quickest of those assembled for the title challenge. Romania can equally rely on Lidia Simon to once again uphold its proud tradition in long distance running. The 33-year-old took the 2001 World Marathon title, so far the zenith of a career littered with other major medals – 1997 World Championship Marathon Bronze, 1999 World Championship Marathon Bronze , 2000 Olympic Marathon Silver, and at the World Half Marathon Championships, three Bronze 1997, 1998, 2000, and silver in 1996.
Leading the world in 2006 over 20km, and entered for Debrecen are the Asian and African record holders, respectively Kayoko Fukushi of Japan – 1:03:41 – and Kenyan Edith Masai – 1:03:52. Fukushi and Masai set their records as intermediate splits on the way to Half Marathon victories, the former in the Marugame Half Marathon (67:26 Area Rec) on 5 February, and the latter at the Berlin Half Marathon (67:16) on the 2 April. 
Fukushi and Masai are major championship performers of the highest pedigree, with a solid ability over a range of distances, and are two very serious challengers for gold this weekend.
Fukushi, 24, is national record holder at 3000m (8:44.40), 5000m (14:53.22), 5km (15:33), Half Marathon (67:26 Area Rec) with two Asian Games track silvers to her credit, and a third place finish over 5000m at the recent World Cup. 
Masai, 39, is the three-time World Cross Country short course gold medallist, and ran to bronze over 5000m at the 2003 World Championships, having set the Area record for 3000m in 2002 (8:23.23). After failing to progress from her 5000m heat at the 2004 Olympics, her best years were thought already to have been run but then she took a 2:27 victory in the Hamburg Marathon in 2005. This year she stunned again with a Kenyan record over 5000m of 14:33.84 in Oslo in June, and then set a national 10,000m&nbsp;mark of 30:30.26 in Helsinki in August. 
Backing-up Masai’s challenge will be her compatriot Rita Jeptoo, the Boston marathon champion this year (2:23:28) who has a half marathon best of 70:41 and for 20km, 1:07:47.
Former Kenyan Lornah Kiplagat, who now represents the Netherlands is in superb form. At the Dam to Dam (Ten Miles) race from Amsterdam to Zaandam on 17 September, Kiplagat won in 50:50, bettering her world’s fastest ever clocking (22 Sep 2002) by four seconds. With a 1:03:54, 20km PB set in 2001, the 34-year-old is the ‘real deal’ on the roads having won major marathons in Osaka and Rotterdam. She is also the silver medallist from last year’s World Half Marathon Championships, and is the reigning European Cross Country champion.
Former World record holder for the women’s 3000m Steeplechase Justyna Bak is Poland’s sole but top quality entrant, while in Adere's presumed absence Teyiba Erkesso, the 2004 World Cross Country short course bronze medallist should be Ethiopia's best bet for honours.
And then we have a formidable line-up from Russia to consider. Olesya Syreva is an outstanding prospect, the University Games winner at 1500m, but she has&nbsp;no career credentials above 5000m. Irina Timofeyeva is the 2006 Paris Marathon champion, while interestingly another of the squad is Alina Ivanova. The 37-year-old won the World 10km Race Walking gold in Tokyo 1991 and with a late conversion to running took ninth in the 2004 World Half Marathon. She has a personal best of 2:25:34 for the marathon after coming seventh in London in 2001. She is also this year’s Prague Marathon winner (2:29:20).
In a race which will be contested by athletes from 29 nations, the team battle should be between the Kenyans, Romanians, Japanese&nbsp;and Russians.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
<A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36470.pdf" target=_blank>Click here for pdf version of World Road Running Championships "Facts &amp; Figures" - a wrap-up of all past IAAF World Half Marathon Championships 1992-2005</A>

In the second of our race previews, we examine the merits of some of the leading contenders in the Women’s 20km Race at the 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary on Sunday 8 October.

