Paris, France - The Paris International Marathon celebrates its 30th edition on Sunday, 9 April 2006, with runners taking part from no less than 87 countries.

MEN

Course record holder Michael Rotich of Kenya will face strong opposition mainly composed of fellow Africans, while the women’s field, which represents only 16% out of the 35,000 participants, doesn’t have a clear favourite.

Africa is set to dominate the men’s race, led by Michael Rotich, course record holder with 2:06:33. The Kenyan has run three-times under 2:10, the others being his second place in the 2004 Rotterdam Marathon (2:09:07) and a 2;08 closking in Milan in 2002 (also second). Eighth in the 2003 World Championships (2:10:35) in Paris, he has not run in the French capital since 2003.

Offering the toughest opposition to the 23-year-old, are a dozen sub 2:10 runners:

Kenyan team-mates Joshua Chelanga (2:07:05), Boniface Usisivu (2:07:50) and Julius Rotto (winner in Paris 1999 with 2:08:10) all have fast marks, nevertheless the main challenger might be Paul Biwott, who was second last year in 2:08:17, and third in 2004 (2:10:30). SEventh in last summer's World Championships in Helsinki (2:12:39), he has prepared for this race with a 1:02:12 clocking in the Paris Half Marathon in March.

Patrick Twambe (Dem. Rep. of Congo), who is also familar with French roads, and Tereje Wodajo, from Ethiopia, could also create a surprise, while Pavel Loskutov (EST) and Ottavio Andriani (ITA) seem to offer the only chances of victory for Europe.

WOMEN

Irina Timofeyeva of Russia, 36, has the fastest mark of the women’s field, 2:25:29 (2001 - 2nd Tokyo), and placed second here in Paris in 1999 (2:27:46)  and was seventh last year (2:30:11).

Florence Barsosio who was second here last year (2:27:18), can be seen as one of the favourites in the absence of 2005 winner Lydia Grigorieva. The 29-year-old Kenyan won the Paris race in 2001 (2:27:53), and has a personal best of 2:27:00 from when coming fifth in the 200 race in New York.

Aman Leila (ETH), 10th last year, who has a 2:27:54 mark to her credit, is one of the few participants who has already run a Marathon in 2006, placing third in India in January (2:36:17).

The race will see Asmae Leghzaoui’s Marathon debut. The 29-year-old Morrocan, 5000/10000m track specialist, who ran 30:29 for 10km in 2002, took third place a month ago at the Paris Half Marathon in a much less impressive 1:12:02.

In a much better shape is Alina Gherasim (ex Tecuta) from Romania, who ran 2:29:30 in Nagoya on 12 March, not far from her personal best set in Paris in 2:28:17 six years ago. The question remains whether she can produce two good marathons with a one month interval.

A strong candidate for victory is her teammate Mihaela Botezan, 29, who has a 2:25:32 PB (2003), who placed 5th during last year World Half Marathon Championships, and was seventh in the Osaka marathon, also in 2005 (2:28:34).

But who ever wins it would seem unlikely that the Paris Marathon record will be broken this year as Marleen Renders set a very high standard in 2002 with her 2:23:05 clocking.

The French standard will be carried by Margaret Maury, who is known best as a track and cross country runner, and will be running only her second ever Marathon (2:38.21 – Paris 2000).

The race will start at 8:45 AM (GMT+2) taking a flat and fast circuit from Champs-Elysée to Foch Avenue, via Bastille, Nation, Vincennes and Tuilleries. The weather forecast expects cloudless sky and cold temperatures.

P-J Vazel for the IAAF