The Global Telegraph - September 2005

SEPTEMBER 2005 - VOL. 5, N. 9 (N. 50)

Publisher: Run The Planet., Seattle (Usa/Washington). Editor: Indro Neri. Associate editor: Jennifer Walker. All correspondence and suggestions are welcome. Unsolicited articles will be considered. To advertise on "The Global Telegraph", contribute to or reproduce its content please contact us via e-mail at info@runtheplanet.com. "The Global Telegraph" is published 12 times a year. The next issue will close the last day of this month. © by Run The Planet Inc., Seattle.

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This month we feature running news from: Australia, California (Usa), Cyprus, Egypt, Finland, Japan, New Hampshire (Usa).  

FEATURED WORLDWIDE RUNNING NEWS

• CYPRUS / One of the greatest road races ever run on the island
The Cyprus Kolossi half marathon & 10km takes place on Sunday November 20, 2005 and with two different distances. It will have something for runners of all standards and ages. Preparations are underway of what promises to be once again one of the greatest road races ever run in Cyprus. Both start and finish areas are located at the historic Kolossi Castle at Limassol city. A fast time is expected as the course is classified as fast and flat. The distance has been measured according to Aims standards. A lot of entries are expected from overseas runners, especially from England, Germany, France, Holland, Austria, Belgium, Norway, Israel and Lebanon. The race also attracts a strong participation from UK running clubs who will combine racing with a short holiday on the island. A lot of Cypriots, United Nation soldiers and British Forces runners will join in both events. Traditional Cypriot and Greek dancing after the race, and a number of additional activities, will make it a fun event for the whole family. More details at www.spidernet.net/main/web/kolossimarathon/index.html.

• JAPAN / Watanabe and Chiba win the 2005 Hokkaido Marathon
Tomonori Watanabe won the men's division of "Hokkaido marathon" in 2:14:50, while the defending champion Masako Chiba won the women's division in 2:25:46. It was the new "Hokkaido marathon" record for Chiba who won this race for the third time. Chiba, of course, is a marathon bronze medalist at the World Championships in Paris two years ago. In the men's race, after a huge lead pack passed 5km in 15:48, James Wainaina of Kenya (but lives in Japan and runs for Japanese corporation Komori Corporation) took over the lead and by 8km, he was running alone. Wainaina continued to run alone and by 15km (46:29), he was 15 seconds ahead of the chase pack. His lead, however, was starting to dwindle soon and by 20km (1:02:09) it was down to 8 seconds. Four kilometers later, Ombeche Mokamba of Kenya (and also living in Japan) and Tomonori Watanabe have caught Wainaina. Then it was Mokamba's turn to lead. After passing 25km in 1:17:55, Mokamba broke away from his pursuers - David Kariuki, Julius Maina, James Wainaina, Tomonori Watanabe and Tomoyuki Sato. Kariuki and Maina are also Kenyan living in Japan. They are also marathon debutantes. Mokamba, another debutante, soon hit the wall and started to slow down dramatically. By 36km, Watanabe took over the lead and he was never threatened again. He won by more than a minute in 2:14:50, and thus became the first Japanese winner since 2001, the year his former teammate Tsutomu Sassa won. The next two places were filled by Kenyan marathon debutantes. Finishing second in the race, over a minute behind, was Julius Maina, a Kenyan who runs for Toyota textile, while David Kariuki who runs for Kyudenko finished third. The women's race has developed into one-woman show by Masako Chiba very early in the stage. Soon after passing the first 5km in 17:04, Chiba started to break away from Kiyoko Shimahara and Chika Horie. "Last year, the race was too slow and I had to be careful to avoid colliding with other male runners. So this year I just try to ran near the front in order to secure as much running space as possible", said Chiba after the race. By 15km (50:41), Chiba was 28 seconds ahead of her pursuers. By 30km (1:42:37), she led the second place Shimahara by more than a minute. Chiba said, "I was caught from behind in Tokyo, so today, I try to keep my concentration up until the end". Although Shimahara started to close the gap after 35km, it was too late. Chiba who said, "I am happy to win the race as I have promised before hand" won comfortably in a "Hokkaido marathon" record, 2:25:46. The previous meet record was 2:26:11, by Chika Horie, who finished third in this year's race. Kiyaoko Shimahara, who finished two places ahead of Chiba in the 2004 "Tokyo Women's Marathon", finished one place behind Chiba this time with 2:26:14. It was personal best for Shimahara, improving her previous best of 2:26:43 from the 2004 "Tokyo Women's Marathon". "Chiba broke away early, and although she seemed to be within a striking distance, I could not bridge the gap. I am disappointed with the second place, but happy with the personal best". Source: www.arrs.net

