Roba and Urgesa to defend their titles at Istanbul Eurasia Marathon
Istanbul – Kasime Adilo Roba and Bizunesh Urgesa, the 2009 champions are returning to the 32nd International Istanbul Eurasia Marathon to defend their titles.
21-years old Bizunes Urgesa would run to defend her title while accompanying Ashu Kasim, her 2009 runner up and Svetlana Demidenko Semova, the former third place winner from Russia. Emiley Chebet, the 2010 World Cross Country Championships from Kenya would
compete in the 15km race.
The International Istanbul Eurasia Marathon is a Silver Label Road Race of IAAF. The marathon attracts a large number of athletes from around the globe. It holds the record of 1977 registered athletes for a marathon, 3828 runners for 15km and 89,992 participants
for 8km. This year the marathon has athletes from a record number of 84 countries compared with 71 in 2009.
Like previous years, the weather seems determined to making things difficult for the competitors. According to the met office, there is prediction for rain accompanied with thunderstorms on the day of the event. Moreover, the day time temperature at the
track and field is expected to fall to around 18 C to 20 C.
The prize for the 22 men and 13 women participating in the marathon elite field has been the same as was announced last year, that is US$ 1,000,000. The huge amount also includes $150,000 for any World records and other prizes for the rankings. Winners in
the men’s and women’s category would each get $50,000. Prize money of $4000 would be given to each 15km winner.
The course records for the race had been set by David Charuiyot from Kenya with two hours and eleven minutes and twice by Madina Biktagirova, the renowned Russian athlete with time taken two hours, twenty-eight minutes and twenty-one seconds. For Biktagirova,
it was 6 minutes better than her previous record set in 2005.
Following the Amsterdam marathon organizers, the track for Istanbul Eurasia Marathon too has been changed and this would be the second year for athletes to run on a track, which has to offer scenic and historical images of the host city throughout the way.
Marathon and 15km races both would start on the Asian side of the city while the track would pass through Bosphorus, Golden Hom Bridges, and Aqueduct leading to the Marmara sea beach to the finishing line at Hippodrome on the European side.
If the weather turns out to be helpful, new records in the men’s elite race are expected to be made. Kasim Adilo Roba, the 31-years old former champion from Ethiopia, who had his best previous best (PB) of two hours eleven minutes and sixteen seconds made
in 2008 in the heavy rain, is determined for improving it.
If Roba manages to win the men’s elite marathon, he would be the second athlete in the history of men’s race to win the Istanbul marathon for three years in a row. The first was another Ethiopian Moges Taye, who titled the event from 1997 to 1999.
The 2010’s Istanbul marathon is going to be rather interesting as besides Roba, it would include runners like Assefa Girma, the 24-years old Ethiopian with a PB of two hours nine minutes and fifty-eight seconds, Shume Haily the twenty-three years old with
a PB of two hours eleven minutes and thirty-six seconds and Gebo Burka the twenty-three years old young athlete with a PB of two hours ten minutes and eighteen seconds.
Some other big names participating into the 2010 Istanbul marathon are Vincent Kiplagat and Koech Hillary Kipkering respectively the 26 and 37 years-old experienced players.
On the women’s side, the race is again expected to be dominated by the Ethiopian athletes with former champion, Bizunesh Urgesa, leading the track.
Urgesa has a PB of two hours and thirty-one minutes, which she managed to set in Mumbai this year. In half the marathon she depicted an impressive PB of one hour, eleven minutes and three seconds at 2009 Paris marathon. In the Istanbul marathon Ashu Kasim,
Amane Gobena and Ras Al Khaimah can prove to be her close rivals.
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