Women’s Race Preview – IAAF World Road Running Championships

With a total prize purse of US$245,000 being paid by the IAAF, including US$30,000 for an individual victory and US$15,000 for a team win in both the men’s and women’s races, the 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary, which take place on&nbsp;Sunday 8 October are sure to provide memorable competitions over 20km. In the first of our two race previews, we examine the merits of some of the leading players in the Men’s 20km Race…
There is no one on show on Sunday with a greater major championship pedigree than Morocco’s reigning double World Marathon champion Jaouad Gharib. The 34-year-old also has shorter distance credentials having in 2002 taken the silver medal at the World Half Marathon Championships, which was the forerunner to this IAAF World Athletics Series event. Running last weekend in Newcastle, England at the Great North Run, Gharib came fourth in his season’s best for the half marathon (62:41).
None of the rest of the 20km men's field in Hungary can come close to Gharib’s global achievements on the road, though there are a number of athletes who have also scored individual success at the World Half Marathon. 
The other individual medallists on show are Martin Sulle of Tanzania (bronze 2003), Eritrea’s Yonas Kifle (bronze 2005), and Mubarak Hassan Shami of Qatar (silver 2005). Sulle has a 20km PB of 58:58 (2002), and Kifle was also fourth at the World Half in 2002, while Shami, the former Kenyan Richard Yatich, has now turned successfully to the marathon, having won in Vienna, Venice and Prague in his first three races at that distance.
Of these three&nbsp;athletes it is Shami’s which resonates the most, as he was involved in one of the most dramatic tactical miscalculations in major championship history in Edmonton last year. The Qatari signalled the win as he neared the finish, only to find himself embarrassingly out-dipped on the line by Tanzania’s Fabiano Joseph.
Gharib’s compatriot, Abdelkader El Mouaziz, at 37 is the oldest man in the field, but in major road race terms as a two-time London marathon winner he is the next most successful globally. Though his 20km PB is only 60:22 and dates back to 2003, his international experience – top-8 finisher in 2000 Olympics and 2001 World Champs – makes him a formidable competitor.
Following the form-guide the favourite to win the inaugural World Road Running title is Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadesse. The Olympic 10,000m bronze medallist has also been successful off the track at major championship level with a second place finish in the long race at the 2005 World Cross Country Championships. The 24-year-old won the Rotterdam Half Marathon on 10 September in 59:16, the fourth fastest time ever run for the distance, and on the way produced a 20km split of 56:17, the third fastest-time ever recorded.
The Ethiopian contingent is a relatively unknown quantity. They are led by their national trials winner Deriba Merga, whose biggest other claim to fame is that he finished&nbsp;third in the 2005 Great Ethiopian Run 10km. However, Solomon Tsige, second in the national qualification race, has some international experience having finished fifth in the 2004 World Half Marathon championships.
The Kenyans have selected a strong side as always, with the best being Robert Kipchumba who has a 20km best of 56:21. The next fastest is Wilfred Taragon, 57:34. These two are respectively the fifth and sixth fastest athletes of 2006 over 20km, while another member of the team, Wilson Kebenei Kiprotich has good career credentials at the half marathon with top-3 finishes in Paris, Milan and Lisbon over the years, and an 8th placing at the World Half in 2004.
Uganda will also field a quality line-up with the 2005 World University Games 5000m and 10,000m gold medallist Wilson Busienei Kipkemei, the standout of the team. Ryan Hall, the national cross country champion, is the headliner of in the&nbsp;squad selected by the USA.
The individual entry of Gibraltar’s Mark Brown should also be noted. Brown is an amputee and no stranger to arduous tasks of endurance, having enjoyed a rich running career that has taken him to three Paralympics.
The hosts Hungary will be hopeful of a good showing&nbsp;from its&nbsp;full selection, though in the main battle for team honours it should be the usual east African powerhouses of endurance, and the Moroccans, and the Qataris who are favourites to medal. 
In total athletes from 36 nations have entered to contest the men’s 20km.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
 <A href="http://www.iaaf.org/WRU06/news/Kind=2/newsId=36472.html" target=_blank>Click here for a preview of the women's race</A>
&nbsp;
<A href="http://www.iaaf.org/newsfiles/36470.pdf" target=_blank>Click here for pdf version of World Road Running Championships "Facts &amp; Figures" - a wrap-up of all past IAAF World Half Marathon Championships 1992-2005</A>

With a total prize purse of US$245,000 being paid by the IAAF, including US$30,000 for an individual victory and US$15,000 for a team win in both the men’s and women’s races, the 1st IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary, which take place on Sunday 8 October are sure to provide memorable competitions over 20km.

