Ruggero Pertile (Italy) wins the 2004 Rome Marathon 2:10:13 (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
On a sunny and warm morning today the 10th Rome International Marathon was won by Italians Ruggero Pertile (PB of 2:10:13) and Ornella Ferrara (2:27:49 PB), who respectively took the men’s and women’s titles.
Pertile, a 29-year-old from Villanova di Camposampietro near Padua, who contributed to the Italy’s World Cup second team place at last summer’s World Championships in Paris, captured the first important win of his career. Pertile is now in the possible frame to represent Italy in Athens this summer along with the pre-selected Stefano Baldini (bronze medallist in the two last editions of the World Championships in Edmonton and Paris) and Daniele Caimmi (sixth in Paris).
The pacemakers Angelo Carosi the reigning Italian Marathon champion, and the Kenyan Simion Mutai set a fast pace (inside 2:08) in the early stage (15:09 at 5 km; 30:19 at 10 km). Migidio Bourifa, followed the pacemakers with his compatriots Pertile and Francesco Ingargiola (PB 2:08:49 set in 2000 in Rome), the Ethiopian Halefom Abebe, and Kenyan Samuel Kemboi Chemweno.
15 km was reached in 45:41. At this point Carosi dropped out and left Mutai in the lead together with Pertile. Bourifa was one second adrift. Bourifa and Mutai forced the pace in the lead at halfway (1:04:23). Pertile, Phillemon Rotich from Kenya, Spaniard Javier Caballero and Ethiopian Habtamu Bekele managed to keep up with the pace.
Bourifa tried to launch an attack at 32 km but Pertile, Rotich and Chemweno closed the gap. The Italian challenge to Kenya led by Borifa and Pertile, who are training partners (they prepared for the race with Francesco Ingargiola in Mazzaro del Vallo, Sicily), became more intense with seven kilometres to go to the finish-line.
At 39 km the pace was still inside 2:10 but with a final Italian Olympic team place at stake the race turned a bit more tactical. Pertile continued running very smoothly and dropped Bourifa.
However, with Pertile entering the fascinating Viale dei Fori Imperiali with a comfortable lead over Bourifa, this challenging up and down stage of the course and the warm temperature slowed the pace further, so that in the end he finished first in 2:10:13.
Bourifa was second (2:11:13) and Kenya’s Samuel Kemboi (2:11:45) was third.
“I want to thank my fans for the support they gave me along the course and pushed me until the finish line,” said Pertile. “I knew that I worked very well in the last weeks and I was in very good shape. I felt well until the 30 km when the battle hotted up."
"Now let’s see what happens in the next weeks. I did my best to deserve a berth in the Olympic team, although I know that other Italian runners may run faster in the next spring marathons.”
”Alberigo Di Cecco and Danilo Goffi will run in Turin where the course is faster than in Rome. Italy can boast so many good marathon runners who deserve the Olympic Games but I wait the final decision of the Italian selectors with confidence. I hope the CONI (Italian Olympic Comittee) and the FIDAL (Italian Athletics Federation) will take into account my recent results”, said Pertile who works part-time in a supermarket.
Women’s race - continued comeback for 1995 World bronze medallist
The 35-year-old Ornella Ferrara, the World bronze medallist in Gothenburg 1995, is continuing a successful comeback after giving birth to her second child in 2002. After clinching two third places in Berlin and Venice last autumn, Ornella ran one of the best races of her long career and lowered her old PB from 2:28:01 (Turin 1997) to 2:27:49,so tying with Laura Fogli, for sixth place on the Italian all-time list.
Ferrara ran the first 10 km in 34:46 and built up a 17 seconds lead over her compatriot Bruna Genovese (third in the all-time national list with 2:25:35 set at the Tokyo marathon in 2001). At this point, Rosaria Console from Italy and Kotu Meseret from Ethiopia were 3 seconds adrift of Genovese.
Ferrara and Genovese remained in the two leading places at the 15 km point (52:25) and reached the halfway in 1:13:45, while Rosaria Console was 1:12 adrift.
Again Ferrara forced the pace after the 30 km and secured her victory in her twenty-fourth marathon of her career – 2:27:49. This result makes her a serious candidate for anOlympic team spot for Athens.
Genovese, was second in 2:29:04 and Rosalba Console, third in 2:32:15.
“I felt as well as in Berlin where I ran in 2:28:28. Now I hope the Italian selectors tell me what they intend to do as far as a possible Olympic selection is concerned. I have to look after two children and I need to plan my season in advance. If I travel to the Greek capital I would be very happy. The Olympics would be a good price for the results I achieved in my career. If this win is not enough, I will continue my training for another marathon in late spring or in autumn”, said Ferrara.
A record figure of more than 9000 runners entered the Rome marathon, the most popular of all Italian marathons.
Selected results of the Rome marathon
Men:
1 Ruggero Pertile (Italy) 2:10:13
2 Migidio Bourifa (Italy) 2:11:13
3 Samuel Kemboi (Kenya) 2:11:45
4 Habtamu Bekele (Ethiopia) 2:12:04
5 Jhon Ngeno (Kenya) 2:12:16
6 Philemon Rotich (Kenya) 2:13:06
7 Abebe Halefom (Ethiopia) 2:13:55
8 Javier Caballero (Spain) 2:15:37
Women:
1 Ornella Ferrara (Italy) 2:27:49
2 Bruna Genovese (Italy) 2:29:04
3 Rosalba Console (Italy) 2:32:15
4 Marcella Mancini (Italy) 2:34:00
5 Kotu Meseret (Ethiopia) 2:34:16
