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Lel and Mikitenko Honored as 07-08 World Marathon Majors Series Champions
Posted November 3rd, 2008 at 12:40 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: News & Results, Marathons
2007-2008 World Marathon Majors Series champions Martin Lel (KEN) and Irina Mikitenko (GER) were honored today at a special luncheon presented by MarathonFoto at The Boathouse in New York City’s Central Park.
Each was presented with a trophy and a replica of their $500,000 prize check.
Making the presentation were the five World Marathon Majors race directors, Guy Morse of the Boston Marathon, Dave Bedford of the Flora London Marathon, Mark Milde of the real,-Berlin-Marathon, Carey Pinkowski of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon, and Mary Wittenberg of the ING New York City Marathon.
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New York City Marathon 08: Radcliffe vs Wami the Talk of the Town in the Big Apple (Elite Race Preview)
Posted November 1st, 2008 at 3:00 PM by James Dunaway
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Two icons of distance running head their respective fields for the 39th edition of what has itself become an icon, the ING New York City Marathon, an IAAF Gold Label Road Race and the final showdown in the World Marathon Majors series.
Paula Radcliffe of Great Britain, holder of the World record at 2:15:25 as well as the next two fastest ever run, heads a small but formidable women’s elite field. It also includes Catherine Ndereba of Kenya, the former World record holder at 2:18:47 and winner of the 2007 IAAF World Championships Marathon in Osaka and second in Beijing 2008; and Gete Wami of Ethiopia (2:21:34 PB), winner of the first $500,000 World Marathon Majors series. If these three are in any race, you can pretty much count on them being in at the finish.
Ndereba and Wami have an extra reason for running well – 500,000 reasons, in fact. They are in contention, along with Irina Mikitenko of Germany, for the World Marathon Majors winner-take-all 2007-2008 championship.
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New York City Marathon 08:
Elite Women’s Preview
Posted October 29th, 2008 at 9:30 AM by Jared Markowitz
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The ING New York City Marathon will once again be the premiere event on the women’s side of the fall distance schedule. The 2008 edition of the race will feature a large group of the world’s best female marathoners and should provide no shortage of drama. From the return of World Record holder Paula Radcliffe from injury to the battle for the 2007-2008 World Marathon Majors title to the much-anticipated debut of American Kara Goucher, this race has a slew of intriguing storylines.
Even with so many impressive names entered at New York, Great Britain’s Radcliffe must remain the headliner. Radcliffe used an impressive sprint finish to edge Ethiopia’s Gete Wami and claim her second New York title last fall and appears to be in fine form once again. She suffered another Olympic disappointment this summer due to a buildup that was severely hampered by injury, but her impressive 51:11 victory at last weekend’s BUPA Great South Run indicates that she is fully recovered.
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New York City Marathon 08:
Elite Men’s Preview
Posted October 28th, 2008 at 10:30 AM by Jared Markowitz
Section: News & Results, Marathons
The men’s race at the 2008 ING New York City Marathon will feature an impressive assembly of both international and American distance talent. While defending champion (and 2007-2008 World Marathon Majors champion) Martin Lel is out, most of the other top runners from last year as well as an extremely accomplished group of newcomers will do battle in what will be the biggest, most competitive fall marathon in the world.
Leading the way should be last year’s runner-up, Morocco’s Abderrahim Goumri. Goumri has run 2:05:30 and reached the podium in London and New York last year as well as London this spring. Goumri will be challenged by three former New York champions: South Africa’s Hendrick Ramaala (2004; 2:06:55 PB), Brazil’s Marilson Gomes dos Santos (2006; 2:08:37 PB), and Kenya’s Paul Tergat (2005; 2:04:55 PB). All three of these men are still running well and should be in the mix on Sunday.
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Lel Clinches Men’s World Marathon Majors Crown, Women’s Title Comes Down to NYC
Posted October 21st, 2008 at 9:33 AM by Jamal Walker
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Wami, Ndereba and Mikitenko still in the running for the $500,000 champion’s purse
For the second consecutive year, the World Marathon Majors Series women’s champions race will come down to the final race of the season at the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday November 2, with three women still in contention for the $500,000 champion’s purse.
Reigning WMM Series champion Gete Wami of Ethiopia (65 points), Irina Mikitenko of Germany (65 pts) and Catherine Ndereba of Kenya (41 points) are all in the hunt for the women’s title. Both Wami and Ndereba will be fighting it out on the New York streets while Mikitenko, who won the real-Berlin Marathon last month, will be watching - literally - from the sidelines and hoping that things work out her way.
