News26 Jul 2008


Martinez to defend in Castelbuono

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Chema Martínez en route to his Madrid Marathon victory (© Mareas)

  José Manuel Martinez, which all call more affectionately "Chema" in Spain, will again be the main the protagonist of 83rd edition of the "Giro podistico internazionale di Castelbuono", on Saturday 26, an ancient and noble Sicilian city in the Natural Park of Madonie, not far from Palermo.

"Chema" ran away from the first metres last year and no one was able to catch him. His race excited thousands of people who as always crowded the sides of the course of this beautiful and difficult race of about 11 km. Martinez, a few weeks later, was the tenth at the Marathon in the World Championships in Osaka.

The "Giro podistico internazionale di Castelbuono” has a title of great prestige: the oldest road race of Europe. The first edition was in 1912 (in the same year was born in Stockholm also IAAF) and since then only two World wars were able to stop it.

Tomorrow’s race (26) will inevitably suffer due to the proximity of the Olympic Games. But the cast of athletes that Mario Fesi and his collaborators have managed to put together will be interesting as always. Along with Martinez there will be another Spanish, José Rios, a short Catalan runner who has achieved good results in both track and road, also Ukrainian Sergey Lebid (second last year) and the Portuguese Paulo Gomes. The group of Italians looking for glory is composed of Bourifa, Meucci, DiCecco, Curzi, La Rosa, Battocletti.

Africans have won in 16 of last 17 editions of the "Giro", before 2007, the last Euro-Italian winner was Salvatore Bettiol in 1989!

Africans are led by Kenyan Paul Kosgei, 2002 World Half Marathon champion in Brussels. Other top names are Kosgei’s compatriot Richard Limo, the Ethiopian Ibrahim Jeilan and Uganda’s Martin Toroitich.

Moses Tanui, will be the guest of honour at this 83rd edition of Castelbuono’s "Giro". Tanui, 1991 World 10,000m champion and 1995 World Half marathon title winner was also one of the great runners of the 1990s at cross country, track, half marathon, marathon. Everybody remembers in Castelbuono the memorable 1995 edition: first Paul Tergat, second Shem Kororia, third Moses Tanui. A race of legend now!

Carlos Fernández Canet and Ottavio Castellini for the IAAF


 

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