Margaret Okayo wins in Castelbuono (© Emilfoto - E. Minutella - Castelbuono)
After their respective wins in the last ING New York City Marathon, Kenya's Martin Lel and Margaret Okayo took the honours together again last Monday in the 79th Tour of Castelbuono. It is the oldest European road race, whose first edition was held in 1912 in this little Sicilian town about 80 km east of Palermo.
In the 1970s and 1980s some of the strongest Italian runners, like Luigi Zarcone, Franco Fava, Venanzio Ortis, Orlando Pizzolato, Gelindo Bordin and Salvatore Bettiol have won this race. Since 1990 the Tour has been dominated by the Kenyans. Marathon and half marathon world record holder Paul Tergat won the race in 1994 and then doubled last year after three wins in a row by Benson Barus. Mexican German Silva (1995), former marathon record holder Khalid Khannouchi (1998) and South Africa's Hendrick Ramaala (1999) have been the only three non-Kenyans winners since 1990.
World Marathon versus Half Marathon champion
As usual the 79th edition of the race had one of the best fields in this kind of race. Half Marathon and Marathon World champions, respectively Martin Lel and Morocco's Jaouad Gharib, were at the start line of the 11.5 km race (ten laps of the 1.15 course). Other stars were Cross Country World junior champion Meba Tadesse, 2003 Boston Marathon champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Patrick Ivuti.
With rainfall cooling the air, the race started at a very fast pace and in few minutes just Africans formed the leading pack, apart from Italy's Michele Gamba. At half race four men were running for the win: Lel, Ivuti, Cheruiyot and Gharib. Lel attacked with 4 laps to go and dropped the others, with just Ivuti able to stay few meters behind him. Lel crossed the finish line with 33:46, a very good time considering the tough up-and-down course. He destroyed the record for the new course that Barus had set in 2002 with 34:22.
Ivuti closed under the 34 minutes as well (33:57), while for the 3rd place Cheruiyot outsprinted Gharib by 3 seconds. Tadesse finished the race ahead of the first home runner, Gamba, who was 6th. After a very unlucky first part of the season, Ottavio Andriani took a good 8th place and confirmed he would run the New York Marathon in order to better last year's 5th place. Ruggero Pertile - who is the Italian Olympic marathon team's reserve - closed behind Andriani in 9th.
Lel looks for title defence in New Delhi
"I have been training very well in the last weeks in St. Moritz and I am very happy for this win," Lel said after the race. As the Kenyan officials chose Paul Tergat, Sammy Korir and Eric Wainaina to make the Olympic team, his goal his now to defend his World Half Marathon title in New Delhi on 3 October. "I will run another Italian race, the Miglianico Tour, on 8 August, then the Virginia Beach Half Marathon, a race that I won last year." After New Delhi he is likely to try to defend his NY title as well.
In the Big Apple or in Chicago Patrick Ivuti is going to make his debut on the longer distance, after he has been one of the strongest on the 21,097 km distance in last years. In 2002 he become the second fastest ever on the half marathon, with a time of 59:45 in Udine, Italy.
Gharib and Okayo looking to Athens
The only one of the group who will run in Athens is the man who last year in Paris beat everybody and took the World gold. "This is my last test before Athens and I am satisfied," Gharib said. "After the London Marathon I had many muscle problems and I was forced to train below par. Now everything is ok and I have been training well for four weeks in a row. I have one month to reach the best shape. My goal is an Olympic medal. It will be not easy to beat Paul Tergat and Sammy Korir who were not in Paris last year."
Margaret Okayo is thinking to do something great in Athens as well. As a woman who has won some of the most important marathons in the world in the last three years - New York (2001 and 2003), Boston (2002), London (2004) - her goal is of course a medal, but the field will be the strongest ever with Paula Radcliffe and Catherine Ndereba looking a step above the others.
"I did very good training work in St. Moritz," Okayo said. "This is my last race, now I'm going to train in Brescia before leaving to Athens." Okayo and the first three of the men's race are all coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa.
An easy win for Okayo
Okayo won easily the women's race (5 laps, 5.7 km), which was born just 9 years ago. She also broke the 19:03 that Merima Denboba set last year, closing with a time of 18:54. Behind the Kenyan, Bruna Genovese, who is in the Italian team for the Athens marathon (2:25:35 PB in 2001, this year she ran in 2:29:03 in Rome), and Gloria Marconi, who outsprinted the young Anna Incerti, took the other two places on the podium.