Martin Lel of Kenya (76 points) clinched the men’s crown and $500,000 prize with victories at the 2007 and 2008 Flora London Marathon and last year’s ING New York City Marathon.
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What To Watch: Running & Track Events on TV, Webcast
Posted October 10th, 2008 at 12:29 PM by Jesse Squire
Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, What To Watch, Road Racing
Action is beginning to pick back up as we head into marathon season. Headlining the coming week’s action are the Chicago Marathon and the IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships. As always, all times are Eastern; check your local listings.
Bank of America Chicago Marathon
Universal Sports TV, 9:00 AM Sunday
UniversalSports.com, 8:45 AM Sunday
Surprise Olympic marathon champion Constantina Tomescu-Dita leads the field in the penultimate stop on the World Marathon Majors tour. For more, go to Chicagomarathon.com.
IAAF World Half-Marathon Championships
UniversalSports.com, 7:30 AM Sunday
The free webcast coverage of the IAAF’s World Championships will be live. The men’s race, featuring defending New York City marathon champ Marilson dos Santos, begins at 7:45 a.m. The women’s race, featuring ‘07 World Cross Country champ Lornah Kiplagat, begins at 8:15 a.m. For more on the race, go to the IAAF’s website.
Chicago Completes Elite Fields with Adere & Njenga
Posted October 2nd, 2008 at 5:43 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Race director Carey Pinkowski has completed his elite fields for the 2008 Bank of America Chicago Marathon scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 12, adding two of the most successful athletes in the race’s 31-year history.
Two-time defending women’s champion Berhane Adere of Ethiopia got her second victory at Chicago last year when she caught rising Romanian star, Adriana Pirtea, in the final few meters of the race. Running in unusually hot conditions, Adere made up a big deficit in the last kilometer to get her second Chicago victory. In much cooler conditions, Adere also won in 2006 in a personal best 2:20:42, a mark which remains the Ethiopian record.
No woman has every won Chicago three years in a row.
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Mikitenko Will Not Chase WMM Title in New York
Posted September 30th, 2008 at 8:00 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
In a surprising development, newly crowned real,- Berlin Marathon champion Irina Mikitenko said she would not attempt to win the 2007/2008 World Marathon Majors series title and the attendant USD 500,000 award by competing in the ING New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2. The three-time Olympian is currently tied with Ethiopian Gete Wami for the series lead with 65 points, and Wami’s participation in New York has already been announced.
“Money isn’t everything,” said Mikitenko at a press conference in Berlin today. “I’ve already done very well, winning London and Berlin. If you’re in a sport at this level, you need goals and targets, and my goal is next year’s World Championships marathon here in Berlin. The most important thing is to win. If you win, money follows.”
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Gebrselassie Achieves First Sub-2:04 Marathon in Berlin
Posted September 28th, 2008 at 11:27 AM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
Haile Gebrselassie became the first man in history to break the two hour and four minute barrier when he won today’s real,- Berlin Marathon, shattering his own world record set on the same course one year ago. The 35 year-old Ethiopian, who now owns the three fastest marathon times in history, clocked 2:03:59 under sunny skies accompanied by comfortably cool temperatures (10°C to 12°C).
“I’m so happy,” Gebrselassie told race organizers immediately after the race. “Everything was perfect, the weather, the pacemakers. Two weeks ago, I had a little problem, I ran 20-K 40 seconds faster than in my preparation last year. But I had some cramps, and missed a week’s training. I started again a week ago, and had some doubts today, but in the end, everything was fine. This really is my lucky city.”
It was Gebrselassie’s third victory at Berlin, and he won €130,000 in prize money and time bonuses (USD 190,000) in addition to an undisclosed appearance fee. He lowered his previous standard of 2:04:26 by nearly half a minute.
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Mikitenko Hoping for Home Country Win in Berlin
Posted September 25th, 2008 at 5:47 PM by David Monti
Section: News & Results, Marathons
A German woman hasn’t crossed the finish line first at the real,- Berlin Marathon since Uta Pippig won in 1995, her third Berlin victory. But, with 2008 Flora London Marathon champion Irina Mikitenko in the race, organizers hope that will change on Sunday for the 35th edition of the race.
Mikitenko, 36, was the surprise winner in London with a 2:24:14 personal best, breaking away with a 5:13 24th mile to drop Gete Wami of Ethiopia and Svetlana Zakharova of Russia.
“I had so much energy left,” she said through a translator after her race in London. “I knew I could run much faster.”
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On November 30, 2008
Chris Mcduffie said:
Hello I am writing because I wanted to see when is the Newyork city marathon is and how much...