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Boston Marathon Finalizes Elite Fields

Posted March 12th, 2008 at 3:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

John Hancock Financial, the principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon, announced today that they had finalized the elite fields for the 112th edition of America’s oldest marathon, set for Monday, April 21.

Most of the field had been announced previously, but a noteworthy addition is women’s course record holder, Margaret Okayo, who hasn’t run a full marathon since finishing 9th in London in 2006 in 2:29:16. She did, however, run as a pacemaker in the Milano City Marathon last December, helping teammate Pamela Chepchumba, run a personal best 2:25:36.

The complete fields are below:

WOMEN’S OPEN FIELD
Name, Country, Personal Best, Marathon
Margaret Okayo, Kenya, 2:20:43, (Boston 2002) CR
Jelena Prokopcuka, Latvia, 2:22:56, (Osaka 2005) NR
Askale Tafa Magarsa, Ethiopia, 2:23:23, (Dubai 2008)
Rita Jeptoo, Kenya, 2:23:38, (Boston 2006)
Robe Tola Guta, Ethiopia, 2:24:35, (Hamburg 2006) CR
Dire Tune, Ethiopia, 2:24:40, (Houston 2008) CR
Lidiya Grigoryeva, Russia, 2:25:10, (Los Angeles 2006) CR
Alevtina Biktimirova, Russia, 2:25:12, (Frankfurt 2005) CR
Bruna Genovese, Italy, 2:25:28, (Boston 2006)
Tetyana Kuzina-Hladyr, Ukraine, 2:25:44, (Rome 2006) NR
Magdaline Chemjor, Kenya, 2:28:16, (Amsterdam 2007)

MEN’S OPEN FIELD
Name, Country, Personal Best, Marathon
William Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:06:50, (Amsterdam 1999)
Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, Kenya, 2:07:14, (Boston 2006) CR
Patrick Ivuti, Kenya, 2:07:46, (Chicago 2005)
Shadrack Kiplagat, Kenya, 2:07:53, (Amsterdam 2007)
Gashaw Asfaw, Ethiopia, 2:08:03, (Paris 2006)
Christopher Cheboiboch, Kenya, 2:08:17, (New York 2002)
Abderrahime Bouramdane, Morocco, 2:08:20, (Seoul 2007)
Yirefu Birhanu, Ethiopia, 2:09:01, (Seoul 2007)
Stephen Kiogora, Kenya, 2:09:21, (Chicago 2004)
Timothy Cherigat, Kenya, 2:09: 34, (San Sebastian 2002) CR
James Kwambai, Kenya, 2:10:20, (Brescia 2006)
Kasime Adillo, Ethiopia, 2:10:20, (Toronto 2007)
James Mwangi Macharia, Kenya, 2:10:27, (Vienna 2007)
Khalid El Boumlili, Morocco, 2:10:49, (Marrakesh 2004)
Paulo Guerra, Portugal, 2:11:02, (Berlin 1998)
Dejene Yirdaw, Ethiopia, 2:11:08, (Dublin 2007)
Tariku Aboset, Ethiopia, 2:12:24, (Dubai 2008)
Abdelhadi El Mouaziz, Morocco, 2:12:45, (San Sebastian 2007)
Tesfaye Girma, Ethiopia, 2:13:37, (Addis Ababa 2003)
James Koskei, Kenya, 2:14:02, (Dubai 2007)

NR=National Record
CR=Course Record

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http://boston.thefinalsprint.com/