Merima Mohammed of Ethiopia en route to her 2:28:19 win in Ottawa (© Victah Sailer)
Ethiopian teenager Merima Mohammed will be targeting a course record at the METRO Group Marathon Duesseldorf on 8 May.
The 18 year-old Ethiopian boasts a personal best of 2:23:06 from her third place finish at the 2010 Toronto Marathon, which makes her the fastest woman ever entered into this IAAF Bronze Label Road Race. This year she has already shown fine Marathon form, when she took second place at January's Mumbai Marathon clocking 2:26:57. It was only in the final strides of the race that she was beaten in Mumbai by her compatriot Koren Yal who snatched victory by just one second!
With Mohammed in the race, who has a Half Marathon personal best of 1:08:36, a new course record is a real possibility. It is the first time in many years that the mark of 2:26:44 set by Germany’s Luminita Zaituc in 2005, could be under severe threat.
The men's race promises a competitive contest, with a sub-2:10 the target. Günther Weidlinger of Austria, Kenyan Stephen Kiogora, and Chala Lemi of Ethiopia are among the leading contenders.
A year ago Moldavia’s Iaroslav Musinschi produced a huge surprise when he ran away right from the start. While his pacemaker dropped out at half way Musinschi kept going and clocked a course record of 2:08:32. This year European athletes could again play a strong role.
“The course is fast and I am sure that I will be supported very well from the organisers regarding pacemakers,” said Weidlinger. The 33-year-old intends to qualify early for the 2012 Olympic Games Marathon. If conditions are agreeable Weidlinger will go for his personal best which stands at 2:10:47 which he clocked in Frankfurt in 2009.
“We are proud that an international athlete of the calibre of Günther Weidlinger has decided to run in Duesseldorf. This is proof of the great development of the METRO Group Duesseldorf Marathon in recent years. The race becomes more and more attractive for elite and fun runners,” said Race Director Jan Winschermann.
One of the favourites in Duesseldorf will be Kiogora. The 36-year-old Kenyan is an athlete with plenty of experience over the distance, with several notable results over the past seven years. In 2004 Kiogora was fourth in Boston and seventh in Chicago, in 2006 he was second in New York and a year later he took third in Boston. Additionally he won the Las Vegas Marathon in 2005 and has a personal best of 2:09:21. The fastest runner in the field thus far is Lemi who clocked 2:08:49 when he finished second in the Toronto Marathon in 2009.
race-news-service.com for the IAAF
The 18 year-old Ethiopian boasts a personal best of 2:23:06 from her third place finish at the 2010 Toronto Marathon, which makes her the fastest woman ever entered into this IAAF Bronze Label Road Race. This year she has already shown fine Marathon form, when she took second place at January's Mumbai Marathon clocking 2:26:57. It was only in the final strides of the race that she was beaten in Mumbai by her compatriot Koren Yal who snatched victory by just one second!
With Mohammed in the race, who has a Half Marathon personal best of 1:08:36, a new course record is a real possibility. It is the first time in many years that the mark of 2:26:44 set by Germany’s Luminita Zaituc in 2005, could be under severe threat.
The men's race promises a competitive contest, with a sub-2:10 the target. Günther Weidlinger of Austria, Kenyan Stephen Kiogora, and Chala Lemi of Ethiopia are among the leading contenders.
A year ago Moldavia’s Iaroslav Musinschi produced a huge surprise when he ran away right from the start. While his pacemaker dropped out at half way Musinschi kept going and clocked a course record of 2:08:32. This year European athletes could again play a strong role.
“The course is fast and I am sure that I will be supported very well from the organisers regarding pacemakers,” said Weidlinger. The 33-year-old intends to qualify early for the 2012 Olympic Games Marathon. If conditions are agreeable Weidlinger will go for his personal best which stands at 2:10:47 which he clocked in Frankfurt in 2009.
“We are proud that an international athlete of the calibre of Günther Weidlinger has decided to run in Duesseldorf. This is proof of the great development of the METRO Group Duesseldorf Marathon in recent years. The race becomes more and more attractive for elite and fun runners,” said Race Director Jan Winschermann.
One of the favourites in Duesseldorf will be Kiogora. The 36-year-old Kenyan is an athlete with plenty of experience over the distance, with several notable results over the past seven years. In 2004 Kiogora was fourth in Boston and seventh in Chicago, in 2006 he was second in New York and a year later he took third in Boston. Additionally he won the Las Vegas Marathon in 2005 and has a personal best of 2:09:21. The fastest runner in the field thus far is Lemi who clocked 2:08:49 when he finished second in the Toronto Marathon in 2009.
race-news-service.com for the IAAF
