February 2005
6 FEBUARY 2005: PACIFIC SHORELINE MARATHON, USA
MEN:
1 Richie BOULET USA 2:39:29
2 John MOSS USA 2:40:41
3 Joseph PENDLETON USA 2:47:46
4 Brett LAWRIE USA 2:49:03
5 Adam NEVENS USA 2:50:32
6 Gilbert SALAZAR USA 2:53:44
7 David SCHILLER USA 2:57:22
8 Mark MANTEL USA 2:59:17
9 Greg WALCHLI USA 2:59:24
10 Arthur COOKSON USA 3:01:44
WOMEN:
1 Liz DOWNING USA 3:07:43
2 Jessica CHIAVERINI USA 3:08:33
3 Polly CRAWFORD USA 3:18:31
4 Laura GOULD USA 3:19:57
5 Lauren KEARNEY USA 3:24:04
6 Carrie GROTE USA 3:25:17
7 Tracy THOMAS USA 3:28:43
8 Lucrecia JACOBSON USA 3:29:23
9 Christy CURTIS USA 3:31:44
10 Carolyn SION USA 3:31:51
HALF MARATHON:
MEN:
1 Chris RONAN USA 1:11:24
2 Jose CHOLULA USA 1:12:09
3 Humberto ROJAS USA 1:13:38
WOMEN:
1 Laura KNIGHT USA 1:25:25
2 Lauren JENSEN USA 1:27:05
3 Mara CAPLES USA 1:27:29
6 FEBRUARY 2005: BEPPU-OITA MAINICHI MARATHON, JAPAN
The 54th edition of the Beppu-Oita Marathon gave Satoshi Ifune his first win in five
attempts, after 'gutting it out' over the final few kilometres writes Ken Nakamura.
The weather was cloudy, with a strong wind as eight runners emerged in a lead group.
One of the favourites, Yoshiteru Morishita, stayed with the second group while Kenyans Fred
Kiprop and Boaz Kimaiyo dropped out at 5km and 10km respectively.
The race only started to take shape after half way (1:03:51), as the first pacemaker
dropped out at 23km and the lead group splintered. By 30km Gert Thys finished his pacing
duties to leave marathon debutant Kenta Oshima and Ifune in the lead (1:30:49). Ifune then
went ahead and dropped Oshima within a kilometre.
Three runners then moved out of the chasing pack to close down on Oshima, who hit the
wall at about 37km and dropped out. Scott Westcott and Morishita passed Tadayuki Ojima at
38km and were closing slightly on the leader.
"I knew I was slowing down at the end" said Ifune, who ran 3:22 for the 41st
kilometre. He nonetheless ran out a convincing winner, beating his personal best by a minute.
MEN ONLY:
1 Satoshi IRIFUNE JPN 2:09:58
2 Scott WESTCOTT AUS 2:11:36
3 Yoshiteru MORISHITA JPN 2:11:48
4 Tomonori ONITSUKA JPN 2:12:48
5 Sisay BEZABEH AUS 2:13:14
6 Masaki IWAHARA JPN 2:13:16
7 Tadayuki OJIMA JPN 2:13:26
8 Kazutaka ENOKI JPN 2:13:34
9 Lahoussine MRIKIK MAR 2:14:18
10 Adam DOBRZYNSKI POL 2:14:45
13 FEBRUARY 2005: TOKYO MARATHON, JAPAN
Toshinari Takaoka broke away from the pack at 24km and never wavered, writes Ken Nakamura.
He went on to win his first marathon in five attempts by a three-minute margin over Zebedayo
Bayo. His previous two marathons were also sub-2:08, and with this win he gained selection
for the World Championships team.
He was the favourite from the start, and pacing was made to measure: 14:40 for the first,
30m downhill 5km, then 15:05. Six runners were in the lead group at 5km, while Bayo languished
200m behind in the third group. They passed 10km in 29:32, a shade faster than planned, but
then the pace slackened. Takaoka hung in, awaiting the right moment to make the break, and
encouraging pacemaker Abner Chibu to speed up. He tried, passing 15km in 44:54, but it was
into a headwind and he slipped back to 3:05 for the 16th kilometre. At halfway 1999 World
bronze medallist Nobuyuko Sato fell back, leaving only Akinori Shibutani to contest with
Takaoka.
