Aniko Kalovics wins her marathon debut in Carpi (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)
Aniko Kalovics will be in the spotlight at the Maratona d’Italia Memorial Enzo Ferrari from Maranello to Carpi scheduled on Sunday 21 October 2007.
The Hungarian star will be looking to improving her national marathon record set last year in Carpi with an impressive gun-to-tape win in 2:26:43.
After Carpi Kalovics continued her successful marathon career with two solid wins at the Stramilano Half Marathon in Milan in 1:08:58 and in the Turin Marathon in 2:29:34 on a warm day.
More recently Kalovics finished third at the Great North Run on a downhill course in 1:10:17 behind Kara Goucher and Paula Radcliffe showing that she is ready for an attack to her national record in Carpi.
Kalovics, a well known name to Italian road running and cross country fans, will start as the big favourite in a race which also features Italian marathon specialist Ornella Ferrara, a former World bronze medallist in Gothenburg 1995 and a 2:27:49 performer.
Ferrara, mother of two children, will contest her comeback race in Carpi in a marathon which she won in 1997.
The men’s race is set to be a Kenyan affair. The most prominent names in the field will be Philip Biwott (PB 2:10:27) and Noah Serem (2:11:35).
In October 2008 Carpi will celebrate the century anniversary of the historic race run by Italian marathon legend Dorando Pietri in London 1908. Pietri, who started his running career in Carpi began the Italian marathon tradition at the Olympic Games in the british capital when he entered the stadium in first position in front of 80,000 spectators but exhausted by his effort he turned the wrong way.
He collapsed but was helped to his feet by officials. He was disqualified for receiving assistance but his name has remained in the athletics history books. He was presented with a gold cup by the Queen Alexandra of England.
A re-match marathon race between Olympic champion John Hayes and Dorando Pietri was staged in November 1908 on the indoor track of the Madison Square Garden in New York. The Italian claimed victory leaving Hayes 45 seconds behind.
A series of initiatives will be presented during the weekend to mark an important stage in the build-up to the one-hundredth anniversary of the legendary race of Dorando Pietri.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