Men’s Race Preview – IAAF World Road Running Championships

Mexico and Brazil lead Latin America’s participation at the inaugural IAAF Road Race World Championships, to be held this weekend in Debrecen, Hungary (Sunday 8 Oct).
Mexico will be represented by Juan Carlos Romero, Gualberto Vargas, Julio César Pérez, Susana Díaz and Patricia Rodríguez, while Brazil counts on four men and four women: João Ferreira de Lima, Paulo Alves do Santos, Élson Alex Gracioli, Adriano Lemos Fortes, Maria Sandra Pereira Silva, Maria Cristina Bernardo Vaqueiro Rodrigues, Rosa Jussara Barbosa and Antonia Bernadete Lins da Silva.
Mexico
The Mexican squad was selected at the 17th Atlas Half Marathon in early September. 
Romero, a double silver medallist at the 2005 CAC Champs in Nassau, has been fast on the track, following his 28:32.61-minute 10.000m in June. He has a half marathon personal best of 1:04:44.
Vargas and Perez have marathon experience as the former ran 2:17:22 to finish eighth in Toronto, in late September. The latter ran 2:17:26 for ninth at Lala in April. Vargas represented Mexico at the marathon of the 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, while 24-year old Perez wore the red, white and green colours at the 2005 World Half Marathon Champs in Edmonton.
Among women, Susana Diaz and Jessica Patricia Rodriguez also hope to improve their 20km best. Diaz, mother of three, is coached by Mexico-based Polish Wanda Panfil, the 1991 World marathon champion.
Brazil
The South American giant will send eight athletes to Debrecen.
Joao Ferreira de Lima and Paulo Alves dos Santos were selected after finishing second and third at the Rio de Janeiro Half Marathon, in early September, with respective times of 1:04:27 and 1:04:39. Alves made his marathon debut in Berlin, three weeks later.
Elson Alex Gracioli and Adriano Lemos Fortes, both timed 1:05:24 in Rio, complete the men’s quartet.
The four Brazilian women have run 1:18 half marathons this season. Maria Sandra Pereira Silva clocked 1:18:23 to finish sixth in Rio, followed by M.C.Bernardo Vaqueiro Rodrigues (1:18:35) and Antonia Bernadete Lins de Barros (1:18:51). Rosa Jussara Barbosa ran 1:18:40 for fouth in Sao Paulo, in April.
History
The IAAF World Road Race World Championships replace the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships, held annually in 1992-2005.
In the previous event, Mexico and Brazil posted their best result in Oslo´94, when German Silva and Ronaldo da Costa clinched the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
Another runner from Mexico, Arturo Barrios (now American) has held the 20,000m and one-hour world records on the track, since 1991.
Mexico also hosted the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Veracruz, in November 2000.
Javier Clavelo Robinson for the IAAF

Mexico and Brazil lead Latin America’s participation at the inaugural IAAF Road Race World Championships, to be held this weekend in Debrecen, Hungary (Sunday 8 Oct).

Mexico and Brazil carry Latin American hopes in Debrecen

MonteCarloWhen assessing the possibility for fast distance running performances at any championship, arguably you couldn’t find two more distinguished names than Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe as the World record incumbents. The Ethiopian and Briton respectively hold the men’s and women’s World records for 20km, the distance at which the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary&nbsp;will be staged on Sunday 8 October 2006.
However, while Gebrselassie’s 55:48, set earlier this year (15 Jan), and Radcliffe’s 1:03:26 established en route to winning the World Half Marathon title in 2001 (6 Oct), are formidable&nbsp;figures to challenge, and neither athlete will compete (Radcliffe – on maternity leave; Gebrselassie – ran the Berlin Marathon only two weekend’s ago), Hungary’s second city can still expect some exceptionally fast times to be recorded on its streets.
"Very flat with broad turns"
Back in July Kenya’s Tegla Loroupe, the World Half Marathon champion on three occasions (1997, 1998, 1999), tested the 5km loop course on which both 20km championship races will be contested in Debrecen, and assessed it as exceptionally fast.
“The course is very nice, very flat with broad turns. I believe that outstanding times can be achieved here during the World Road Running Championships.”
Asian and African record holders
The line-up of swift performers also denotes fast finishing times next weekend.
The women’s race contains both the Asian and African record holders, respectively Kayoko Fukushi of Japan – 1:03:41 – and Kenyan Edith Masai – 1:03:52. Both these Area records were set this year and are currently the fastest times of 2006 for 20km. Fukushi ran her figures in the process of taking victory in the Marugame Half Marathon (67:26 Area Rec) on 5 February, and Masai’s performance was notched-up while winning the Berlin Half Marathon (67:16) on the 2 April. 
Also in scintillating form is the Netherlands’ Lornah Kiplagat (1:03:54, 20km&nbsp;PB – 2001) who won the Dam to Dam (Ten Miles) race from Amsterdam to Zaandam on 17 September in 50:50, bettering her world’s fastest ever clocking (22 Sep 2002) by four seconds.
Habitually strong line-up
The fastest athlete in the men’s field is Eritrea’s Zersenay Tadesse who won the Rotterdam Half Marathon on 10 September in 59:16, the fourth fastest time ever run for the distance. On the way to which triumph he produced a 20km split of 56:17, the third fastest-time ever recorded.
And among the habitually strong Kenyan line-up for the championships, we have two men who on the basis of their fastest are in the form to give the Eritrean a high paced challenge. Robert Kipchumba came second to Tadesse in Rotterdam (56:21), while Wilfred Taragon was third in Berlin on 2 April (57:34), respectively the fifth and sixth fastest athletes of 2006.
So Debrecen, which hosted a most successful edition of the World Youth Championships in 2001, can undoubtedly look forward to some fast exciting times on its streets this weekend.
Chris Turner for the IAAF
NB. Full preview stories for both the men’s and women’s races will be published later this week

Carlo – When assessing the possibility for fast distance running performances at any championship, arguably you couldn’t find two more distinguished names than Haile Gebrselassie and Paula Radcliffe as the World record incumbents. The Ethiopian and Briton respectively hold the men’s and women’s World records for 20km, the distance at which the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships, Debrecen, Hungary will be staged on Sunday 8 October 2006.