Alberto Zorzi for the IAAF
Results
Men's race (11.5 km)
1. Martin Lel (Ken) 33:46
2. Patrick Ivuti (Ken) 33:57
3. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (Ken) 34:14
4. Jaouad Gharib (Mar) 34:17
5. Meba Tadesse (Eth) 34:43
6. Michele Gamba (Ita) 34:52
7. Vasyl Matvychuk (Ukr) 34:57
8. Ottavio Andriani (Ita) 34:57
9. Ruggero Pertile (Ita) 35:33
10. Antoni Peña (Esp) 35:48
Women's race (5.7 km)
1. Margaret Okayo (Ken) 18:54
2. Bruna Genovese (Ita) 19:08
3. Gloria Marconi (Ita) 19:20
4. Anna Incerti (Ita) 19:22
5. Rosita Rota Gelpi (Ita) 19:30
In the 1970s and 1980s some of the strongest Italian runners, like Luigi Zarcone, Franco Fava, Venanzio Ortis, Orlando Pizzolato, Gelindo Bordin and Salvatore Bettiol have won this race. Since 1990 the Tour has been dominated by the Kenyans. Marathon and half marathon world record holder Paul Tergat won the race in 1994 and then doubled last year after three wins in a row by Benson Barus. Mexican German Silva (1995), former marathon record holder Khalid Khannouchi (1998) and South Africa's Hendrick Ramaala (1999) have been the only three non-Kenyans winners since 1990.
World Marathon versus Half Marathon champion
As usual the 79th edition of the race had one of the best fields in this kind of race. Half Marathon and Marathon World champions, respectively Martin Lel and Morocco's Jaouad Gharib, were at the start line of the 11.5 km race (ten laps of the 1.15 course). Other stars were Cross Country World junior champion Meba Tadesse, 2003 Boston Marathon champion Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot and Patrick Ivuti.
With rainfall cooling the air, the race started at a very fast pace and in few minutes just Africans formed the leading pack, apart from Italy's Michele Gamba. At half race four men were running for the win: Lel, Ivuti, Cheruiyot and Gharib. Lel attacked with 4 laps to go and dropped the others, with just Ivuti able to stay few meters behind him. Lel crossed the finish line with 33:46, a very good time considering the tough up-and-down course. He destroyed the record for the new course that Barus had set in 2002 with 34:22.
Ivuti closed under the 34 minutes as well (33:57), while for the 3rd place Cheruiyot outsprinted Gharib by 3 seconds. Tadesse finished the race ahead of the first home runner, Gamba, who was 6th. After a very unlucky first part of the season, Ottavio Andriani took a good 8th place and confirmed he would run the New York Marathon in order to better last year's 5th place. Ruggero Pertile - who is the Italian Olympic marathon team's reserve - closed behind Andriani in 9th.
Lel looks for title defence in New Delhi
"I have been training very well in the last weeks in St. Moritz and I am very happy for this win," Lel said after the race. As the Kenyan officials chose Paul Tergat, Sammy Korir and Eric Wainaina to make the Olympic team, his goal his now to defend his World Half Marathon title in New Delhi on 3 October. "I will run another Italian race, the Miglianico Tour, on 8 August, then the Virginia Beach Half Marathon, a race that I won last year." After New Delhi he is likely to try to defend his NY title as well.
In the Big Apple or in Chicago Patrick Ivuti is going to make his debut on the longer distance, after he has been one of the strongest on the 21,097 km distance in last years. In 2002 he become the second fastest ever on the half marathon, with a time of 59:45 in Udine, Italy.
Gharib and Okayo looking to Athens
The only one of the group who will run in Athens is the man who last year in Paris beat everybody and took the World gold. "This is my last test before Athens and I am satisfied," Gharib said. "After the London Marathon I had many muscle problems and I was forced to train below par. Now everything is ok and I have been training well for four weeks in a row. I have one month to reach the best shape. My goal is an Olympic medal. It will be not easy to beat Paul Tergat and Sammy Korir who were not in Paris last year."
Margaret Okayo is thinking to do something great in Athens as well. As a woman who has won some of the most important marathons in the world in the last three years - New York (2001 and 2003), Boston (2002), London (2004) - her goal is of course a medal, but the field will be the strongest ever with Paula Radcliffe and Catherine Ndereba looking a step above the others.
"I did very good training work in St. Moritz," Okayo said. "This is my last race, now I'm going to train in Brescia before leaving to Athens." Okayo and the first three of the men's race are all coached by Dr. Gabriele Rosa.
An easy win for Okayo
Okayo won easily the women's race (5 laps, 5.7 km), which was born just 9 years ago. She also broke the 19:03 that Merima Denboba set last year, closing with a time of 18:54. Behind the Kenyan, Bruna Genovese, who is in the Italian team for the Athens marathon (2:25:35 PB in 2001, this year she ran in 2:29:03 in Rome), and Gloria Marconi, who outsprinted the young Anna Incerti, took the other two places on the podium.
Alberto Zorzi for the IAAF
Results
Men's race (11.5 km)
1. Martin Lel (Ken) 33:46
2. Patrick Ivuti (Ken) 33:57
3. Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (Ken) 34:14
4. Jaouad Gharib (Mar) 34:17
5. Meba Tadesse (Eth) 34:43
6. Michele Gamba (Ita) 34:52
7. Vasyl Matvychuk (Ukr) 34:57
8. Ottavio Andriani (Ita) 34:57
9. Ruggero Pertile (Ita) 35:33
10. Antoni Peña (Esp) 35:48
Women's race (5.7 km)
1. Margaret Okayo (Ken) 18:54
2. Bruna Genovese (Ita) 19:08
3. Gloria Marconi (Ita) 19:20
4. Anna Incerti (Ita) 19:22
5. Rosita Rota Gelpi (Ita) 19:30