• AUSTRALIA / A four-man front-running contest
On August 14th in Sydney the "Sun Herald City to Surf's" massive migration to Bondi Beach featured a four-man front-running contest. Tanzanians Dickson Marwa and double-defending titlist Patrick Nyangelo traded the lead with Australians Martin Dent and master Steve Moneghetti in the middle sections of the 14K race. A Sun Herald report indicates Nyangelo waited until the final 200 meters to unleash his kick. The Tanzanian in 41:12 joins John Farrington and Moneghetti as one of three to have won three successive titles. Marwa finished three seconds later, with Dent third and Moneghetti fourth. Nyangelo and Marwa now move to the United States for two-year scholarships at the University of Phoenix. Commonwealth Games marathon gold medalist Kerryn McCann, with a 46:27 time nearly two minutes faster than her 1998 win, easily won the women's division by finishing well ahead of Lisa Jane Weightman and Lauren Shelley. Reprinted with permission from "Running Stats" (www.runningstats.com)

• EGYPT / Alexandria Marathon by night
The third edition of the "International Alexandria Marathon" 2005 will be held on October 7, with the support of the City of Alexandria. For the first time runners will be able to run the mythical distance from the marathon either while running or cycling (or if the 42 kilometers distance seems too long, an Ekiden will also be available). Any participant wishing to be part of this marathon by night will find the distance of his or her choice. The marathon will start at 9 pm to finish after two loops in the lit up gardens of Montaza, in the Quait Bay citadel, a few hours later. More details at www.alexmarathon.com.

• FINLAND / Russian Kashaev overtakes the two leaders and wins
On a temperate (20 °C) August 5, the "Helsinki City Marathon" was held. Pasi Mattila reports that Moses Kemei (Kenya), Jonstone Kemboi (Kenya), and Michael Mislay (Tanzania) led at the half (68:16), while Vener Kashaev (Russia) was 20 seconds behind. By 30k the disparity had grown to nearly two minutes. However, Kasheev overtook the two leaders to win in 2:20:00, with Kemei second in 2:22:11 and Kemboi third in 2:25:17. Mislay sagged to sixth in 2:35.08. Former Finnish recordholder (2:28:00/95) Ritva Melender, now a 45-year-old mother of two, trailed defending champion Jennifer Lotoiywo (Kenya) by three minutes at the half (approximately 84/87 minutes), but when the Kenyan dropped out, Melender won in 3:00:24. Reprinted with permission from "Running Stats" (www.runningstats.com)

• NEW HAMPSHIRE (USA) / The Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathletes
Twenty-eight-year old Margaret Shapiro of Annandale (Usa/Virginia) and Christopher Martin, 30, of Princeton Junction (Usa/New Jersey) earned the title "2005 Best of the U.S. Amateur Triathletes" by besting a Who's Who field consisting of one man and one woman from each State, in this first-ever Championship competition. State representatives won qualifying races in their home states earlier in the year to earn the right to race head-to-head in the non-age-graded Championship. Placing second were Craig Greenslit, 35, of Colorado and Lotte Branigan, 37, of Florida. Brian Bich, 39, Duluth (Usa/Minnesota) and Heidi Grimm of Steilacom (Usa/Washington) took third. "I wasn't sure about coming to the Championship", said Shapiro. "But when I talked with organizers about the athletes and competition that would be here, I decided I had to come". The event also featured a Fastest State Competition, determined by combining the times of the man and woman from each State. The Top 3 teams were Colorado (Wendy Mader and Craig Greenslit), Florida (Lotte Branigan and John Reback) and Washington (Heidi Grimm and Chris Tremonte). A post-race adjustment affected the top teams as well as the women's Top 10. Colorado's Wendy Mader lost her timing chip and was not initially scored. The USAT Official's ruling allowed her time from the backup system to count, recording her actual sixth place finish and launching Colorado to the top of the Team Competition. "The athletes' response to this Championship concept has been overwhelming", said Best of the U.S. Executive Director Trudy Marshall. "What a turnout, and what a show they put on for us!". The Championship was hosted this year by the Timberman Triathlon Festival, the 2004 USAT Large race of the Year. The Championship race consisted of a 1K swim, 15 mile bike and 4 mile run. For results, visit www.lin-mark.com/best.txt. Source: www.transitiontimes.com

• CALIFORNIA (USA) / Sacramento race firm acquires Sacramento Marathon
Capital Road Race Management, the Sacramento region's premier race management and timing organization, has purchased the "Sacramento Marathon", company owner Rich Hanna has announced. With his acquisition of the event, Hanna has also changed the event's name to the "Sacramento Cowtown Marathon" and revised its traditional double out-and-back course. The 29th annual event, among Sacramento's oldest continuously held running races, will be held October 2, 2005 at William Land Park in Sacramento. It will feature a marathon, half-marathon, four-person marathon relay and five-kilometer run/walk. The race will be presented by Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento, and it will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In addition to a new name and course, Hanna has also introduced a new race new logo, featuring running cows. "We just decided to call it the Sacramento Cowtown Marathon," Hanna said. "They had been using tomatoes, running tomatoes, in the logo for the past two or three years. I don't know about you, but I've never seen a running tomato. We were thinking, well, what else is Sacramento known for or known as and the cowtown idea came along. We thought we could get a lot of mileage out of cows. A lot of people like cows and there's a lot of things you can do with the theme". The 2005 "Sacramento Cowtown Marathon" will be dedicated to the memory of Paul Smith, the event's previous co-owner who died in May of colon cancer. Hanna's purchase of the event expands the Sacramento runner's race management responsibilities. It also provides two unique components to the former two-time national 100-kilometer champion's nearly lifelong running legacy. At age 13, Hanna completed his first marathon at the "Sacramento Marathon". And in 1998, he co-authored "The Ultimate Guide To Marathons", a well-received book that critiques and ranks marathons around the country. "The race has sentimental value to me", said Hanna, 41. "I was there from the very first one as a 13-year-old. And so here 29 years later, I get the satisfaction to actually manage the event". Hanna is now not only the owner of the first marathon he ran, he's directing an event in which his race-directing skills will be critiqued. In addition to directing his first marathon, Hanna manages "Run To Feed The Hungry", the popular Thanksgiving Day event in East Sacramento. His company owns three races, manages five other events and provides timing services for more than 30 races annually. Hanna is also the co-coach of the Sacramento chapter of Team in Training, the running and fundraising training group that benefits The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. For registration and other race information, visit the Sacramento Cowtown Marathon website at www.sacramentocowtownmarathon.com.

• THE GREATEST RACE ON EARTH
The world's fastest runners will compete for a $1.4 million prize in a unique trans-global marathon called "The Greatest Race on Earth". The team relay comprises four challenging marathons in four exotic cities. A different competitor from each team will run in Nairobi (Kenya), Singapore, Mumbai (India) and Hong Kong (China). The team with the fastest cumulative time will be crowned champions. There will also be an individual competition for runners strong enough to race 168 kilometres, from the start of the first race in October 2005 to the final leg in February 2006. World marathon record holder Paul Tergat said "The Greatest Race on Earth" heralds a new dawn for running. He said: "The Greatest Race on Earth is an exciting new concept, which brings a breath of fresh air into the world of marathon running. I love the fact that teamwork will be crucial to winning the competition. In marathon running, we are used to winning or losing on our own. As part of the Greatest Race on Earth, you have to rely on three other guys to complete their marathons in good time. For the guys entering the individual category, they will need real endurance to complete four elite marathons in four months". More than 80 teams and 30 individuals are expected to compete, which is double the number of last year's inaugural event. And competition will be fierce to better last year's team record of 9:11:31 and winner Martin Longuran's exceptional 9:20:11. Find out more at www.thegreatestrace.com.