Fast Course, Fast Entrants – IAAF World Road Running Championships

Kayoko Fukushi&nbsp;made her final tuneup prior to her participation in the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, by taking a fast 10,000m track win at the all-Japan Corporate team Track &amp; Field Championships that were held in Oita, 30 September and 1 October.&nbsp; 
Fukushi, who is part of the Japanese team next weekend (8 October)&nbsp;in Debrecen, Hungary, won the 10,000m in 30:57.90.&nbsp; Running alone from the start, Fukushi had a margin of more than 20 seconds over Kenyan Ongori Philes.
Although she failed in her attempt to set the national record, Fukushi now holds the second to the sixth fastest ever 10,000m times by a Japanese runner.&nbsp; 
Ndambiri - fastest 10,000m on Japanese soil
On the first day of the champs, Josphat Ndambiri, a Kenyan who runs for Komori Corporation, won the men’s 10,000m in 27:04.79.&nbsp; Ndambiri won the race by more than 10 seconds from John Kariuki, a Kenyan who runs for Toyota Boshoku.&nbsp; Ndambiri’s time is the fastest 10,000m on the Japanese soil, replacing 27:08.00 by Kenyan Samuel Wanjiru, which was recorded in Shizuoka in May of 2005.&nbsp; 
On the second day, Ndambiri ran the 5000m, but finished second to Martin Mathathi, a Kenyan who runs for Suzuki Motors.&nbsp; Mathathi, who finished fifth at 10,000m in the World Championships in Helsinki and third in the long course at the 2006 World Cross Country Championships, won both the 1500m and 5000m in Oita.&nbsp; 
Lucy Wangui, the Kenyan who runs for Suzuki Motors, won the women’s 1500m and finished second in 5000m, the race won by a Kenyan Windfridah Kebaso.&nbsp; Finishing second to Wangui at 1500m was Japan’s Miho Sugimori, who also won the 800m, an event at which she holds the national record.&nbsp; 
The other national record holders, who won their events were Shingo Suetsugu, who won the 200m in 20.36, Naoyuki Daigo, the High Jump in 2.21m, Sakie Nobuoka, the 200m in 23.26, Kumiko Ikeda the Long Jump (and 100mH) and Yuka Murofushi, who won the Discus Throw with 52.60m.&nbsp; 
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF
 Results:&nbsp; 
MEN
100m&nbsp; (0.0m/s) 1)&nbsp; Shigeyuki Kojima&nbsp; 10.47 2)&nbsp; Nobuharu Asahara&nbsp; 10.48
200m&nbsp; (0.2m/s) 1)&nbsp; Shingo Suetsugu&nbsp; 20.36&nbsp; 2)&nbsp; Yusuke Omae&nbsp; 20.74
400m 1)&nbsp; Yoshihiro Horigome&nbsp; 45.88 2)&nbsp; Mitsuhiro Sato&nbsp; 46.58 
800m 1)&nbsp; Naoto Suzuki&nbsp;&nbsp; 1:50.06 2)&nbsp; Hiroshi Sasano&nbsp; 1:50.36&nbsp; 
1500m 1)&nbsp; Martin Mathathi (KEN)&nbsp; 3:38.57 2)&nbsp; Fumikazu Kobayashi&nbsp; 3:38.95&nbsp; 
5000m 1)&nbsp; Martin Mathathi&nbsp; (KEN)&nbsp; 13:13.82 2)&nbsp; Josphat Ndambiri (KEN)&nbsp; 13:15.29 3)&nbsp; Charles Kamathi (KEN)&nbsp; 13:22.48 4)&nbsp; Mwangi Murigi (KEN)&nbsp; 13:23.15
10,000m 1)&nbsp; Josphat Ndambiri (KEN)&nbsp; 27:04.79&nbsp;&nbsp; All comers record 2)&nbsp; John Kariuki (KEN)&nbsp; 27:14.84 3)&nbsp; James Mwangi (KEN)&nbsp; 27:57.35 4)&nbsp; Cyrus Njui (KEN)&nbsp; 28:13.33&nbsp; 
