Galina Bogomolova en route to a 10Km stage best in Yokohama (© Kazutaka Eguchi/Agence SHOT)
This year’s Maratona Città di Roma on Sunday 16 March has lined-up one of the best ever fields for this race in the eternal city with seven sub-2:30 women and 20 sub- 2:13 men in the field.
The Rome Marathon is an IAAF Silver Label Road race.
WOMEN
The headliner is Russia’s Galina Bogomolova, who set an outstanding 2:20:47 PB in Chicago and finished fifth in London with 2:21:58 in 2006. Bogomolova , who was born in 1977, is a solid track runner with a fourth place in the 10,000 metres at the 2006 European Championships in Gothenburg.
The fiercest rivals for Bogomolova will be compatriot 39-year-old Larissa Zousko, a 2:26.26 performer and Aniko Kalovics from Hungary, winner of three top Italian marathons (Carpi in 2006 and 2007 and Turin in 2007). Kalovics, who trained for Rome in Southern France, set an Hungarian record of 2:26.43 in Carpi running alone in the front from gun to tape.
Two Italian runners will battle for berths in the Italian Olympic team for Beijing. They are 39-year-old Ornella Ferrara and Vincenza Sicari.
Ferrara, a former World marathon bronze medallist in Gothenburg 1995, ran 2:30:22 finishing second in Carpi behind Kalovics in her comeback race after undergoing surgery on her Achilles tendonin 2007. Ferrara, who is married to marathon runner Corrado Bado and gave birth to two children Riccardo and Aurora, set her lifetime best in Rome in 2004 when she won in 2:27:49. She has already run over the marathon race in 2008 in Dubai on 18 January where she finished eleventh in 2:37:40.
Sicari won the last two editions of the Florence Marathon and set a 2:30:34 in Padua last year.
The international field also features former 3000 steeplechase world record holder Justina Bak (PB 2:30:45) and Ethiopian Baysa Atsede (PB 2:29:05).
MEN
Kenyans are set to top the bill in the men’s race against athletes from Italy, Ethiopia, Algeria, Morocco, Tanzania, Russia, Ukraine, Rwanda, Colombia and France.
The best entry is Philip Singoei, winner of the fast Eindhoven race in 2007 in 2:07:57. A well-known face to italian fans will be Paul Kimaiyo Kimugul who will run his first ever marathon race after a solid career in the half marathon. Kimugul took the honours at the Stramilano Half Marathon in 2006 and ran a career best of 60:15. The Kenyan squad is completed by 2006 and 2007 Venice Marathon winner Jonathan Kosgei Kipkorir (2:10:18), Francis Bowen (2:10:41), Benjamin Kiprotich (2:10:47) and Philip Serem (2:10:47).
Italian hopes are carried by Ottavio Andriani (PB 2:09:07) who will pursue a spot in the Olympic team for Beijing.
Bonuses
The organizers have set a “Jackpot” for best performances. In the case of best ever performance on Italian soil (2:07:44 for men and 2:24:59 for women) the prize will amount to 100000 euro (50000 for both men and women). For a new course record (2:08:02 for men and 2:25:07 for women), the bonus will be 25000 euro.
Rome boasts one of the most fascinating courses in the world. The race course will be similar to that of last year’s edition. The race will start and finish in Via dei Fori Imperiali and will wind through Via del Teatro Marcello, Basilica di San Paolo, along the Lungotevere up to the Sinagoga. Runners will pass near Piazza del Popolo, Piazza di Spagna and Fontana di Trevi, Piazza del Colosseo before returning to the Viale dei Fori Imperiali.
The Maratona Città di Roma has attracted 14500 runners from 76 countries (8800 runners come from Italy and 5700 are foreigners). These figures make Rome the most popular marathon race in Italy.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
