Russia’s Madina Biktagirova with her winner's cheque in Istanbul in 2006 (© c)
The 30th anniversary Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon takes place on Sunday 26 October 2008 with a total of 1021 participants expected in the marathon, 2500 in a 15 km race, and 90,000 in Fun Run, coming from 57 countries around the world.
The elite field of 57 runners will run for a prize purse, totaling $1,001,000 this year.
Guest VIP is Haile
Haile Gebreselasse, the World marathon record holder will be welcomed in Istanbul as the guest of honour in the two days prior to the race. He will attend a press conference on Friday (24), and visit the Marathon Expo on Saturday (25). Then he will hurry back to Ethiopia to be in time for the wedding of Ethiopian distance runners Tirunesh Dibaba and Sileshi Sihine on Sunday (26).
Kenyan athlete David Emanuel Cheruiyot set the new course record in 2007 in 2:11:00 and surpassing the previous course record set in 2006 by Lithuania’s Mindaguas Pukstas (2:12:52). In the women’s field Russian athlete Madina Biktragirova set the course record 2:28:21 in 2006, improving her previous, 2005 record, by almost 6 minutes.
This year the marathon will experience the first major course change in the past 11 years which is aimed at enhancing its scenic and historical image. As before, the marathon and 15 km race will connect the two continents – Europe and Asia. The races will start on the Asian side, cross the Bosporus and Golden Horn Bridges, pass under the Aqueduct of Valens on the way to the Marmara Sea beach, and finish on the European side, at the Hippodrome, one of the oldest race tracks in the world, situated in historical district- Sultanahmet, abundant in ancient monuments and sites.
MEN
Men’s elite field should be dominated by 15 Kenyan and 6 Ethiopian athletes.
Aside Joshua Chelanga, last year’s winner of the JoongAng Seoul Marathon with a PB 2:08:14 who is coming to Istanbul to run as a pacemaker, Kenya is principally represented by five runners: 30-year-old Laban Kipkemboi, who finished third in the 2007 Seoul Marathon with a PB 2:08:38; Matthew Sigei, 25, was the fifth finisher in last year Hamburg Marathon - 2:09:39. This was close to his personal best of 2:09:17 which he ran in 2003 when setting the Brescia marathon course record; Leonard Mucheru Maina finished fourth last year's Istanbul Marathon and won the Tiberias marathon in Israel this year, in 2.10.32; 28-year old Elijah Karanja (PB 2:15:17 in Nairobi 2006) won 2008 Prague Half Marathon with 1:02:08; Julius Kipkemboi Sugut, 30, completed this year Prague Marathon in 2:15:52.
Among their fellow countrymen are: Philip Serem, 30, who was ninth in last year Istanbul marathon, finishing with PB 2:13:04; 22-year old Isaak Kimaiyo ran for the 4th place in 2008 Lala Marathon in Mexico setting his best 2:13:58; John Katio, PB 2:13:17, set in Belgrade Marathon 2006.
Ethiopia’s hopes should rest mainly with Tekeste Nekatibebe, 28, who has been a regular competitor in the famous Enschede Marathon in the Netherlands, coming fourth in 2006, and third in the last two years with his best time of 2:12:00 run on 27 April this year 2:12:00. Nekatibebe has a half marathon PB of 1:02:12 set in the Venlo Half Marathon on 30 March this year.
Two Beijing Olympians are running: Iaroslav Musinschi from Moldova, who finished 6th in the last year Istanbul Marathon with PB 2:11:59, and the representative of the host country Abdil Ceylan, 25, who also set his personal best in Istanbul last year – 2:16:13.
WOMEN
Istanbul Marathon course record holder Madina Biktagirova, 44, is coming back to Istanbul. The 1998 European championship silver medal winner, was also a second place finisher in Berlin in her PB of 2:24:46 as long ago as 1997. Two years ago she was the champion in Istanbul in 2:28:21, which is the last time that she has run sub-2:30 in her career.
Biktagirova returns in the company of five other Russian runners, three of whom should offer particularly stiff opposition: last year’s 4th placer in Istanbul, Lilia Yadzak (PB 2:29:22, Istanbul 2006) won this year’s Siberian International Marathon clocking 2:33:41; Yulia Gromova, who was only the 14th last year in Istanbul, has improved greatly in 2008 by winning the San Diego Marathon, USA (2:28:23); Nailiya Yulamanova has already run two marathons this year, coming 7th in Mumbai and winning Prague Marathon in 2:31:43.
Also challenging for honours will be Kenya’s Lenah Cheruiyot, 25, and Ethiopia’s Shitaye Gemeshu, 28, who finished third and fourth in this year’s Paris Marathon with personal bests of 2:26:00 and 2:26:10 respectively. Another fast finisher from the 2008 Paris Marathon (2:29:53) is Ethiopian Almaz Megerssa, 26, while her compatriot Eyerusalem Kuma, 27 (PB 1:11:07 in half marathon) will debut at the full marathon in Istanbul.
Kenya’s young and promising Evelyne Kemunto Kimwei, 21, was sixth at the World Road Running Championships in 2007 (1:08:39) and ran her first marathon this year in Mumbai, crossing in 2:32:51 (PB), and will be another to watch on Sunday.
Last year’s runner-up Malgorzata Sobanska, 39, from Poland (PB 2:26:08), is returning having set a new half marathon PB of 1:11:47 in Warsaw this March, while Turkey’s Mehtap Sizmaz, who ran 2:37:43 for the 7th place in Istanbul last year, also races again in her home event.
Yelena Kurdyumova and Sergey Porada for the IAAF
