Millions of Japanese will look for one athlete when they will watch the 32nd real,- Berlin Marathon on TV back home this Sunday: Olympic champion Mizuki Noguchi. While she is the big favourite in the women’s race the men’s race of Germany’s most spectacular and high class road running event appears to be wide open. There is no clear favourite while there is huge potential in the elite field. A record number of 39,882 runners from 103 countries have entered the real,- Berlin Marathon.

As often in recent years Berlin could once again provide ideal weather conditions for the elite runners. The weather forecast is fine for Sunday. And that should also draw about one million spectators to the course with the finish area next to the Brandenburg Gate.

It will be the first time Mizuki Noguchi, who has prepared in St. Moritz at high altitude for this race, runs in a mass marathon. Until now she has only competed in women only races at championships and in Japan. Additionally she will have male pacemakers, who are supposed to guide her to at least a Japanese record of 2:19:41. That mark was set by Yoko Shibui who had won the Berlin Marathon with this course record time a year ago. The Asian record is just two seconds faster. At present Noguchi’s personal best stands at 2:21:18 from Osaka 2003.

And it could become very interesting to see how near the Olympic Marathon champion could get to Paula Radcliffe’s best times. While the World record of 2:15:25 is clearly out of reach. But if everything goes well on Sunday Noguchi could perhaps become the second fastest woman marathon runner ever. At present Catherine Ndereba holds this position with 2:18:47 from Chicago in 2001.

Another runner who should clearly beat her personal best is Luminita Zaituc. So far the 36 year-old holds a personal best of 2.26:01 from the Frankfurt Marathon. But the problem in recent years was that she never got a race with good conditions. The strongest German marathon runner in the era after Uta Pippig and Katrin Dörre had placed 18th at the Olympic Games 2004 and then ran a very good race in New York. She clocked 2:28:15 at the New York City Marathon to finish sixth. Ethiopians Worknesh Tola (Personal best: 2:25:42) and Leila Aman (2:27:54) are also in the race.

Atlanta silver medallist to face Kenyan squad 

The men’s race will not feature an Olympic champion but at least an Olympic medallist with 1996 Olympic silver medallist Bong-ju Lee of South Korea. He then went on to win the BAA Boston Marathon in 2001, stopping a Kenyan win streak of ten first places in a row, and improved to 2:07:20 when he was second at the Tokyo Marathon in 2000. “I want to prove again that Korean runners can win big races”, Lee said in Berlin.

As in Boston in 2001 Bong-Ju Lee will meet tough opposition from Kenya in Berlin. Kenyan runners have dominated the Berlin Marathon in recent years. Since 1999 the winner has always been a Kenyan. And two of them will be running again: Joseph Ngolepus was the winner in 2001 while Raymond Kipkoech triumphed a year later.

The fastest runner in the field according to the personal bests is Michael Rotich (Kenya), who had won the Paris Marathon 2003 with a course record of 2:06:33. The Kenyan will now try to win in Berlin as well. But there are three more Kenyans in the race, who probably have huge potential. Jackson Koech ran 2:08:02 in his first ever marathon this year in Rotterdam. Philip Manyim was second in that race with 2:08:07. And Peter Chebet has a PB of 2:08:43 with which he was fourth in Chicago two years ago.

Another one to watch is France’s Driss El Himer who has a personal best of 2:06:48 with which he set when placing fourth in Paris in 2003.

Jörg Wenig for the IAAF

Elite entries with bib numbers

Men

3 Joshua Chelanga KEN
 PB: 2:07:05 (3. Berlin ’04)

4 Michael Rotich KEN
 PB: 2:06:33 (1. Paris ’03)

5 Raymond Kipkoech KEN
 PB: 2:06:47 (1. Berlin ’02)

6 Driss El Himer KEN
 PB: 2:06:48 (4. Paris ’03)

7 Bong-ju Lee  KOR
 PB: 2:07:20 (2. Tokyo ’00)

8 Joseph Ngolepus KEN
 PB: 2:07:57 (3. London ’03)

9 Jackson Koech KEN
 PB: 2:08:02 (2. Rotterdam ’05)

10 Philip Manyim KEN
 PB: 2:08:07 (2. Rom ’05)

11 Peter Chebet  KEN
 PB: 2:08:43 (4. Chicago ’03)

12 Satoshi Osaki  JPN
 PB: 2:08:46 (2. Tokyo ’04)

14 Paul Kiptanui   KEN
 PB: 2:09:09 (2. Turin ’99)

16 Ernest Kipyego KEN
 PB: 2:09:55 (6. Eindhoven ’03)

17 Mola Shimeles   ETH
 PB: 2:10:51 (2. Xianmen)

18 Toshiya Katayama  JPN
 PB: 2:10:12 (7. Lake Biwa ’05)

19 Stanley Leleito KEN
 PB: 2:10:16 (1. Zürich ’05)

20 Nick Harrison AUS
 PB: 2:10:22 (3. Oita)

21 Jose Ernani Palalia  MEX
 PB: 2:10:39 (7. Berlin ’02)

22 Romulo da Silva BRA
 PB: 2:11:28 (3. Rotterdam ’04)

23 Mohammed El Hattab MAR
 PB: 2:11:50 (10. London ’02)

24 Mykola Rudyk UKR
 PB: 2:12:29 (Lyon ’98)

25 Andrew Letherby AUS
 PB: 2:12:45 (14. Fukuoka ’03)

Women

F2 Mizuki Noguchi  JPN
 PB: 2:21:18 (1. Osaka ’03)

F4  Worknesh Tola  ETH
PB: 2:25:42 (2. Seoul ‘03)

F5 Luminita Zaituc GER
PB: 2:26:01 (1. Frankfurt ’01)

F6 Leila Aman  ETH
 PB: 2:27:54 (5. Berlin ’04)

F7 Melanie Kraus GER
 PB: 2:27:58 (5. Berlin ’00)

F10 Annemette Jensen DEN
 PB: 2:30:07 (1. Zürich ’04)

F11 Mulu Seboka  ETH
 PB: 2:30:54 (9. London ’05)

F12  Asale Tafa   ETH
PB: 2:32:34 (3. Rom ‘05)

F14 Tina Maria Ramos  ESP
 PB: 2:34:05 (4. Rotterdam ’02)

F15 Anna Rahm   SWE
 PB: 2:37:32 (10. Berlin ’04)

F16 Eva Maria Gradwohl  AUT
 PB: 2:38:04 (4. Wien  ’04)
 
F18 Alem Ashebir  ETH
 PB: 2:39:39 (12. Berlin ’04)