Posted: September 24, 2005

Athletics: Wide Open Men's Race On Tap In Berlin On Sunday

From David Monti

© 2005 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com

By Bob Ramsak

BERLIN - While Mizuki Noguchi is clearly the woman to beat in Sunday's real,-Berlin Marathon, the men's race, as has become commonplace here, promises to be a fiercely fought contest.

Combined, the last three men's races were decided by just eight seconds. With no strong favorite this year, a similarly close race can be expected once again on Berlin's flat, fast course.

After his stellar 2:06:47 win here in 2002, Raymond Kipkoech was slowed by a calf injury for the next year-and-a-half, but mounted a comeback in 2004. He won his last marathon, the Xiamen International, in 2:09:49 last March, his fifth marathon in less than 12 months. The 27-year-old Kenyan took top honors in Venice last October after runner-up finishes in Paris and Vienna and also finished fourth in Milan in November. According to his manager, Federico Rosa, Kipkoech's recent 35 kilometer time trials were faster than those preceding his 2002 appearance in the German capital.

Driss El Himer of France hasn't approached his 2:06.48 personal best from 2003 since, but on the mend from a hamstring injury, the 31-year-old Frenchman insists he's ready to challenge the 2:06:36 European record shared by Portugal's Antonio Pinto and Benoit Zwierzchiewski of France. In his last race, El Himer finished third at the Semi-Marathon International de Lille Métropole on September 3, clocking 1:01:30.

The fastest among the starters is 22-year-old Michael Rotich, who won the fast 2003 Paris Marathon in 2:06:33. Second at Rotterdam in 2004 (2:09:07), Rotich struggled in his last marathon, finishing a distant 10th at the Coca-Cola Rock 'N' Roll Marathon in San Diego last June, clocking 2:18:03. In his last race, he was third in a 10-mile race in Navazzo di Gargnano, Italy in August, reaching the line in 49:03.

Others in the field include Kenyans Joshua Chelanga (2:07:05, Berlin - 2004), Joseph Ngolepus (2:07:57, London - 2003), Jackson Koech (2:08:02, Rotterdam 2005) and Philip Manyim (2:08:07, Rome 2005). The lead group has requested a 63-minute pace for the first half.

Berlin has become synonymous with fast performances. Of the 10 fastest men's performances, four were run in Berlin; in all, men have dipped under 2:07 11 times here. Two men's world records have been set in Berlin: Brazilian Ronald da Costa threatened sub-2:06 territory here in 1998 with his 2:06:05 win, while Paul Tergat's current world record of 2:04:55 was set here in 2003.

While the races haven't exhibited the same depth, women have run fast here as well, setting three world records. Christa Vahlensieck of West Germany ran 2:34:47 here in 1977, lopping nearly eight minutes from the previous record. Tegla Loroupe ran 2:20.43 in 1999, while Naoki Takahashi became the first woman to dip under the 2:20 barrier with her 2:19:46 win in 2001.

Kenyan men have won the last six editions, Japanese women the last five.

39,882 runners will start on Sunday morning. Including the 8,098 competitors in today's inline skaters marathon and 190 wheelchair and handbike contestants on Sunday, 48,170 will take part.

108,000 euros will be awarded to the top-ten male and female finishers, with 40,000 set aside for the winners. Substantial time bonus incentives, including a 50,000 euro world record bonus, are on offer as well.