News11 Oct 2009


Matvichuk and Cheptanui take decisive victories in Carpi

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Big 2:11:44 victory in Carpi for Vasyl Matvichuk (© Lorenzo Sampaolo)

Carpi, ItalyVasyl Matvichuk from Ukraine and Anne Cheptanui from Kenya took their respective titles at the 22nd Maratona d’Italia Memorial Enzo Ferrari from Maranello to Carpi.

Matvichuk, who is based in Northern Italy for most of the year, took the first Marathon win of his career crossing the finish line in 2:11:44, missing his PB (2:10:36 set in Turin in 2008) by more than one minute as the temperature rose to above 20° C at the finish  The Marathon which crosses four towns (Maranello, Formigine, Modena and Soliera) before finishing in the historic Central Square Piazza Martiri in Carpi, started at 9:15 on a warm morning. Kenyan Willy Korir Kimutai finished second in 2:15:18 ahead of Lee Troop from Australia who clocked 2:16:13.

Cheptanui took an unchallenged win in the women’s race in 2:32:02 in the first race of her career over this distance. Marcella Mancini from Italy finished a distant runner-up in 2:36.53. Third was Natalia Sergeyeva from Russia in 2:38:35.

Men’s race -

Kenyan pacemakers Abraham Talam and Wilfred Kipkoech Taragon, Troop (the fastest man in the field with a PB of 2:09:49 set in Otsu in 2003), Abdelhadi El Hachimi, a Moroccan-born athlete who lives in Belgium and Matvichuk formed the leading pack which went through 5 km in 15:15 and, after a slower 5km split between 5 and 10 km, the 10 km in 30:53.

Six men (Talam, Taragon, Troop, El Hachimi, Korir, Matvichuk) were running at a 2:10 pace until the 15 km mark which they reached in 46:22. After the pace began to slow at 19 km, Troop, who was sidelined by a hip injury for six weeks, was dropped by 11 seconds by the five-man leading pack which went through at halfway mark in 1:05:27.

Talam was the first pacemaker to drop out at 21 km. Taragon, who holds solid PBs in the half marathon (1:00:42) and in the 10,000m (27:33.02), continued to run in the front until the 30 km (1:32:42) when he dropped out leaving Matvichuk alone in the lead with a margin of 13 seconds over Willy Korir.

Matvichuk, the European Junior champion in the 10,000m and in cross country in 2001, broke away from Korir carving out a gap of 34 seconds and continued to increase his lead to 1:13 at 35 km. Matvichuk began suffering from cramps at 36 km but the win was no longer under threat because his lead over Korir grew to 1:55 at 38 km and to 2:57 at 40 km. Matvichuk started to celebrate waving the Ukrainian flag before crossing the finish line in the Piazza Martiri.

“I am happy with the win but I expected to run under 2:10,” Matvichuk, said. “I was in line to break my PB until 37 km but it was too warm in the second half and I suffered from cramps. I won my first marathon race and I set my course record here in Carpi where I ran my first marathon in 2005. Until the halfway mark I wanted to save energy for the second part of the race. This win makes up with the disappointment I had in Beijing last year. There I had a bad day but I wanted to finish the race in my first Olympic Games.”

Women’s race -

A leading pack of four women went to the front. It was formed by Chaptanui, Russians Natalia Sergeva and Valentina Galimova and Marcella Mancini who went through at 10 km 35:52 and 15 km in 53:51.

After they passed the 21 km mark in 1:16:07 and 25 km in 1:30:48, Cheptanui began pushing the pace at 26 km (3:40 at 27 km split, 3,35 at 28 km and 3:25 at 29 km) and pulled away from Mancini by 46 seconds at 30 km which she went through in 1:48:01. The Kenyan upped the tempo and she opened a gap of 4:40 over Mancini at 40 km.

“I am happy because it was my first marathon race,” Cheptanui said. “The weather conditions were very good. They were the same as in Kenya. I will return to Kenya to prepare for the cross country season. My plan is to run another marathon next spring.”

Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF

Leading Results:
Men -
1. Vasyl Matvichuk (Ukraine) 2:11:44
2. Willy Korir Kimutai (Kenya) 2:15:18
3. Lee Troop (Australia) 2:16:13
4. Oleg Gur (Belarus) 2:20:31
5. Abdelhadi El Hachimi (Morocco) 2:20:52

Women -
1. Anne Cheptanui Berwere (Kenya) 2:32:03
2. Marcella Mancini (Italy) 2:36.53
3. Natalia Sergeva (Russia) 2:38.55
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