Fabiano Joseph wins in Bogata (© Victah Sailer)
With his winning time of 2:06:20 in the 30th edition of the ING Amsterdam Marathon (course record) Haile Gebrselassie produced the quickest time of 2005. Although the Ethiopian “Emperor'' is not starting in the Dutch capital this Sunday (15) the organisers are hoping for a winning time of the same quality as last year.
Over 7000 runners from all over the world will line up in the 1928 Olympic stadium.
The fastest in the men’s field is Fred Kiptum Kiprop who won the 1999 Amsterdam Marathon in a personal best of 2:06:47, but the 32-year-old Kenyan is not the pre-race favourite. That mantle rests on the shoulders of another Kenyan, Patrick Ivuti.
The 28-year-old east African is targeting an improvement to his 2:07:46 personal best which he set when coming fifth last year in Chicago, which was his marathon debut. Amsterdam will be Ivuti’s second marathon. He has top international champion credentials at shorter distances having taken silver in the 1999 and 2003 World Cross Country Championship long races, and was the fourth pace finisher in the 2000 Olympic 10,000m final.
A lot is also expected on Sunday from two runners who are going for their first try at the Marathon: Fabiano Joseph and Solomon Bushendich.
Tanzania’s Fabiano Joseph, won the 2005 World Half Marathon title, and will be for the second time in nearly one month racing in The Netherlands. On 17 September, he finished second (45:29) in the 'Dam to Dam' (Ten Miles) which is contested between Amsterdam and Zaandam.
“I have trained very well after the race in Zaamdam,” said Joseph said upon his arrival in Amsterdam. ”I do not predict a time but I hope to better the Tanzanian record of 2:08:01 set by Samson Ramadhani in 2003 London Marathon.”
Most recently Joseph took a good half marathon win at altitude in Bogota, Colombia - 1:02:34 (30 July 2006).
Kenyan Solomon Busendich will have his third start this year in The Netherlands. The 22-year-old has run a half marathon race twice in the low countries this year. On 25 March he finished second in the City-Pier-City at The Hague (61:21) - a race incidentally in which Ivuti came fourth (61:50) - and on 10 September he was third in a personal best of 60:14 in the Fortis Half Marathon in Rotterdam. He has a good championship pedigree as a junior with podium finishes in both the 2002 World Junior track and cross country championships.
After disappointing DNF's in the Lake Biwa and the Helsinki World Championships marathons, Brazil’s Vanderlei de Lima, 37, is hoping for a good result in Amsterdam. In the Athens Olympic Marathon of 2004 the Brazilian finished in bronze medal position after being famously attacked while earlier leading the race. Vanderlei de Lima has prepared for Amsterdam at altitude in Colombia, where he has trained for five weeks. He did the same in preparation for the Athens Olympics.
The women’s race is a lot weaker and seems to predict a battle between Kenyans Rose Cheruiyot and Emily Kimuria, and Leila Aman and Gishu Mindaye of Ethiopia. The four all have personal bests of well under 2:30:00.
The women’s course record for Amsterdam is held by Gete Wami with 2:22:19 (2002).
The weather forecast looks good for Sunday: 80 percent sunshine, max. temp: 17 degrees CT, eastern wind of force 4.
Wim van Hemert for the IAAF
Most important invited unners:
Men
Fred Kiprop KEN 2:06:47
Patrick Ivuti KEN 2:07:46
Vanderlei Lima BRA 2:08:31
Philip Tarus KEN 2:08:33
Bernard Barmasai KEN 2:08:52
Stanley Leleito KEN 2:10:17
Francis Kiprop KEN 2:10:40
Getuli Bayo TAN 2:10:45
Dereje Tesfaye ETH 2:11:10
Albert Matebor KEN 2:12:21
Jose Telles de Souza BRA 2:17:29
Margus Pirksaar EST 2:18:29
Javier Diaz ESP 2:19:39
Solomon Bushendich KEN debut
Fabiano Joseph TAN debut
Lino Barruncho POR debut
Msenduki Ikoki TAN debut
Teklu Tefera ETH debut
Samuel Woldeamanuel ETH debut
Mulugeta Wami ETH debut
Hussein Adilo ETH debut
pacemakers:
Paul Biwott KEN
Eliud Lagat KEN
Deriba Merga ETH
Emmanuel Mutai KEN
Cyres Kataron KEN
Elijah Nyabuti KEN
Ismael Kirui KEN
Martin Lauret NED
Hugo van den Broek NED
Women
Rose Cheruiyot KEN 2:27:09
Leila Aman ETH 2:27:54
Emily Kimuria KEN 2:28:18
Gishu Mindaye ETH 2:28:30
Millicent Boadi GHA 2:30:03
Liz Yelling GBR 2:30:58
Kristijna Loonen NED 2:33:28
Helena Loshanyang KEN 2:34:43
Maria Zeferina Rodrigues Baldaia BRA 2:36:07
Marizete Gezende BRA 2:37:29
Charne Rademayer RSA 2:39:26
Rosangela Raimunda Pereira Faria BRA 2:41:07
Marizete Moreiro Dos Santos BRA 2:41:51
Adriana de Souza BRA 2:42:19
Sirlene Souza de Pinho BRA 2:42:35
Ingrid Prigge NED 2:45:28
Karen Hazlitt GBR 2:45:41
Ayelech Worku ETH debut
Martha Markos ETH debut
Jenny Johannesson SWE debut
pacemakers:
Wilson Kibet KEN
Vincent Krop KEN
Fransua Woldemariam NED
Ronald Scheur NED