110mH&nbsp; 0.0m/s 1)&nbsp; Masato Naito&nbsp; 13.73 2)&nbsp; Yuji Ohashi&nbsp; 13.80
400mH 1)&nbsp; Naohiro Kawakita&nbsp; 49.17 2)&nbsp; Mahau Sugimachi&nbsp; 49.64 
3000mSC 1)&nbsp; Hidenobu Koshikawa&nbsp; 8:40.16 2)&nbsp; Satoshi Kato 8:41.34 
10000mW 1)&nbsp; Yuki Yamazaki 40:55.25 2)&nbsp; Ken Akashi&nbsp; 41:10.99 
HJ 1)&nbsp; Naoyuki Daigo 2.21m 2)&nbsp; Yoshihiko Edo&nbsp; 2.15m&nbsp; 
PV Masafumi Moribe&nbsp; 5.10m
LJ 1)&nbsp; Daisuke Arakawa&nbsp; 7.74m (0.4m/s) 2)&nbsp; Manabu Suda&nbsp; 7.55m (1.2m/s)
TJ 1)&nbsp; Kazuyoshi Ishikawa&nbsp; 16.13m&nbsp; (0.2m/s) 2)&nbsp; Hiroyuki Inaba&nbsp; 16.10m (0.4m/s)
SP 1)&nbsp; Yohei Murakawa&nbsp; 17.51m 2)&nbsp; Satoshi Hatase&nbsp; 17.44m 
DT 1)&nbsp; Shigeo Hatakeyama&nbsp; 55.10m 2)&nbsp; Jun Fujiwara&nbsp; 51.41m 
HT 1)&nbsp; Hiroaki Doi&nbsp; 66.72m 2)&nbsp; Hiroshi Noguchi&nbsp; 62.31m
JT 1)&nbsp; Yukifumi Murakami&nbsp; 74.55m 2)&nbsp; Toyofumi Muronaga&nbsp; 71.83m
 WOMEN
100m&nbsp; 0.0m/s 1)&nbsp; Tomoko Ishida&nbsp; 11.70 2)&nbsp; Motoka Kojima&nbsp; 11.72 3)&nbsp; Sakie Nobuoka&nbsp; 11.83
200m&nbsp; 1.0m/s 1)&nbsp; Sakie Nobuoka&nbsp; 23.62 2)&nbsp; Ayumi Shimazaki&nbsp; 24.25 3)&nbsp; Mayu Kida&nbsp; 24.29&nbsp; 
400m 1)&nbsp; Satomi Kubokura&nbsp; 53.66 2)&nbsp; Mayu Kida&nbsp; 54.42 
800m 1)&nbsp; Miho Sugimori&nbsp; 2:03.52 2)&nbsp; Nanae Kuwashiro&nbsp; 2:05.10 
1500m 1)&nbsp; Lucy Wangui (KEN)&nbsp; 4:12.44 2)&nbsp; Miho Sugimori&nbsp; 4:12.54 
5000m 1)&nbsp; Winfreidah Kebaso&nbsp; (KEN)&nbsp; 15:18.6 2)&nbsp; Lucy Wangui (KEN)&nbsp; 15:18.8 3)&nbsp; Ongori Philes&nbsp; (KEN)&nbsp; 15:19.9
10,000m 1)&nbsp; Kayoko Fukushi&nbsp; 30:57.90 2)&nbsp; Ongori Philes&nbsp; (KEN)&nbsp; 31:18.85 3)&nbsp; Wnfridah Kebaso (KEN) 31:19.92 4)&nbsp; Evelyne Kimwei (KEN)&nbsp; 31:22.68 5)&nbsp; Kayo Sugihara&nbsp; 31:47.60 6)&nbsp; Yoshimi Ozaki&nbsp; 31:48.92 7)&nbsp; Harumi Hiroyama&nbsp; 31:49.15 8)&nbsp; Noriko Matsuoka&nbsp; 31:49.89
100mH&nbsp;&nbsp; 0.0m/s 1) Kumiko Ikeda&nbsp; 13.25 2)&nbsp; Mami Ishino&nbsp; 13.27&nbsp;&nbsp; 
400mH 1)&nbsp; Satomi Kubokura 56.24 2)&nbsp; Makiko Yoshida&nbsp; 57.66 
3000mSC 1)&nbsp; Haruna Mori&nbsp; 10:07.65 2)&nbsp; Ayumi Minami&nbsp; 10:18.22
5000mW 1)&nbsp; Ryoko Sakakura&nbsp; 21:36.41&nbsp; 2)&nbsp; Fumika Kiryu&nbsp; 23:08.23 
HJ 1)&nbsp; Miyuki Aoyama&nbsp; 1.87m 2)&nbsp; Kiyoka Fujisawa&nbsp; 1.81m
PV 1)&nbsp; Tomoko Maeda&nbsp; 3.80m 2)&nbsp; Erika Kanafuda&nbsp; 3.50m 
LJ 1)&nbsp; Kumiko Ikeda&nbsp; 6.44m&nbsp; (-0.6m/s) 2)&nbsp; Maho Hanaoka&nbsp; 6.39m&nbsp; (0.5m/s)
TJ 1) Megumi Noda&nbsp; 12.54m&nbsp; (0.2m/s) 2) Yayoi Fujita&nbsp; 12.26m (0.0m/s)
SP 1)&nbsp; Yukiko Shirai&nbsp; 14.88m 2)&nbsp; Miho Goto&nbsp; 13.63
DT 1)&nbsp; Yuka Murofushi&nbsp; 52.60m 2)&nbsp; Sachiyo Yokoyama&nbsp; 48.07
HT 1)&nbsp; Masumi Aya&nbsp; 65.48m 2)&nbsp; Yuka Murofushi&nbsp; 60.28m
JT 1)&nbsp; Yuko Kojima&nbsp; 50.58m 2)&nbsp; Harumi Yamamoto&nbsp; 49.11m

Kayoko Fukushi made her final tune-up prior to her participation in the inaugural IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary, by taking a fast 10,000m track win at the all-Japan Corporate team Track & Field Championships that were held in Oita, 30 September and 1 October.

Fukushi tunes-up well for Debrecen at JPN Corp Champs

It was a case of five times lucky for Berhane Adere while Hendrick Ramaala completed a hat trick of wins in the BUPA Great North Run this morning as the Ethiopian and South African were crowned 2006 champions after breaking away from their respective rivals in the final two miles of the Newcastle to South Shields Half Marathon.
After winning here in 1997 and 2003, the 34-year-old Ramaala judged his race perfectly to clock up his third win in this event in 1:01:04. Only Kenya’s Benson Masya (with four) has had more victories, while Ramaala has now finished first three times, second and third in his five appearances in the Tyneside race.
After a couple of surges earlier in the race, the South African made his decisive move between 11 and 12 miles to pull clear of Ethiopia’s Dejene Berhanu, the 2004 champion, and USA’s Dathan Ritzenhein in the closing stages. He crossed the line 19 seconds clear of Berhanu with the debutant, Ritzenhein, another three seconds adrift.
“I wanted to run under 61 minutes but I couldn’t do it,” said Ramaala. “But I won for the third time and I am very happy about that.
“You never know you’ve won until you cross the finish line, so I was very happy when I eventually got away.”
Adere appeared to have no such doubts. Despite failing to win in four previous attempts, the former world 5,000m champion looked comfortable throughout the race, coping easily with the undulating course and saving plenty of energy to ease away from Australia’s Benita Johnson and Kenya’s Susan Chepkemei with just over a mile to go.
The Ethiopian ran the 13th mile in a devastating 4:50, and finished in 1:10:03, nearly five minutes slower than Paula Radcliffe’s course record and the slowest winning time since Ireland’s Sonia O’Sullivan claimed victory in 1998 in 1:11:50.
“I wanted to go faster and I could have pushed earlier,” said Adere. “But I wasn’t going for a time I just wanted to win. Now I’m really happy to be champion after trying so many times.”
Johnson, a winner here two years ago, was second 1:10:17, five seconds ahead of Chepkemei, the 2001 winner.
Women’s race
It was the Japanese runner Mikie Takanaka who led in the first, fast, downhill mile at the head of a group of a dozen of the leading contenders, the tall Adere prominent among them. They passed the first mile in 5:13 and Takanaka led a bunch of 10 over Newcastle’s famous Tyne Bridge. Alongside Adere, Chepkemei and Johnson were Kenya’s Sally Barsosio and Britain’s Jo Pavey.
Pavey, running in only her second international road race and her first half marathon, had talked during the week of her anxiety about covering the half marathon distance in the company of such illustrious marathon runners, but after six miles she was comfortably positioned at the back of a group containing these leading five names.
Takanaka slipped out of the reckoning after five miles and Barsosio dropped off the back with seven miles gone. Johnson and Adere took up the pace in front of Chepkemei and Pavey and pulled them through the eighth mile in 5:01, the fastest so far.
Johnson is an old hand at the GNR – she won here two years ago – and had prepared herself well for the tougher second half of this course with a pre-race plan to apply the pressure in the closing miles. The former IAAF World Cross Country champion began to put that into action with five miles still to go.
But the Africans looked relaxed, and were little troubled by Johnson’s brief surge, while the less experienced Pavey was happy to sit just off the pace.
The leaders passed nine miles in 46:51 and when Adere made a move in the 10th mile (5:16), a gap opened between Pavey and the other three as the 33-year-old Ethiopian dragged Johnson and Chepkemei clear. For a moment it seemed to be the decisive moment, but Adere - the fastest finisher in the race - was only testing her rivals and as the race slowed again Pavey dragged herself back into contention.
Despite the changing pace - miles clicked by in anything from 5:01 to 5:52 - these four were still locked together after an hour with less than two miles to go. Pavey was eventually dropped as Johnson made a move down the hill towards the South Shields sea front, but the Australian had not done enough to kill off the Africans.
Adere had merely been biding her time and when she opened her long stride with the finish line shimmering in the distance she rapidly created a gap of 10 metres that grew quickly to 20, then 30. The victory was hers.
