2007 New Year's Day Run in Berlin (© Horst Milde)
Defending champion Moses Kipsiro (Uganda) and Ethiopian Belaynesh Fekadu won the annual New Year’s Eve race in Trier (31 Dec).
Regarding quality this is the number One German ‘Silvesterlauf’. In front of thousands of spectators Kipsiro had to fight until the very last metre of the 8 kilometre race to secure victory. Clocking 22:27.4 he was just seven tenths of a second ahead of Eshetu Wondimu (Ethiopia), who was timed with 22:28.1. While Patrick Stitzinger (Netherlands) took third place in 23:14.1, Germany’s European 10,000 m champion Jan Fitschen finished fourth, reaching the line in 23:18.4.
There was a much more dominant win in the women’s race. Belaynesh Fekadu clocked 15:42.2 minutes for the 5 km distance. Germany’s Irina Mikitenko came in second in 15:52.3, beating her national rival Sabrina Mockenhaupt once again. Last year’s winner Mockenhaupt finished third in 15:57.0.
Local stars in Bietigheim
There were no strong foreign athletes in the New Year’s Eve race at Bietigheim, north of Stuttgart. Stefan Koch took this race, clocking 33:00 minutes for the 11.2 km distance. Michael May (33:04) and Michael Schering (33:07) took the next places in a race in which Olympic 5000m champion from 1992, Dieter Baumann, placed eighth in 34:00. The women’s winner was Melanie Kraus (37:25) while favourite Luminita Zaituc had to be content with fourth place in 39:47. Stephanie Beckmann (37:51) and Simret Restle (38:54) placed in between the two.
Germany’s biggest ‘Silvesterlauf’ took place in Werl, where 8,124 runners participated in a 15 km race leading to another town, Soest in western Germany. German Ansgar Varnhagen won the race for the fifth time, setting a course record of 46:37. Women’s winner was Petra Maak in 55:56.
The biggest national New Year’s Race was started in Berlin at the Brandenburg Gate today. 3,900 runners covered the 4 k race which is a fun and charity event without timing.
Jörg Wenig for the IAAF