05-05-2012, 01:24 PM
Course records will be the target in both the menââ¬â¢s and the womenââ¬â¢s race of the TUI Hanover Marathon, which will be staged on Sunday. A group of Kenyans and Ethiopians are the ones capable to break the current records of 2:08:52 and 2:31:19. A total of 14,221 runners are expected to take part in the various running events of the race. The TUI Hanover Marathon is an IAAF Bronze Label Race.
In the menââ¬â¢s race three athletes have been entered with personal bests of sub 2:10. It is Ethiopiaââ¬â¢s Megersa Bacha Chikuala who features the fastest time of the elite runners. The 27 year-old has clocked 2:08:55 when he took third in last yearââ¬â¢s Turin Marathon. In that race he just hold off the challenge of Peter Kurui. The 24 year-old Kenyan crossed the line just one second behind with a personal best of 2:08:56 for fourth place. Kurui has the advantage that he knows the fast Hanover course. A year ago he was second in this race with 2:09:35.
While Chikuala and Kurui could be involved in another duel there are a couple of more athletes who are in with a chance. Kenyaââ¬â¢s Amos Mutai also ran well in Hanover a year ago. He was third at the TUI Hanover Marathon in 2011 with 2:10:07. His personal best stands at 2:09:35. Jospeh Kiptum has recently shown very promising form, when he clocked a personal best in the Berlin half marathon with 60:26 minutes. The Kenyan should be able to improve his personal best of 2:10:07 on Sunday. Abdisa Sori Bedada (Ethiopia/PB: 2:10:26) and Johnstone Chepkwony (Kenya/2:11:33) could also do well. Organisers have been unlucky with a couple of late withdrawals. Among them was Kenyaââ¬â¢s Olympic Steeplechase Champion from Sydney 2000, Reuben Kosgei.
It would be a surprise if the course record would not fall in the womenââ¬â¢s race provided weather conditions will be fine as forecasted. The big favourite comes from Ethiopia: Eyerusalem Kuma has a personal best of 2:24:55. The 31 year-old has placed second in Amsterdam last year, when she achieved her personal best. But she has already run a marathon this year, when she was seventh in Tokyo with 2:28:36. So it remains to be seen how fresh Kuma will be in the final stages.
Another woman who wants to follow a 73:00 minutes half marathon pace is Leah Malot. The 39 year-old Kenyan will run her sixth marathon on Sunday and so far has a personal best of 2:29:17. ââ¬ÅMy training has gone well and I really want to run sub 2:30 again. It would be nice if I could break my personal best on Sunday,ââ¬Â said Leah Malot, who had done very well in Cross Country many years ago. She was sixth in the World Cross Country Championships in 2000.
A German athlete to watch is Katharina Heinig. The 22 year-old daughter of former world-class runner Katrin Dörre, who had won the Olympic marathon bronze medal in 1988 (the year before Katharina was born) and won the London Marathon three times, had been unlucky a year ago. With five kilometres to go in the TUI Marathon Hanover she developed a stress fracture in her foot. ââ¬ÅBut I desperately wanted to finish. So I carried on despite the pain,ââ¬Â recalls Katharina Heinig, who then finished in a personal best of 2:42:10. It took her many months to recover from the injury and there was no chance to run an autumn marathon. ââ¬ÅIn September I could start running again, but I still had to be careful. Then in January we went to Spain for training and all was going well there. Three weeks ago we came back from high altitude training in Kenya. It was very motivating for me to see all the Kenyan world-class runners training in Itenââ¬Â, says Katharina Heinig, who is coached by her father Wolfgang.
On Sunday Katharina Heinig will run her third marathon. ââ¬ÅMy aim is to clearly improve in Hannover and I want to run well under 2:40,ââ¬Â said Katharina Heinig, who will get support from both her parents along the course. A result around 2:35 would be a good and realistic improvement for Katharina Heinig.
In the menââ¬â¢s race three athletes have been entered with personal bests of sub 2:10. It is Ethiopiaââ¬â¢s Megersa Bacha Chikuala who features the fastest time of the elite runners. The 27 year-old has clocked 2:08:55 when he took third in last yearââ¬â¢s Turin Marathon. In that race he just hold off the challenge of Peter Kurui. The 24 year-old Kenyan crossed the line just one second behind with a personal best of 2:08:56 for fourth place. Kurui has the advantage that he knows the fast Hanover course. A year ago he was second in this race with 2:09:35.
While Chikuala and Kurui could be involved in another duel there are a couple of more athletes who are in with a chance. Kenyaââ¬â¢s Amos Mutai also ran well in Hanover a year ago. He was third at the TUI Hanover Marathon in 2011 with 2:10:07. His personal best stands at 2:09:35. Jospeh Kiptum has recently shown very promising form, when he clocked a personal best in the Berlin half marathon with 60:26 minutes. The Kenyan should be able to improve his personal best of 2:10:07 on Sunday. Abdisa Sori Bedada (Ethiopia/PB: 2:10:26) and Johnstone Chepkwony (Kenya/2:11:33) could also do well. Organisers have been unlucky with a couple of late withdrawals. Among them was Kenyaââ¬â¢s Olympic Steeplechase Champion from Sydney 2000, Reuben Kosgei.
It would be a surprise if the course record would not fall in the womenââ¬â¢s race provided weather conditions will be fine as forecasted. The big favourite comes from Ethiopia: Eyerusalem Kuma has a personal best of 2:24:55. The 31 year-old has placed second in Amsterdam last year, when she achieved her personal best. But she has already run a marathon this year, when she was seventh in Tokyo with 2:28:36. So it remains to be seen how fresh Kuma will be in the final stages.
Another woman who wants to follow a 73:00 minutes half marathon pace is Leah Malot. The 39 year-old Kenyan will run her sixth marathon on Sunday and so far has a personal best of 2:29:17. ââ¬ÅMy training has gone well and I really want to run sub 2:30 again. It would be nice if I could break my personal best on Sunday,ââ¬Â said Leah Malot, who had done very well in Cross Country many years ago. She was sixth in the World Cross Country Championships in 2000.
A German athlete to watch is Katharina Heinig. The 22 year-old daughter of former world-class runner Katrin Dörre, who had won the Olympic marathon bronze medal in 1988 (the year before Katharina was born) and won the London Marathon three times, had been unlucky a year ago. With five kilometres to go in the TUI Marathon Hanover she developed a stress fracture in her foot. ââ¬ÅBut I desperately wanted to finish. So I carried on despite the pain,ââ¬Â recalls Katharina Heinig, who then finished in a personal best of 2:42:10. It took her many months to recover from the injury and there was no chance to run an autumn marathon. ââ¬ÅIn September I could start running again, but I still had to be careful. Then in January we went to Spain for training and all was going well there. Three weeks ago we came back from high altitude training in Kenya. It was very motivating for me to see all the Kenyan world-class runners training in Itenââ¬Â, says Katharina Heinig, who is coached by her father Wolfgang.
On Sunday Katharina Heinig will run her third marathon. ââ¬ÅMy aim is to clearly improve in Hannover and I want to run well under 2:40,ââ¬Â said Katharina Heinig, who will get support from both her parents along the course. A result around 2:35 would be a good and realistic improvement for Katharina Heinig.