The Ethiopian crossed the line some 14 seconds ahead of Johnson who outkicked Chepkemei in the closing stages while Pavey hung on for fourth in 1:10:42. The Briton suffered dramatically in the last half mile and was quickly whisked away to the medical tent feeling “puzzled” and “delirious”.
“I suddenly felt totally weird and wasn’t sure I could finish,” said Pavey who admitted she might not have eaten enough beforehand or drunk enough water during the race.
There were no such alarms for Adere who, after Derartu Tulu’s victory last year, is only the second Ethiopian to win the women’s Great North Run. Incidentally, the news from Tulu’s manager is that the double Olympic 10,000m champion did not defend her title here because she is pregnant.
In her absence, Adere was a worthy successor. “I wanted to push earlier but it was not possible,” said Adere. “My plan was to see if anyone was with me, then go at the end.”
It worked perfectly.
Men’s race
With the early morning damp disappearing under north east England’s thin autumn sunshine conditions were almost perfect by the time the elite men set off half an hour after the women and at the head of a mass field of 50,000 hopeful pairs of legs.
While most of them were still struggling towards the start line, Morocco’s world marathon champion Jaouad Gharib had already clipped through the first mile in 4:17 and sped across the Tyne Bridge at a pace that only three others were prepared to match.
That small group quickly became five when Ethiopia’s Dejene Berhanu joined Gharib, Ritzenhein, Ramaala and Kenya’s Rodgers Rop, with Italy’s Olympic marathon champion Stefano Baldini running his own race alongside Kenya’s Wilberforce Talel some 50 metres behind.
That gap grew when Ramaala put in one of his customary bursts after 30 minutes of running. He clocked 4:24 for the seventh mile to pull Berhanu a few metres clear of the American and Gharib, and 4:26 for the eighth, which saw the end of Rop.
Ritzenhein had predicted he would “stick his nose in amongst the big boys and see what happens” and the American was certainly getting a sniff of top class road racing. But the man nicknamed “Ritz cracker” was far from overawed by the ebb and flow of the pace and he dragged himself back into contention, passing Gharib on the way.
With only three miles left, Ritzenhein was back on level terms with Berhanu and Ramaala. Perhaps sensing the danger from the largely unknown American, Ramaala put in another surge as he aimed for his third Great North title.
With two miles left, the South African opened a gap of 10 metres on Berhanu and left the steady Ritzenhein another 10 metres behind. Berhanu’s effort to stay with Ramaala appeared to have cost him as Ritzenhein, running his own even rhythm, closed the gap again and moved into second.
While Ramaala, running 4:38 for both the 12th and 13th miles, had done enough to secure his Great North Run hat trick, the battle for the minor places was far from over. As they strained towards the finish Berhanu found one last ounce of energy to creep past Ritzenhein and snatch second place by just three seconds.
“I love this course,” said Ramaala after completing the slowest of his three victories. “It wasn’t the hardest race and much easier than 2003.
“It was kind of a tactical race today,” added Ramaala, who only arrived in England from Johannesburg two days ago. “I felt heavy in the first half but I think my body was just waiting for the race to get going.
“I made a couple of surges around 10 and 11km and got rid of some of the runners but then I decided to save myself for the finish. Some of the hills here are a little bit mean.”
Ramaala will now be full of confidence for the New York Marathon early in November when he will attempt to regain the title he won in 2004 and lost by inches to Paul Tergat last year.
Morale-booster for debutante Ritzenhein
This time he will have a new challenger, for Ritzenhein emerged from today’s race with a morale boosting performance behind him. The American was rewarded for ingoring the surging Africans and sticking to his own race plan with a time well inside his target of 62 minutes.
“The pace was all over the place,” said the 23-year-old. “I tried to be smart and run a more even rhythm. And at some points I moved up to let them know I am not intimidated.
“I picked this race because I knew a lot of New York contenders would be here,” he added. “As for the New York Marathon, I don’t want to put any limits on myself. A lot can happen in a marathon but after today I am full of confidence and even think I can win it.”
Ramaala, Tergat and the rest, take note.
Matthew Brown for the IAAF

It was a case of five times lucky for Berhane Adere while Hendrick Ramaala completed a hat trick of wins in the BUPA Great North Run this morning as the Ethiopian and South African were crowned 2006 champions after breaking away from their respective rivals in the final two miles of the Newcastle to South Shields Half Marathon.

