Posted: January 10, 2006

Athletics: World marathon stars to re-commence battle in Mumbai

Teams hoping for strong performances from key runners in the third leg of the Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth

GROE runner Julius Sugut wins the Marathon

10 January 2006, London – Another strong line-up has been announced for the third leg of the US$1.575 million Greatest Race on Earth, to take place in Mumbai on 15 January. With teams and individuals separated only by the tightest of margins after the first two legs of the race, the Mumbai Marathon looks set to be decisive in determining how the largest prize pool in world athletics, US$1.575 million, will ultimately be shared.

The Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth, a four-marathon relay in locations around the world, sees competing athletes run some of the world's most difficult courses, battling altitude, heat, humidity and exhaustion along the way. The Greatest Race, now into its second series, started in Nairobi in October 2005 and moved on to Singapore in December 2005. After Mumbai, the event’s fourth and final leg will be in Hong Kong on 12 February. The 2005/6 Series has attracted 578 runners, twice the number from last year. More than 125 elite runners from 30 different countries will compete in Mumbai in The Greatest Race, which has been dubbed the "World Cup of Marathons".

The Mumbai leg will see a collection of some of the fastest marathon runners on the planet. Among the favourites will be the in-form Kenyan Christopher Cheboiboch, running for the current leading team, Run For Peace Fun. Cheboiboch won the 2005 Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego in 02:09:17, just one minute off his personal best time. He looks set to do battle with 2005 World Championship marathon finalist Melese Gashaw, from Ethiopia, running for the Akaki team. Gashaw recorded his personal best 02:09:24 in Berlin in 2004, and will be looking to better his third place in last year’s Mumbai race, a position he also achieved in Paris and Seoul last year.

The Greatest Race 2005/6 Series includes a new bonus pool of US$175,000 for the top three all-women teams. This bonus pool has been introduced to widen participation and it has encouraged more female athletes to join the competition. The leading ladies in Mumbai will include BMMAC (E)’s athlete, perennial champion Anne Kibor from Kenya. A former winner of marathons in Prague, Lausanne and Milan, where she set her personal best of 2:29:23 in 2003, she arrives in Mumbai in good shape after finishing third in Dublin in October. She will face stiff competition from Cyclone’s runner, Ethiopian Leila Aman, whose personal best is 2:27:54 and who finished second in both Mumbai and Venice. Both will have their sights on Mulu Seboka, representing the current leaders Global Mbio – Women.

Tens of thousands of people are expected to line the dusty streets of Mumbai on 15 January, bringing the city to a standstill. As well as attracting some of the world’s best marathon runners, The Greatest Race on Earth is also helping to uncover young running talents who are competing on the international stage for the very first time. Many are expected to go on to challenge for World and Olympic honours in years to come.

The Mumbai leg will also feature a series of exciting battles between competing countries in the Nations Challenge. There is a fascinating duel developing between the top two teams, with Zimbabwe leading Kenya by just under two minutes. Other nations looking to defend their strong position in their regional challenges will be India, Indonesia, Taiwan and UK.

In the race for the individual trophy, the action is set to hot up with several Kenyan athletes competing for the top prize of US$100,000. Four athletes have established a commanding ten minute lead over the rest of the field, with Emmanuel Kosgei currently leading from Meshack Kirwa, Joseph Kahugu and Stephen Ndungu.

The four marathons that comprise the Greatest Race are:

Nairobi 23 October 2005
Singapore 4 December 2005
Mumbai 15 January 2006
Hong Kong 12 February 2006

The Standard Chartered Greatest Race on Earth
The Greatest Race on Earth (GROE) was created in 2004 – the first-ever virtual relay race across four marathons. There were over 260 participants, including 22 national teams and 19 individuals who entered the race. The quality of the runners was world-class, with 24 GROE runners placing in the top 10 of each of the four marathons.

Building on the success of the first year, Standard Chartered presents GROE for the second time, attracting double the number of participants from the first series. The race covers marathons in Nairobi, Singapore, Mumbai and Hong Kong, representing some of the most challenging environments in the world:

· The highest race at over 1,600 metres in Nairobi – 23 October 2005
· The island race around Singapore – 4 December 2005
· The historic race through Mumbai – 15 January 2006
· The harbour race across Hong Kong – 12 February 2006

The marathons characterise the values and attitude that Standard Chartered believes in, and lives by everyday – a “can-do” attitude, a priority on strength of trust, willpower, stamina, and the determination to “go the distance”.

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