As the pace slowed again after 24km Takaoka ran away from both Shibutani and the
pacemaker: "It may have been a little early, but it was a move to win the race" he later said.
Meanwhile Takashi Horiguchi was moving through from the second pack, and passed Shibutani at
26km. Takaoka continued to stride away but Horiguchi started losing ground to Sato and Bayo.
Sato ran out of steam, much as Horiguchi did, but Bayo came through to take a distant second.
The distance was created by Takaoka's charge up the 30km rise between 35-40km. His 15:19
for this section is second only to Gert Thys' 15:09 during his course record run of 2:06:33.
Takaoka's final kilometre was run in 2:59. "It was hard, but I am happy because I did
not slow at the end" he said.
MEN ONLY:
1 Toshinari TAKAOKA JPN 2:07:41
2 Zebedayo BAYO TAN 2:10:51
3 Vladimir TSIAMCHYK BLR 2:14:24
4 Tadayuki TSUTSUMI JPN 2:14:37
5 Andre RAMOS BRA 2:15:37
6 Sergey LUKIN RUS 2:15:53
7 Takashi HORIGUCHI JPN 2:16:06
8 Nobuyuki SATO JPN 2:16:18
18 FEBUARY 2005: 12TH EGYPTIAN MARATHON, EGYPT
MEN:
1 Ahmed ELFEQEE EGY 2:36:30
2 Salame ALAQRAE JOR 2:39:08
3 Hussein S. AHMED EGY 2:39:53
4 Mohamed M. EL-MORSI EGY 2:39:59
5 Mark WERNER USA 2:49:07
6 Mark-Henri JAUNIN SWL 2:50:10
WOMEN:
1 Suzette VERMAAK RSA 3:24:45
2 Skrivanek CARISSA USA 3:57:45
3 Rebe UTE GER 4:01:50
4 Dahl MARTINA GER 4:11:29
5 Rebecca BYERLY USA 4:18:50
6 Zohra MERABET ALG 4:20:28
LUXOR-RUN 22.3km
MEN:
1 Mohamed H. ABDELHAMID QAT 1:12:21
2 Gomah OMAR QUT 1:13:08
3 Abdo ABD..ELRAZEK EGY 1:16:12
WOMEN:
1 Jutta LUX GER 1:50:20
2 Christa BACHMANN GER 1:52:28
3 Lioba EB-LEIM GER 2:02:28
RAMSES RUN 12.3km
MEN:
1 Mokhlad ELETABEE KSA 38:22
2 Bakr ELMOLED KSA 38:23
3 Fuaad ABO-BAKR QAT 38:26
WOMEN:
1 Karin EULER GER 1:13:42
2 Roswitha JURRACK GER 1:19:16
3 Karola RASTETTER GER 1:22:07
18 FEBRUARY 2005: TOYOTA KATHMANDU MARATHON, NEPAL
Two weeks before the race date King Gyhendra seized power by suspending the National
Parliament and the country was isolated from the world communications network. The effects of
the political situation were evident in the absence of general tourists in the Kathmandu
Valley, but that didn't stop a small but adventurous contingent of runners from 20 countries,
ranging from Germany to Mexico, venturing to the Nepalese capital to run. From the lavish
pasta party at the Crown Plaza Hotel right through to the post-race closing ceremony they
experienced the warmth of Nepalese hospitality.
In the marathon city policeman Arjun Dhakal ran away from all others by 10km to finish
well ahead. There were also 5km, 10km and Half-Marathon events in which a total of 830
participated. The field was mainly Nepalese but also included a group from US-based Marathon
Tours & Travel as well as individual travellers and resident aid workers.
The marathon course provided a tour in itself, taking in the three historic settlements
of Kathamandu, Bhaktapur and Pathan, to then return to finish in the National Stadium.
