Posted: July 14, 2005

Athletics: Spectacular signing for real,- BERLIN MARATHON: Japan’s Olympic Champion Mizuki Noguchi will run Berlin

Japan’s Olympic Champion Mizuki Noguchi will run the 32nd real,- BERLIN MARATHON on 25th September. Berlin’s race director Mark Milde confirmed the spectacular signing this Thursday. At the same time the gold medal winner from Athens 2004 declared at a press conference in Tokyo Narita-Airport, before leaving for St. Moritz, that her next marathon will be the real,- BERLIN MARATHON.

“We are very happy to be able to have signed Mizuki Noguchi for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON. We will have Japan’s sports superstar in our event which will generate worldwide interest”, race director Mark Milde said. His excellent relationship to Japan have once again paid off for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON.

In tremendous heat Mizuki Noguchi had won the Olympic Marathon in Athens in August 2004 in sensational style. Beating the big favourite, marathon world record holder Paula Radcliffe (Great Britain/2:15:25), and World Champion Catherine Ndereba (Kenya) she clocked 2:26:20 on the hilly course.

The real,- BERLIN MARATHON will be Mizuki Noguchi’s first race at the classic distance of 42.195 k since her Olympic triumph, which made her an idol in Japan. The small runner (1.50 m / 41 kilos) had shown no interest in qualifying for the World Championship’s marathon in Helsinki and instead intends to clearly beat her personal best and the Japanese record on a flat and fast course. That was the reason to opt for the real,- BERLIN MARATHON. At present she has a PB of 2:21:18 with which she had won the Osaka Marathon in 2003. The race on 25th September will be broadcasted live in Japan by Fuji TV.

Japanese women have won the real,- BERLIN MARATHON five times in a row since 2000. The biggest highlight so far was Naoko Takahashi’s world record performance in 2001, when she became the first woman to break 2:20 (2:19:46). Last year Yoko Shibui improved the course record by five seconds to 2:19:41.

The field fort he 32nd real,- BERLIN-MARATHON will be closed for runners, handbikers, wheelchair athletes and power-walkers on the 15th of July at midnight. SCC-RUNNING has collected than around 40,000 entries. Only some international travel agencies will have last places available for gaining a place in the German running highlight of the year.

More information is available online: www.berlin-marathon.com