AFP
28 March 2001 – Seoul - North Korea has agreed to let 30 foreign runners take part in this year's Pyongyang marathon, which will be sponsored for the first time in the communist state's history.
Organisers said 20 elite runners and 10 amateurs would compete against about 600 North Koreans in the historic April 15 race.
Jillo Dube, the so-called "flying policeman" from Ethiopia leads the international challenge. A winner of the Vienna, Rome and Hong Kong marathons, he has a personal best of 2hr 11min 05sec but will face a strong challenge from the powerful North Korean entry and competing Kenyans.
There will also be runners from Britain, Russia, Japan, Canada, the United States, Denmark, Australia and Hong Kong taking part in front of what North Korean organisers have promised will be a million strong crowd.
On a flat course and with mild temperatures predicted, the Pyongyang records of 2:11.05 by Kenya's Nelson Ndereva Njeru and 2.31.08 by local champion Hong Myong Hui will be under pressure.
Kenyan athletes Wilson Cheruyot Chumu and Hillary Lelei Kichoge are training partners in the Kenyan highlands and are looking to repeat the Kenya victory from last year.
"Lelei has run 62.08 in a half marathon in 1999, and in the 2000 Dubai marathon covered 30km at 2.10 pace. He has recently been training with Paul Tergat and Elijiah Lagate and we should expect a 2.10 performance" predicted coach Ian Ladbrooke.
"We can see our Pyongyang marathon course record will be under threat. Not only from these three great runners, but our DPRK male athletes, who are ready to make this a memorable battle to the finish line." said Kang Song Du, general secretary of the North Korean Athletics Federation.
Six Americans will run as non-elite competitors including three staff from the British newspaper, the Financial Times, one of the event sponsors.
