Luminita Zaituc (Germany) wins the 2005 Bewag Berlin Marathon (© Camera4)
Luminita Zaituc appears to be in a promising form two weeks before running the real,- Berlin Marathon.
The number one German marathoner won the national 10k title on Sunday (11 September) in Otterndorf (Northern Germany) clocking 31:45 minutes. She missed Irina Mikitenko’s two-year-old German record by 17 seconds, but it was a personal best for the 36 year-old. Zaituc was nearly two minutes ahead of Susanne Ritter (33:34). Jan Fitschen won the men’s race with 29:18.
Zaituc, 35, the Eueopean silver medallist at the Marathon has a PB of 2:26:01 (2001). She won the national championships at half marathon (Ohrdruf 13 March) in 73:39 and then clocked 71:04 to win the Bewag Berlin Half Marathon (3 April) before winning the Düsseldorf Marathon on 8 May in 2:26:46, her only marathon so far of 2005.
Cologne victory for Dreher
Also on Sunday (11 Sep), Claudia Dreher won the Cologne Marathon for a third time. The 34 year-old clocked 2:31:43 in rainy conditions. She had won the race last year and in 2002. Claudia Dreher was well ahead of Thabiata Tsatsa (Zimbabwe/2:37:06) und Mounia Aboulahcen (Belgium/2:38:27).
The men’s race was won by Joseph Kadon (Kenya) with 2:11:55. Peter Chemei (Kenya/2:12:44) was second while Habte Jifar (Ethiopia/2:13:31) took third. About 14,000 runners had entered the race.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF
