Vanderlei de Lima runs home for bronze in Athens (© Getty Images)
The Milano City Marathon scheduled on Sunday 2 December will return to its old early - December date after it was moved last year to October. But this is not the only change to the race announced by the organisers this year.
The race will be run on a new fast and flat course from Piazza Castello to the Arco della Pace. The race course will run across the most famous monuments in the “heart” of the second biggest Italian city.
Kamathi, in debut, to face Athens bronze medallist de Lima
The most prominent name in the Milan Marathon line-up is Charles Kamathi, the former 10,000m world champion from Edmonton 2001 where he beat the “Emperor” Haile Gebrselassie, now the World record record holder over the Marathon with 2:04:26.
Kamathi, who emerged as one of the strongest 10,000m runners in 1999 when he ran 26:51.99 in Brussels, has already run in Milan, finishing second at the Stramilano Half Marathon in a PB of 1:00:22.
Kamathi, who will run his first major Marathon after a period of injuries, will face a strong opposition led by Evans Kiprop Cheruiyot who won the bronze medal at the highly successful edition of the World Road Running Championships in Udine in Octoberm dipping under the 60 minutes barrier over the half-marathon distance with 59:05. The flat Milan course which underwent major changes from last year’s edition, will mantain its characteristic of a fast race. According to organisers these changes are also aimed at reducing the impact of the race on traffic.
Last year Benson Cherono won in Milano in 2:07:58, the fastest performance for an Italian Marathon in 2006. This year another fast reace is expected. Solomon Bushendich, who won the fast Amsterdam race in 2:08:52 in 2006, is the third major name expected to help keep the Milan record as the fastest Italian Marathon race in 2007.
The Kenyan challenge will be completed by Jackson Kiprono Kirwa (1:00:52 in the half-marathon), Simion Kiprop Tuitoek, and 2003 Milan Marathon winner John Birgen.
The Milan race will not be only a Kenyan affair because the most famous name in the field on Sunday will be reigning Olympic bronze medallist Vanderlei de Lima from Brazil, who was famously pushed off the road by a protestor during the Olympic race in Athens while he was leading the race. De Lima found the strength to finish the race, winning a well-deserved bronze medal behind Italian Stefano Baldini and US runner Meb Keflezighi. It’s the second appearance in Milan for De Lima who ran the northern Italian race in 2003 finishing seventh. Italian interest will be focused on Ottaviano Andriani, winner of this year’s Trieste Marathon.
As Udine follow-up, Chepchumba leads the women’s field
Pamela Chepchumba, bronze medallist at the World Road Running Championships in Udine in a fast 1:08:06, will start as favourite in the women’s race.
Bahrain’s Nadja Ejjafini, who was born in Morocco but lives in the northern Italian town of Biella, is a well-known name to Italian distance running fans as she runs in many cross country and road races in Italy. Ejjafini, fourth in the 5000m at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, finished runner-up in two top Italian half-marathons: the Roma-Ostia and the Stramilano last spring.
Big name pace-setters
Martin Lel, twice winner of both big Marathons in London (2005 and 2007) and New York (2003 and 2007), and Margaret Okayo, winner in New York 2001 and 2003, Boston 2002 and London 2004 and course record holder of the Milan Marathon with her 2:24:59 in 2002 (the Italian all- comers record) will act as pacemakers in the first half of the race.
The Milan race has been a springboard race for future Marathon stars. Robert Cheruiyot won the Northern Italian race in 2002 and went on to win three Boston Marathon titles in 2003, 2006 and 2007 and the 2006 Chicago Marathon to share the 2006/2007 World Marathon Majors Jackpot with Ethiopian Gete Wami this year.
Organisers have announced more than 5000 entries from 52 countries.
Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF
