Joseph Lomala breaks the tape to take a narrow win in Venice (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Venice, ItalyPast winners Joseph Lomala and Lenah Cheruiyot from Kenya start as favourites at the 24th edition of the Venice Marathon on Sunday (25). Both runners know the fascinating course from Strà to the heart of Venice, as they highlighted the past editions of the popular Northeastern Italian marathon, which is an IAAF Silver Label Road Race.
Lomala won last year holding off Jacob Chesire by a margin of just one second after a hard-fought battle in the final metres over the famous 14 bridges which have contributed to the legend of this race all over the world. Last year Lomala also finished third at the Turin Marathon in his PB of 2:10:22.
Lomala, who trains in Iten under the guidance of Italian coach Gabriele Nicola, will take on his compatriot Benson Cherono, winner of the Milano City Marathon in 2:07:58 in 2006. Cherono also won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2006 and in Beijing in 2005. The Kenyan contingent also features John Kipkorir Komen, fourth in Turin in 2008 and a 2:08:06 performer in Reims 2008 and Ben Kipruto Chebet, winner in Padua last April in 2:09:42.
The European challenge is led by Ukrainian Oleksander Kuzin who came to the fore in April 2007 when he won the Linz Marathon in 2:07:33, which is the fastest time among the entries.
Cheruiyot looking for third Venice triumph
The women’s race will start some minutes before the men’s competition. Lenah Cheruiyot, winner in Venice in 2006 and 2007, will be looking for her third win in this race. In 2007 Cheruiyot grabbed the headlines when she lowered her previous PB of 2:29.43 set in Rome in March 2007 to 2:27:02. This result marked a successful comeback to competitions for Cheruiyot after maternity leave and a spell of injuries.
Cheruiyot will take on her compatriot Anne Kosgei, another well-known name of the Venice Marathon. Kosgei finished runner-up three times in Venice in 2002, 2007 and 2008. Leila Aman, second in Venice in 2005, will lead the Ethiopian challenge to Kenya.
Italian interest will be focused on local favourite Giovanna Volpato, who returned to competition last year after a serious injury with a major win at the Florence Marathon. Volpato, who finished second in Venice in 2004 and eighth at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg contributing to the Italian win of the European Cup, runs for the Assindustria Sport Padova and is coached by Mario Del Giudice, who guided Manuela Levorato to a 100 and 200 metres sprint double bronze medal at the European Championships in Munich in 2002. Volpato lost the chance to take part in a spring Marathon due to a new injury problem but she is on her comeback trail and is ready to fight for a berth in the Italian team for the European Championships in Barcelona 2010.
Legendary course
No less than 6500 runners from 55 countries are expected to take part in the Venice Marathon which sets off from Strà near Padua in front of the historic mansion Villa Pisani on the banks of the Brenta River on Sunday morning. Runners will run across the Parco San Giuliano at 25 km, a vast green area located on the edge of the lagoon between Mestre and Venice. Then they will cross the five kilometre long Ponte della Libertà (Bridge of Freedom) which links Mestre and Venice. At the end of the never-ending Bridge, one of the most challenging sections of the course, there are two kilometers inside the port area.
For the second consecutive year the Venice Marathon will raise money for Run for Water – Run for Life, a Project promoted by Venice Marathon and Africa Mission aimed at collecting funds to build wells in Uganda which will fulfill the needs of water of over 4000 people.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
Lomala won last year holding off Jacob Chesire by a margin of just one second after a hard-fought battle in the final metres over the famous 14 bridges which have contributed to the legend of this race all over the world. Last year Lomala also finished third at the Turin Marathon in his PB of 2:10:22.
Lomala, who trains in Iten under the guidance of Italian coach Gabriele Nicola, will take on his compatriot Benson Cherono, winner of the Milano City Marathon in 2:07:58 in 2006. Cherono also won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2006 and in Beijing in 2005. The Kenyan contingent also features John Kipkorir Komen, fourth in Turin in 2008 and a 2:08:06 performer in Reims 2008 and Ben Kipruto Chebet, winner in Padua last April in 2:09:42.
The European challenge is led by Ukrainian Oleksander Kuzin who came to the fore in April 2007 when he won the Linz Marathon in 2:07:33, which is the fastest time among the entries.
Cheruiyot looking for third Venice triumph
The women’s race will start some minutes before the men’s competition. Lenah Cheruiyot, winner in Venice in 2006 and 2007, will be looking for her third win in this race. In 2007 Cheruiyot grabbed the headlines when she lowered her previous PB of 2:29.43 set in Rome in March 2007 to 2:27:02. This result marked a successful comeback to competitions for Cheruiyot after maternity leave and a spell of injuries.
Cheruiyot will take on her compatriot Anne Kosgei, another well-known name of the Venice Marathon. Kosgei finished runner-up three times in Venice in 2002, 2007 and 2008. Leila Aman, second in Venice in 2005, will lead the Ethiopian challenge to Kenya.
Italian interest will be focused on local favourite Giovanna Volpato, who returned to competition last year after a serious injury with a major win at the Florence Marathon. Volpato, who finished second in Venice in 2004 and eighth at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg contributing to the Italian win of the European Cup, runs for the Assindustria Sport Padova and is coached by Mario Del Giudice, who guided Manuela Levorato to a 100 and 200 metres sprint double bronze medal at the European Championships in Munich in 2002. Volpato lost the chance to take part in a spring Marathon due to a new injury problem but she is on her comeback trail and is ready to fight for a berth in the Italian team for the European Championships in Barcelona 2010.
Legendary course
No less than 6500 runners from 55 countries are expected to take part in the Venice Marathon which sets off from Strà near Padua in front of the historic mansion Villa Pisani on the banks of the Brenta River on Sunday morning. Runners will run across the Parco San Giuliano at 25 km, a vast green area located on the edge of the lagoon between Mestre and Venice. Then they will cross the five kilometre long Ponte della Libertà (Bridge of Freedom) which links Mestre and Venice. At the end of the never-ending Bridge, one of the most challenging sections of the course, there are two kilometers inside the port area.
For the second consecutive year the Venice Marathon will raise money for Run for Water – Run for Life, a Project promoted by Venice Marathon and Africa Mission aimed at collecting funds to build wells in Uganda which will fulfill the needs of water of over 4000 people.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