Solid victories for Adere, Ramaala at Great North Run

Japan is sending a five men and five women team to the IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. The team was mostly selected based on the performances at the All Japan Corporate team Half Marathon championships in March, the Sendai Half Marathon in May and the Sapporo Half Marathon in July.&nbsp; 
The runner with the best chance for a medal on the Japanese team is Kayoko Fukushi, the Asian record holder at the Half Marathon. On her half marathon debut in February of 2006, Fukushi won the Marugame Half Marathon in 1:07:26. Not only was it an Asian record in the event, but en route she recorded the World record, 46:55, at 15Km.&nbsp; Fukushi qualified for the team by winning the Sendai Half Marathon in May where she finished in 1:11:27 ahead of Kenyan Catherine Ndereba. More recently Fukushi won the 10,000m in Helsinki in July in 31:00.64 and finished third at the 5000m in the World Cup of Athletics in September. “The Half marathon is very long. So I like 20Km much better. 1 Km makes a huge difference,” joked Fukushi in Athens. Fukushi also holds national records at 3000m and 5000m.&nbsp; 
The women’s team is a young one. At 24, Fukushi is the oldest, with the others all under 22. 21-year-old Masami Sakata was sixth in the Sapporo Half Marathon in 71:19. On her marathon debut, Sakata was fourth in the 2006 Osaka Ladies Marathon in 2:27:13. Yurika Nakamura and Mayumi Yoshida were second (1:10:03) and third (1:10:07) respectively behind Mizuki Noguchi at the All Japan Corporate team half marathon championships. Both are 20. More recently, in September, Nakamura was fourth at the Philadelphia Half Marathon in 1:11:20. 21-year-old Ryoko Kizaki, who was second in the Kyoto Half Marathon last March, is a silver medalist at the Half Marathon in the 2005 World University Games in Izmir, Turkey.&nbsp; UPDATE &gt;&gt;3 Oct - we have been informed that Mayumi Yoshida will miss the World Road Running Championships&lt;&lt;
The men’s team consists of Kazuyoshi Shimozato, Masatoshi Ibata, Masayuki Tomura, Kazuo Ietani and Tomonori Michikata.&nbsp; Shimozato and Ietani finished first and second respectively at the All Japan Corporate team half marathon championships where they were given the same time, 1:02:00. Ietani recorded his half marathon personal best, 1:01:30, in 2001 and came close to his PR when he recorded 1:01:38 last year. Ietani finished eighth at the 2005 World Half Marathon Championships in Edmonton and 24th at the 2001 World Half Marathon Championships.&nbsp; 
Ibata was third, the first Japanese in the race, at the Sendai Half Marathon. His half marathon best, 1:00:55, was recorded at the 1995 Tokyo City Half Marathon. He was 29th in the 2004 World Half Marathon championships in New Dehli. Other team members, Tomura and Michikata, finished 10th and 12th respectively in the Sapporo Half Marathon. In the Kenyan dominated race, they were the first and second Japanese.&nbsp; 
Team members with Half-Marathon PB: Men - Kazuyoshi Shimozato, 1:02:00 Masatoshi Ibata, 1:00:55 Masayuki Tomura, 1:02:57 Kazuo Ietani, 1:01:30 Tomonori Michikata, 1:02:59&nbsp; 
Women - Kayoko Fukushi, 1:07:26&nbsp; Yurika Nakamura, 1:10:03 Masami Sakata, 1:11:19 Mayumi Yoshida, 1:10:07 Ryoko Kizaki, 1:11:44 
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF

Japan is sending a five men and five women team to the IAAF World Road Running Championships in Debrecen, Hungary.

WORLD ATHLETICS HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONSHIPS

IAAF to award WR bonus to Kiplagat

Tadesse not yet a marathon man - Debrecen 2006

Lornah the Lion – fearless and now first - Debrecen 2006

World record reward for Kiplagat’s duel with Tomescu – Women’s 20km, Debrecen 2006

Tadesse's 'solo' last 10k secures emphatic victory – Men’s 20km, Debrecen 2006