Road running has had a patchy history in Nepal. A Kathmandu Marathon was run in the early
1990s, but competitive running had not been seen on the streets of Kathmandu for 12 years.
The reception of runners in the stadium was fulsome, and showed that the marathon is back.
The 5km race saw 450 runners, mainly schoolchildren, run through the capital in what for
many was their first race. With the arrival of the 10km field the celebrations began in
earnest. Two Nepalese folk bands played and a troupe of traditional dancers performed to a
packed crowd. As each subsequent finisher came in they were greeted by riotous applause from
the main stand.
MEN:
1 Arun DHAKAL NEP 2:36:49
2 Andy COOPER GBR 2:45:25
3 Sam WUERM GBR 2:45:51
4 Moses CHRISTEN USA 3:04:06
5 Dangima SHERPA NEP 3:04:23
6= Ramesh DHOJU NEP 3:09:17
6= Jyam TAMANG NEP 3:09:17
8 Kevin THORPE GBR 3:37:18
9= Falit Man SHRESTHA NEP 3:41:08
9= Michael STAIN GER 3:41:08
WOMEN:
1 Ragina SEHEUER RSA 3:43:48
2 Sarah PARFIT GBR 3:58:22
3 Cindy MCALPINE CAN 4:32:22
HALF MARATHON:
MEN:
1 Jaganath BISTA NEP 1:13:15
2 Yubaraj ADHIKARI NEP 1:18:42
3 Bimsin AWALE NEP 1:22:34
WOMEN:
1 Nirmala BHARATI NEP 1:27:03
2 Hari Devi RAJLAWOT NEP 1:38:07
3 Claudia LOEBEL GER 1:40:01
19 FEBUARY 2005: MYRTLE BEACH MARATHON, USA
MEN:
1 Robert MARCHINKO USA 2:31:20
2 Del PIETRO USA 2:44:11
3 Ryan SKOTNICKI USA 2:44:40
4 Brian KISTNER USA 2:44:44
5 Andrew KESSINGER USA 2:45:42
6 Trent KIRK USA 2:49:25
7 Leroy THOMAS THOMAS USA 2:50:23
8 Gene FALLER USA 2:51:54
9 Norris BEALE USA 2:52:42
10 Jonathan SAVAGE USA 2:53:55
WOMEN:
1 Luanne COULTER USA 2:52:03
2 Sarah LLAGUNO USA 2:58:56
3 Anne-Wyman CIPOLLA USA 3:03:42
4 Joy MARSCHALL USA 3:05:07
5 Christine ROCKEY USA 3:05:12
6 Amy MERCER USA 3:05:50
7 Karen BLACK USA 3:09:46
8 Brenda SPILLMAN USA 3:13:30
9 Emily ANNE VALL USA 3:13:42
10 Kelcey CARLSON-LAWSON USA 3:16:55
20 FEBRUARY 2005: MARATHON POPULAR DE VALENCIA, SPAIN
The Marathon Popular de Valencia suddenly became a lot more popular in its 25th anniversary
race, as 3480 runners signed up. Previously there had never been more than 2200 runners.
Right from the start Rachid Chamoudi and William Cheserey took a big lead, as the chasing
pack were content to play a waiting game. It was mistaken confidence, as although Cheserey
slowed after the halfway point Chamoudi, running his first ever marathon, did not. He was
away on his own through the beachside section of the course right through to the final
kilometres along the former bed of the River Turia to finish with the last 300m on the city
athletic track.
In the women's race Isabella Kerubo tried the same tactic as Chamoudi, running strongly
on her own. By halfway she was visibly fading, as she defended a two-minute lead. At 37km
the inevitable happened, as Nadejda Zolotareva went past to win the race by around 400m.
The weather was sunny but cool as the temperature rose from 10-14C. There was a slight
headwind over the final part of the course.
