OTTAWA – The 2011 Virgin London Marathon released today the list of elite athletes who will take part in the event on April 17, 2011.  Touted as the best ever, the field includes reigning champions Tsegaye Kebede and Liliya Shobukhova.  Two Canadians will be on the start line come April 17, Reid Coolsaet of Hamilton, ON and Eric Gillis of Antigonish, NS, both members of the Guelph Speed River club.

Reid Coolsaet

Reid Coolsaet

Reid Coolsaet was the top Canadian (10th overall) at this year’s Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon in 2:11:23, just sneaking under the Olympic standard of 2:11:29.  Reid is the 2009 Canadian Champion in the marathon.  Eric Gillis finished just behind Coolsaet in 2:12:06, good for 11th overall.

Coolsaet and Gillis are attending the Virgin London Marathon as a continuation of the Endurance/Marathon project between the Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront Marathon, Ottawa Race Weekend and Athletics Canada.  The project saw a men’s Canadian team entry in the World Cup held as part of the 2009 World Championships in Berlin.   The program will culminate with the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

The men’s and women’s line-ups are a who’s who of marathon running, featuring the top five in from the 2010 event, both Olympic and world champions, World Marathon Majors champions, and recent winners in Berlin, Chicago and New York.

Elite athletes and their best marathon times

Men

Tsegaye Kebede                                          ETH                 2:05:18
Patrick Makau                                               KEN                 2:04:48
Samuel Wanjiru                                            KEN                 2:05:10
Abel Kirui                                                        KEN                 2:05:04
Bazu Worku                                                   ETH                 2:05:25
Jaouad Gharib                                               MAR               2:05:27
Emmanuel Mutai                                         KEN                 2:06:15
Viktor Röthlin                                                SUI                  2:07:23
Abderrahime Bouramdane                     MAR               2:07:33
Yonas Kifle                                                      ERI                   2:07:34
José Manuel Martinez                               ESP                  2:08:09
Marilson Gomes dos Santos                   BRA                 2:08:37
Dmitry Safronov                                           RUS                 2:10:12
Reid Coolsaet                                                CAN                2:11:23
Eric Gillis                                                          CAN                2:12:08
Cuthbert Nyasango                                    ZIM                 2:12:40
Mike Shelley                                                  AUS                2:13:05
Michael Aish                                                  USA                2:13:21
Andrew Lemoncello                                   GBR                2:13:40
Collis Birmingham                                        AUS                Debut
Mohamed Trafeh                                        USA                Debut

Women

Liliya Shobukhova                                        RUS                 2:20:25
Zhou Chunxiu                                                CHN                2:19:51
Irina Mikitenko                                             GER                 2:19:19
Constantina Dita                                          ROU                2:21:30
Askale Tafa                                                     ETH                 2:21:31
Inga Abitova                                                  RUS                 2:22:19
Lornah Kiplagat                                             NED                2:22:22
Aselefech Mergia                                        ETH                 2:22:38
Bezunesh Bekele                                         ETH                 2:23:09
Mara Yamauchi                                             GBR                2:23:12
Bai Xue                                                             CHN                2:23:27
Mariya Konovalova                                     RUS                 2:23:50
Xiaolin Zhu                                                      CHN                2:23:57
Aberu Kebede                                              ETH                 2:23:58
Yukiko Akaba                                                 JPN                 2:24:55
Edna Kiplagat                                                 KEN                 2:25:38
Magdalena Lewy Boulet                           USA                2:26:22
Liz Yelling                                                         GBR                2:28:33
Lisa Weightman                                            AUS                2:28:48
Mary Keitany                                                 KEN                 2:29:01
Fiona Docherty                                             NZL                 2:32:17
Tanith Maxwell                                             RSA                 2:32:33
Jo Pavey                                                          GBR                Debut
Jessica Augusto                                            POR                Debut
Nikki Chapple                                                AUS                Debut