Svetlana Ponomarenko wins in Frankfurt (© Victah Sailer)
The participation of more than 7100 runners is the first record broken in the Athens “Classic” Marathon 2007, the main annual Marathon event in Greece, which this year completes 25 consecutive years as a running event of international importance.
On Sunday 4 November some well known international runners along with the best Greeks will start the race at the ancient Marathon village and run to the Athens Stadium where the first Olympic Games of the modern era were held in 1896.
MEN
Among the international participants a strong Kenyan team is expected to dominate including defending champion Henry Tarus (2:10:10 PB - 2001) who win here in 2006 in 2:17:46.
Of the others, Cheruyiot Willie Kipkurui is among the best known of them, being the winner of the Eindhoven Marathon in 2003 and 2004 and having a personal best at 2:08:48, the fastest among all participants who are due to line-up on Sunday.
Steven Loruo, whose the career best stands at 2:10:46, was the winner of the 2006 Brussels Marathon and also of the marathon in Hong Kong this year and should also be considered as one of the favourites.
Kiptanui Kimutai, the winner in Philadelphia 2006 with a personal best of 2:10:47, Reuben Chepwik, second in Palermo last year, Michael Cimpchir, the runner-up in Seville earlier this year, Matthew Serem, second in Bonn this year, Benjamin Kiprotich Korir, third in this year’s Brecia Marathon, and Patrick Chumba, sixth in Hong Kong, are the other top Kenyans in this race.
A veteran European runner who is expected to play a significant role in the race is Italy’s 38-year-old Migidio Bourifa, who has a PB of 2:09:07 (2002) and placed fourth in Rome Marathon this year in 2:10:30.
Other entrants for Athens’ tough course are Belgium’s Koen Neven and Japan's Kazunari Yoshitomi.
WOMEN
Russia's Svetlana Ponomarenko, 37, the winner in 2006 of the marathons in Dallas, USA (2:29:55 PB) and Frankfurt, Germany, is the faster woman entrant.
Her main rivals will be her compatriot Viktoriya Zuyeva, third in the 2006 Moscow Marathon, Kenyans Rose Chepkmpoi Chipchir (2:48:10) and Cheroko Chemareg, Japan's Chihiro Tanaka, and Ethiopia's Gurmu Mulyie Lema (2:42:30) ,who was second in Barcelona last year.
Greek Championships
Traditionally the Greek Marathon Championships are held in parallel with the International Athens Classic Marathon. More than 200 men and women will be trying to claim the national title.
In men’s race Dimitrios Theodorikakos and Gerasimos Kokotos, second and third last year respectively, will contest the race though the holder of the title, Ioannis Kanellopoulos won’t run because of an injury. Theodorikakos has a season’s best of 2:26:56, leading the national list in 2007, while Lambros Zaragas with a personal best of 2:19:21 will be their main rival for the win.
In the women’s race Eleni Donta will try for a repeat win, as last year she dominated the race in 2:44:43. Magdalene Gazea, and 38-year-old Georgia Ambatzidou, who has won the national title five times in a row from 2001 to 2005, will try to win the other positions of the podium.
Michalis Nikitaridis for the IAAF