MEN:
1 Rachid CHAMOUDI MAR 2:14:03
2 Joseph MUTISO KEN 2:14:50
3 Erik KIPTOO KEN 2:15:10
4 Michael CHERCHIR KEN 2:15:12
5 Wilson KIPNGETICH KEN 2:16:03
6 William CHESEREY KEN 2:16:10
7 Peter NJOROGE KEN 2:18:30
8 Abraham AIABE KEN 2:19:32
9 Alexei VESELOV UKR 2:19:54
10 Jorge AUBESO ESP 2:22:52
WOMEN:
1 Nadejda ZOLTAREVA RUS 2:43:24
2 Isabella KERUBO KEN 2:45:04
3 Teresa Gracia GOMEZ ESP 3:00:48
4 Esther Planeles BALAGUER ESP 3:04:33
5 Ana Maria FERRADAS ESP 3:12:20
6 Vicenta FERRER ESP 3:16:08
7 Maria LOPEZ MATA ESP 3:18:30
8 Maria Jose MIGUEL ESP 3:19:32
9 Charo RODRIGUEZ ESP 3:19:54
10 Isabel SIXTO ESP 3:22:52
26 FEBRUARY 2005: ANTARCTICA MARATHON
A record field of 179 marathoners from 15 countries completed the 7th Antarctica Marathon
on King George Island writes Patrice Malloy. The race started in rare above-freezing
temperatures estimated at 5°C, but dipped to –2°C at times. The course thawed in
parts and became transformed into thick mud, which sucked the shoes off more than one
participant.
Darryn Zawith of the USA led all home while another American, Alyn Park, became at the age
of 54, the oldest winner in the event's history.
The two-loop course started at the Russian research base, Bellingshausen, and included a
half-mile ascent of Collins Glacier. Most runners were slowed to a walk up the 1 in 6 slope.
The course also wove through Russian, Chilean, Uruguayan and Chinese research bases.
Dr. William Tan of Singapore, the first wheelchair competitor to attempt the gruelling
course, did complete the half-marathon held in conjunction with the marathon in 5:40:41.
Despite customised mountain bike tires adapted to his racing chair, the unusually wet and
muddy conditions prevented him from completing the full 26.2 miles.
The next Antarctica Marathon is scheduled for 24 February 2007.
MEN:
1 Darryn ZAWITZ USA 3:49:19
2 Michael DUKART USA 3:59.38
3 William FARRELL USA 4:01:04
4 John BRUST USA 4:08:21
5 Brian GAINES USA 4:11:49
6 James LAWRENCE USA 4:12:25
7 Janos KIS HUN 4:18:25
8 Michael BROWN USA 4:20:24
9 Peter REED GBR 4:21:26
10 Timothy RUMFORD USA 4:24:45
WOMEN:
1 Alyn PARK USA 4:33:28
2 Karen ZACHARIAS USA 4:45:39
3 Annie HOTWAGNER USA 4:45:57
4 Ingrid HALL GBR 4:57:56
5 Wendy LAGEMAN USA 4:58:36
6 Lisa RAMSHAW USA 5:01:55
7 Diane HARTY USA 5:16:03
8 Michelle HUDLLESTON USA 5:20:50
9 Ellyn BROWN USA 5:21:27
10 Linda VAROLI USA 5:26:46
HALF MARATHON:
MEN:
1 Sergio CUADRA ESPINOZA CHI 2:20:58
2 Patricio GAJARDO AGUIRRE CHI 2:34:57
3 Cesar CARTES ARANCIBIA CHI 2:54:19
WOMEN:
1 Jane SERUES USA 2:13:08
2 Jenny HADFIELD USA 2:23:39
3 Susan KIRCH USA 2:52:39
27 FEBRUARY 2005: MARATON DE LA CIUDAD DE SEVILLA, SPAIN
The marathon usually takes place under those typically blue Andalusian skies, but for once
the city shivered under unseasonably low temperatures. It never rose above 5°C during the
race. That did not deter more than 2,500 runners who took part. They proved their capacity for
resisting discomfort, but suffered for the surprise conditions: the medical services were
called upon for assistance in as many as 300 cases.
Noah Kiplagat was a cut above the rest of the field and disappeared off the front early.
