Martin Lel after winning the 42nd Trofeo Sant'Agata (© Zorzi)
World Half Marathon and New York City Marathon champion Martin Lel won the 42nd Trofeo Sant'Agata, 11-km road race held yesterday (3 Feb) in the central streets the Sicilian city of Catania. The Kenyan out-sprinted countrymen Benson Barus and Paul Tergat. Italy's Anna Carmela Incerti won women's race (5.5 km).
The road race which annually starts three days of celebration in honour of Sant'Agata, Catania's patron saint is scheduled every year on 3 February, whatever the weekday, two days before Sant'Agata's day. The streets of the course (about 1.85 km every lap) are always full of people cheering the runners.
In the first lap the pace was very slow (5:42, just 14 seconds faster than women's pace). The leading pack included more than 20 athletes, with World Marathon and Half Marathon record holder Tergat surprisingly at the back.
However, when Lel started pushing the pace during the third lap (5:07 the split), Tergat easily followed him with Benson Barus, Sammy Korir, Martin Sulle, John Korir, William Chebon and (the only non-Africans) Ukraine's Vasyl Matviychuk and Italy's Francesco Bennici.
In the following two laps (4:57 and 5:00), Bennici, John Korir, Matviychuk and Sammy Korir lost contact. Lel continued making the pace but he was not able to drop the others. When the first five arrived at the final straight, Lel produced an unbeatable sprint, the same chnage of pace which had given him the Half Marathon title in Vilamoura last autumn.
Tergat came third in this sprint for the tape, beaten also by Barus, the 1998 World Junior 10,000m champion, who is a famous runner in Sicily having won the Giro di Castelbuono road race (the oldest one in Italy) three times in a row, and also the Trofeo Sant'Agata in 2002.
Behind the top three, Chebon Chebor was fourth and John Korir took 5th after passing World Half Marathon bronze medallist Martin Sulle, and the second all-time fastest marathon runner Sammy Korir (2:04:56 in Berlin).
Lel and Tergat are heading for Lisbon and then Athens
"Two weeks ago I had a little injury but now I feel very good," said Lel, who is training in Kapsabet. "Now I'm going to defend my title in the Lisbon Half Marathon and then to run the Boston Marathon. But my main goal is the Olympic marathon."
Also Tergat's next race will be Lisbon Half Marathon on March 28th. "I'm training very hard in Ngong camp and the field was strong, so I'm satisfied with my race. My spring goal is London Marathon, then I will concentrate completely on the Olympic Games." Tergat is already in Kenyan Olympic Marathon team, together with Catherine Ndereba and Margaret Okayo.
In London he will try to win the race, in which he has twice finished second (2001 and 2002) and was fifth last year. Tergat also confirmed his love for Catania. "I like this race, because the people are fantastic. Every time I can, I come here with pleasure."
Easy win for Incerti
The women's race was less competitive. Italian Marathon champion Anna Carmela Incerti - who took the title in her debut in Firenze last November (2:34:40) - won easily ahead of Agata Balsamo. Both of them are Sicilian. "After Firenze I took some rest and now I'm working for improving my Half Marathon PB in Roma-Ostia late this month," Incerti said.
RESULTS
Men (11 km)
1 Martin Lel KEN 31:06
2 Benson Barus KEN 31:09
3 Paul Tergat KEN 31:10
4 William Chebon Chebor KEN 31:11
5 John Korir KEN 31:25
6 Martin Sulle TAN 31:26
7 Sammy Korir KEN 31:27
8 Vasyl Matviychuk UKR 31:37
Women (5.5 km)
1 Anna Carmela Incerti ITA 17:32
2 Agata Balsamo ITA 18:00
3 Vincenza Stancampiano ITA 19:09
Benson Barus and William Chebon Chebor were also the protagonists in the 30th edition of Corrida di San Geminiano, road race held in Modena (Italy) last Saturday (31 Jan). Barus outsprinted Chebon Chebor by 1 second, while Uganda's Wilson Busienei took the 3rd place. Italy's Gloria Marconi, who won another road race near Modena (Corsa della Madonnina) the week before, doubled last year win.
RESULTS (13,2 km)
Men
1 Benson Barus KEN 37:49
2 William Chebon Chebor KEN 37:50
3 Wilson Busienei UGA 38:15
Women
1 Gloria Marconi ITA 44:25
