Members of the Kimbia Running Team prior to the 2005 Las Vegas Marathon (© Victah Sailer)
A very talented field of elites will hit the Las Vegas Strip this Sunday morning at 6 a.m. or so. What do you mean, 6 a.m. or so, you ask?
When the Los Angeles Marathon created "The Challenge," a race offering a carefully calculated “head start” for women, it rewarded the first runner - male or female - to cross the finish line a US$ 50,000 bonus. The same will be on tap at the newly revamped Las Vegas International Marathon this weekend. Later today at the Mandalay Bay Resort, organisers will announce the time differential between the woman's men's start, and in typical Las Vegas style, the betting odds that will be placed by Mandalay Bay's Odds Makers. Besides “The Challenge,” a $1.25 million World record bonus is on offer well.
Okayo is the woman to beat
When the woman set off down the 7.1 mile Las Vegas Strip just prior to sunrise, fireworks, a $50,000 first place prize and near perfect marathon running conditions at 40F/4C await them. Two-time ING New York City Marathon and 2002 BAA Boston Marathon Champion Margaret Okayo should set the pace. With a personal best of 2:20:43, all eyes will be on her.
Another former New York champion, 1999 winner Adriana Fernandez, returns after not finishing October’s LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon, and should give chase, along with a few strong Russians: Albina Ivanova, Irina Timofevyva and Irina Safarova. Also expected to give chase will be Nuta Olaru (ROM), Josephine Deemay (TAN), Dorota Gruca (POL), Halina Karnatsevich (BLR), and USA's Sylvia Mosqueda. Galina Bogomolova, of Russia, who has a 30:26 10Km road performance to her credit this year, is looking to make an impact in her marathon debut.
Munji leads the men
Several minutes later, a strong men’s field, led by the seventh fastest marathoner of all time, Titus Munji, will chase the women - and a total prize pot of $302,000 - down the strip. Munji achieved his performance at the 2003 Real Berlin Marathon, finishing behind Paul Tergat’s World record run. Stephen Kiogora, who was second at the Coca-cola Zero San Diego Marathon, James Koskei, and Laban Chege, who train with team KIMBIA's head coach, Dieter Hogen, have trained well in Boulder, Colorado, and coach Hogen says,"They are all in very good shape, we will find out in the last mile who is best."
KIMBIA's group will have plenty of competition though, primarily from a group of Ethiopians: Araya Araya Haregot, Berhanu Adane, Tekeste Kebede, Girma Tola, and 2000 Olympic 10,000 metre bronze medallist, Assefa Mezebu. Gilbert Koech, the defending champion but on a much different course, will be joined by other Kenyans, including Obed Gisemba, Jonathon Kiptoo, Julius Ondiere, Yusuf Songaoka, Haron Toroitich, runner-up at this year’s P.F. Chang’s Rock n Roll Marathon.
Place your bets…
Victah Sailer for the IAAF