In the last two kilometres Belayneh Bimer and Mikhail Romanov tracked down two runners who
were ahead of them. They ran onto the track, scene of the 1999 World Championships, at the
same time. In a sprint to the line the Ethiopian just prevailed.
Up front the women's race was won by the Russia's Liliya Yadzhak, who dominated in just as
convincing a manner as Kiplagat had in the men's race. The previous year's winner, the
British runner Julie Myatt, was never able to challenge Yadzhak and finished three minutes
behind her.
Spanish athletes filled four of the top-10 positions in both the men's and women's races.
The first local runners were Manuel Suárez Peña and Pilar Rubio de Lemus in tenth and ninth
places respectively.
MEN:
1 Noah Kiplagat SEREM KEN 2:22:15
2 Belayneh Bimer WORKNEH ETH 2:26:38
3 Mikhail ROMANOV RUS 2:26:39
4 Wolye Jarra ALIM ETH 2:30:05
5 Mohamed Mustafa HASSAM SWE 2:32:00
6 Francisco Mancebon CISNEROS ESP 2:32:00
7 Lino BARRUNCHO POR 2:32:41
8 Jose Calderon GONZALEZ ESP 2:33:35
9 Andres Hernando ALZAGA ESP 2:34:56
10 Manuel Suarez PENA ESP 2:34:22
WOMEN:
1 Liliya YADZHAK RUS 2:45:18
2 Julia Ann MYATT GBR 2:48:53
3 Christina KARLSSON SWE 2:51:28
4 Helena OLOFSSON ELIN SWE 2:55:27
5 Maxine MCKINNON GBR 3:00:07
6 Noelia Mansilla ARRIBA ESP 3:04:32
7 Susana Ruiz PEREZ ESP 3:09:00
8 Dominique Lozaro GUESDE ESP 3:10:01
9 Pilar Rubio De LEMUS ESP 3:17:14
10 Juana Maria RINCON DIAZ ESP 3:18:05
27 FEBUARY 2005: WORLD'S BEST 10KM ROAD RACE, PUERTO RICO
John Korir and Lornah Kiplagat repeated as champions, writes Raul Sanchez-Breton,
but while Korir had to sweat it out, Kiplagat sped away for a comfortable win. With 600m to go
Korir was overtaken by Wilson Kebenei but he fought back to snatch a thrilling victory, nine
seconds slower than his winning time of last year. "The humidity and strong winds
affected us all," he said. Korir had led through 3km in 8:01 then tucked into a group of
five, before making his move just past 8km.
Lornah Kiplagat's winning time was 90 seconds slower than when she won last year but she
explained, "I felt great in the first 2km with the tailwind, but the headwind back across
the bridge was hard. I knew I wasn't going to break any records so I just did enough to win
the race."
MEN:
1 John KORIR KEN 27:56
2 Wilson KEBENEI KEN 27:57
3 Robert CHERUIYOT KEN 28:05
4 Martin LEL KEN 28:08
5 John YUDA TAN 28:17
6 Linus MAIYO KEN 28:23
7 Gilbert OKARI KEN 28:33
8 William CHEBOR KEN 28:44
9 Douglas MOMANYI KEN 28:48
10 Julius KIBET KEN 29:23
WOMEN:
1 Lornah KIPLAGAT NED 32:11
2 Silvia SKVORTSOVA RUS 32:43
3 Susan CHEPKEMEI KEN 32:58
4 Constantina TOMESCU-DITA ROM 33:28
5 Galina ALEXANDROVA RUS 33:39
6 Leah MALOT KEN 33:43
7 Amy Yoder BEGLEY USA 33:57
8 Berhane ADERE ETH 34:07
9 Laura O'NEILL USA 35:31
10 Jolene BYRNE USA 35:38
27 FEBRUARY 2005: KILIMANJARO MARATHON, TANZANIA
This must rate as one of the toughest marathons in Africa writes Larry Lombard.
