Caroline Cheptanui wins the Palermo Marathon (© Alberto Zorzi)
Kenya's Caroline Cheptanui and Jomo Kororia took the honours in the 10th Palermo City Marathon, held yesterday. Cheptanui also broke the course record, crossing the finish line with a time of 2:31:15 and improving the 2:32:24 set by Poland's Krystina Kuta in 1999. Ornella Ferrara (2nd with 2:38:21) and Roberto Barbi (6th with 2:21:06) were the Italian champions.
A stunning negative split
For 23-year-old Cheptanui this was the first win at the marathon distance. She placed 2nd both in the 2003 Venice marathon (with PB 2:30:22) and in last May's Prague International Marathon (2:32:52). One month ago she was looking for a great time in Dublin, but started too fast (1:14 at halfway) and was forced to drop out and to be checked up in a hospital.
As a consequence she and his manager Italy's Claudio Bellini decided to be more cautious in the first part of the race. Palermo City Marathon's course is completely into the city, with a 21.097km lap to be repeated twice.
"We were told the course was difficult, so I used the first lap to learn and the second to make the time," Cheptanui said after the race.
At halfway Cheptanui had just a few metres advantage over Italy's Ornella Ferrara. Her time was a modest 1:17:58. Then she strongly increased her pace, running the second half in a very good 1:13:17.
"In a completely flat marathon today I could have broken the 2:30 wall," she said firmly. She trains in Kericho with Alice Chelangat (11th in the Olympic marathon) and Hellen Cherono.
Below par Italian championships
1995 World bronze medallist Ferrara showed she has not yet recovered after being forced to miss the Olympic marathon because of a problem in her right leg. Though she is now 36 years old, she had begun the year with a PB of 2:27:49 in Rome and she had been very confident about Athens race. Just a few days before the race it was announced she would not run.
"I was very disappointed, as I am sure I could have had a very great race. I like hard courses and I was in very good shape, apart from my leg," said Ferrara. After the race, she was told about the great win in Tokyo by her team-mate Bruna Genovese. "I think Bruna and I could have run together and helped each other in Athens. She is very strong and we could have done an even better race than she did." Genovese in Athens closed in 10th.
Ferrara was satisfied just to finish the race and take the national title, for which she was never in threat, as the second Italian finished more than half an hour behind her. With many tired Italian top athletes and with a busier calendar - next week two biggest Italian marathons are scheduled in Florence and Milan - it was impossible for the organizing committee to make up a competitive race. The men title went to Roberto Barbi, who closed in 6th with a slow 2:21:06.
For both of them it was not the first national title. Ferrara had already won in 1997, Barbi in 1999 and 2000. 39 years old Barbi started running again one year ago, after a 2-year ban for doping.
On Shem's footsteps
Jomo Kororia is a younger brother of Shem Kororia, the 1997 IAAF World Half Marathon champion. He made his move with 4km to go, when going uphill towards the historical Palazzo dei Normanni. He crossed the finish line with a time of 2:12:22.
"I found the course very hard and in the first part of the second lap we were a little too cautious," he said.
"Jomo showed he is a very regular marathon runner about 2:11-2:12," said Claudio Berardelli, a young coach for the Rosa Team, who also trains Margaret Okayo.
Last year Kororia won the Country Music Marathon in Nashville with 2:12:56, earlier this year he had set his PB 2:11:07 in another "music marathon" (P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon) in Phoenix. "Now we would like to put him in a very fast race, so he can run around 2:10," Berardelli added.
Hosea Kimutai, who won the Brescia Marathon with a surprising 2:10:47 in March, closed in second with a time of 2:13:06. Linus Ngetich took the last step of the podium.
Alberto Zorzi for the IAAF
Selected results
Men
1. Jomo Kororia, KEN, 2:12:22
2. Hosea Kimutai, KEN, 2:13:06
3. Linus Ngetich, KEN, 2:13:56
4. Michael Chemchir, KEN, 2:15:02
5. Philip Molefe, RSA, 2:17:53
6. Roberto Barbi, ITA, 2:21:06 (Italian champion)
Women
1. Caroline Cheptanui, KEN, 2:31:15 (course record)
2. Ornella Ferrara, ITA, 2:38:21 (Italian champion)
