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Record Field, Strong Athletes For Rome Marathon Tomorrow - rrw

Published by
Matt Scherer   Mar 20th 2011, 4:16pm
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RECORD FIELD, STRONG ATHLETES FOR ROME MARATHON TOMORROW
By David Monti
(c) 2011 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved. Used with permission.

(19-Mar) -- Tomorrow's Maratona di Roma Acea boasts a record field of 16,188 entrants from 84 countries, a group of strong elite athletes, and the coveted IAAF Gold Label for race quality, organizers reported.  Sunday's event will mark the 27th edition of what is Italy's largest marathon, which both starts and finishes in front of the Coliseum on the Via Dei Fori Imperiali.

Reigning men's champion, Siraj Gena Amda of Ethiopia, who ran the final 500 meters of last year's race barefoot to honor 1960 Olympic Marathon champion Abebe Bikila, is back to defend his title.  At last year's race, he prevailed by 21 seconds over Kenyan Benson Barus in a personal best 2:08:39, the 8th fastest time on Rome's scenic course which features several cobblestone stretches. 

Gena's key challengers will be Kenyans David Kipkorir Mandago (2:06:53 PB), Paul Kosgei (2:09:00), Dixon Chumba (2:09:20), Jacob Yator (2:09:20), and Ethiopians Yared Dagnaw (2:08:13), Tafere Alemayehu (2:08:46), and Kedir Fikadu (2:09:15).  The lone Italian entrant is veteran Migidio Bourifa, the resilient 42 year-old who finished seventh at both the Rome and European Championships marathons last year.

On the women's side of the race, Ethiopian Firehiwot Dado will try to extend her winning streak in Rome to three.  She first won in 2009 in 2:27:08, then came back to win again last year in 2:25:28, a personal best. Compatriot Haile Kebebush (2:25:31 PB), should be Dado's top rival, but Italy's Rosaria Console (2:26:45), could challenge for victory.  Console was forced with withdraw from last November's ING New York City Marathon with a hip injury.  Her last marathon was the European Championships in Barcelona in 2010 where she finished a disappointing tenth.

In addition to tomorrow's marathon, organizers also hope to have a massive turnout at RomaFun "La Stracittadina," 4 kilometer fun run.  Organizers say 85,000 runners will come out for that event, putting 100,000 runners on the streets of Rome tomorrow.

The event will be broadcast LIVE on the Italian national broadcaster, RAI, at 9h00 CET, and also on-line at http://www.raisport.rai.it.  The official event website is at http://www.maratonadiroma.it.

PHOTO: Siraj Gena Amda of Ethiopia winning the 2010 Maratona di Roma (courtesy photo)



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