A measure of the testing course was John Chichir's winning time of over 2:20. Chirchir saved
his best for last in an extremely fast finish on the rollercoaster downhill over the final
10km that ripped the pack apart and broke compatriot Robert Komeni's challenge as he followed
in 100m behind.
The "Kili" Marathon is run mostly on the dusty plain that spreads out beneath
the treeline of Africa's greatest mountain. The route returns after 8km on the busy Dar es
Salaam road into the little town Moshi, which nestles in a bowl-like valley. Then comes a
gruelling 18km climb straight into the dramatic upward thrust of the snow-capped mountain
against the blue of the African sky. The route is lined with quick laughter and friendly
local encouragement as temperatures soared into the high 30's. Here the marathon leaders
mingled with the half marathon stragglers on the downward journey to the finish.
Tanzania's Thomas Ngulu put in a courageous attempt to win his country's major marathon,
but a group of four Kenyans dominated in the early stages and Ngulu excelled to come through
for third place. Fellow countryman Francis Naali followed him in. "It was a hard race,"
said Chirchir afterwards. "The same effort on a flat sea-level course would be six or
seven minutes faster, but that's what is great about this race. It's beneath Mount Kilimanjaro,
so it must have its own character. It mustn't be easy."
MEN:
1 Tubia John CHIRCHIR KEN 2:20:23
2 Robert KOMENI KEN 2:20:48
3 Thomas NGULU TAN 2:21:57
4 Francis NAALI TAN 2:23:29
5 John CHERUTICH KEN 2:23:54
6 Alex BAHA TAN 2:24:24
7 Wilson PKORKOR KEN 2:25:45
8 Peter BURA TAN 2:26:38
9 Luka KIPTOO KEN 2:26:57
10 Onesma ORANDI TAN 2:27:33
WOMEN:
1 Emily CHEPTUYA KEN 2:52:11
2 Sara MARJA TAN 2:54:52
3 Monika SAWILA TAN 2:59:05
4 Fatuma NINGA TAN 3:18:17
5 Flora KAGAZI TAN 3:20:16
27 FEBUARY 2005: GIUSEPPE VERDI COUNTRY MARATHON, ITALY
MEN:
1 Giorgio CALCATERRA ITA 2:18:52
2 Mans HOLOM 2:23:26
3 Raffaello VILLA ITA 2:29:42
4 Marco ORSI ITA 2:34:22
5 Massimo COLOMBO ITA 2:35:13
6 Runar HOIOM SWE 2:36:10
7 Marco BETASSA ITA 2:37:04
8 Fabrizio AMBROSINI ITA 2:37:48
9 Antonio MARGIOTTA ITA 2:39:21
10 Nerino PAOLETTI ITA 2:42:29
WOMEN:
1 Monica CASIRAGHI ITA 2:57:58
2 Giovanna CAVALLI ITA 3:00:57
3 Natalia BRUNKO ITA 3:05:20
4 Carmen PIGONI ITA 3:06:25
5 Audrey AMARA ITA 3:06:58
6 Giuseppina FADIGATI ITA 3:10:47
7 Caterina FUSCO ITA 3:11:47
8 Aurora PASQUINO ITA 3:11:56
9 Lucia POLIMENO ITA 3:18:51
10 Luisa Maria COSTETTI ITA 3:20:50
27 FEBUARY 2005: STANDARD CHARTERED HONG KONG MARATHON
MEN:
1 Samson LOYWAPET KEN 2:15:21
2 Kasirai SITA ZIM 2:16:10
3 Stephen NDUNGU KEN 2:17:33
4 Glenn GUEEO AUS 2:17:35
5 John RONO KEN 2:17:39
6 Paul BOR KEN 2:17:45
7 Kirwa Meshack KOSGEI KEN 2:18:01
8 Nakamur YOSUKE JPN 2:18:05
9 Wilson CHEPKWONY KEN 2:19:15
10 Thomas MIGWI KEN 2:19:28
WOMEN:
1 Dai YAN YAN CHN 2:34:41
2 Feri SUBNAFEU INA 2:44:19
3 Jiang CHENG CHENG CHN 2:44:26
4 Liu YANG CHN 2:51:08
5 Yi MIAO MIAO CHN 2:53:03
6 Wang MEI LI CHN 2:54:19
7 Sato MITSUKO JPN 2:55:20
8 Dona Mallike Chan DRAKAATH SRI 2:55:51
9 Daigo MIDORI JPN 3:01:48
10 Kuroda HARUMI JPN 3:08:13
28 FEBRUARY 2005: SAHARA MARATHON, ALGERIA
The 5th annual Sahara Marathon is run in the south west corner of Algeria near the borders
with Morocco and Western Sahara writes Paul Bender. Starting in the Sahrawi refugee
camps of L'Ayoun, the race runs through the Aoserd camp, and ends in the Smara camp. The day
began with gorgeous Sahara weather and vibrant pre-race ceremonies. The Sahrawi music program
director presented an original composition of 'Marathon Sahara', composed especially for this
year's event. It seemed the entire village of L'Ayoun danced on stage in colourful native
dress.
After 30 minutes of running, a sirocco hit the course from the northwest. Winds picked up
to over 100 km/hour, completely blocking the sun and piercing sand into eyes, noses, ears and
other body parts. Most runners emptied their shoes of the powdery ochre Saharan sand every 5
km or so. The course was mostly to the south so the tailwind helped times for the first 37 km.
At that point, runners headed due west, directly into the 100km/hour winds. While the course
was well marked for normal conditions, markers were difficult to find in the sandstorm. Land
Cruisers assisted runners, sometimes providing wind breaks for several kilometres at a time.
The winning time was not far off the record pace of 2:46, set by Hugh Jones of Great Britain
in 2004. Over 80 runners finished the marathon. Over 300 runners completed the half-marathon,
10km and 5km events run simultaneously with the marathon. A record 200 Sahrawi runners
competed.
The marathon brings attention to the plight of the 150,000 Western Saharan refugees who
have been living in the Algerian desert for the last 30 years since Spain relinquished control
of the former Spanish Sahara. Morocco and Mauritania immediately took over. The Sahrawi
regained the Mauritanian-held portion of the territory, but the Moroccans then pushed them
back into the desert in a war that lasted until 1991. Since then a UN supervised truce has
held, as the Sahrawi await a final resolution of the conflict that will allow them to regain
control of their homeland.
The highlight of each year's trip for most participants being hosted by Sahrawi families
in their tents or mud-brick houses. The hospitality of the Sahrawi people always overwhelms
the participants and draws many of them back.
For more information contact Mattia Durli at
mdurli@saharawi.org.
MEN:
1 Vincenzo CASTELLANO ITA 3:03:10
2 Cristiano CAMPESTRIN ITA 3:11:11
3 Fabio MESTIERI ITA 3:17:00
4 Franco PASSARELLA ITA 3:29:35
5 Raul ALDAZ VERGARA ESP 3:30:54
6 Rafael GARCIA MARTINEZ ESP 3:36:55
7 Francisco J BANOZ SANCHEZ ESP 3:50:19
8 Robert MCNAUGHT AUS 3:52:11
9 Juan SOROETA ESP 3:52:25
10 Davide DEGLI E SPOSTI ITA 3:57:42
WOMEN:
1 Leire ELOSEGUI ESP 3:37:54
2 Vanni CECCARDI ITA 4:34:17
3 Belen ESQUISABEL POLANCO ESP 4:42:07
4 Claudia TOGNOLI ITA 4:53:49
5 Silvana LATTANZIO ITA 5:13:39
6 Sabrina CAMPALDINI ITA 5:18:31
HALF MARATHON:
MEN:
1 Juan JOSE GARCIA IBANEZ ESP 1:50:01
2 Francisco MENGUAL PINO ESP 1:59:48
3 Alberto UGOLINI ITA 2:06:01
WOMEN:
1 Silse BERGUM KINSTEM NOR 1:59:56
2 Alicia ROBLES PEREZ ESP 2:24:10
3 Annamaria PREVIDI ITA 2:29:20
February 2005
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