Posted: October 3, 2007

Athletics: 2006 Men’s And Women’s Champions Poised To Defend Titles At The 2007 Lasalle Bank Chicago Marathon

Complete Field for Sunday’s Race Announced October 3, 2007, CHICAGO – Defending champions Robert K. Cheruiyot (KEN) and Berhane Adere (ETH) will lead the field of elite athletes at The 30th Anniversary LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon on Sunday, Oct. 7. Cheruiyot won the men’s 2006 title in 2:07:35 while Adere place first among the women in 2:20:42. “It is a tremendous honor to have both of our defending champions return to the streets of Chicago,” said Executive Race Director Carey Pinkowski. “Both Robert and Berhane are extremely talented athletes and will be the ones everyone is looking to beat on Sunday. They will be challenged by the likes of Evans Rutto, Felix Limo and Benita Johnson so they will have to perform in order to keep their titles. All of them combined makes for a great day of road racing.” Cheruiyot arrives to Chicago after back-to-back-to-back championships at the Boston Marathon (2006 and 2007) and 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. He is currently poised atop the World Marathon Majors men’s leaderboard with 75 points, a lock for the inaugural championship. Regardless of his place finish in Chicago this weekend, Cheruiyot will become the first series champion following the ING New York City Marathon in November. Adere’s 2006 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon championship set a new Ethiopian national record. Although her career spans a decade, Adere spent the majority of that time on the track, making her marathon debut in Rotterdam in 2001. Since then, she has twice held the Ethiopian national record and earlier this year, she won the Fortis Rotterdam Half Marathon in 1:11:11 as part of her preparation for Chicago. The complete list of athletes set to compete as of today is as follows: MEN Name Country Personal Record Christopher Cheboiboch KEN 2:07:18 William Chebon KEN Debut Robert K. Cheruiyot KEN 2:07:14 Jaouad Gharib MAR 2:07:02 Patrick Ivuti KEN 2:07:46 James Koskei KEN 2:14:02 Bong-ju Lee KOR 2:07:20 Felix Limo KEN 2:06:14 Benjamin Maiyo KEN 2:07:09 Jimmy Muindi KEN 2:07:50 Charles Munyeki KEN Debut Daniel Njenga KEN 2:06:16 Evans Rutto KEN 2:05:50 Daniel Yego KEN 2:08:16 John Yuda KEN 2:10:13 WOMEN Name Country Personal Record Berhane Adere ETH 2:20:42 Kathy Butler GBR 2:28:29 Teyba Erkesso ETH Debut Alvetina Ivanova RUS 2:27:48 Benita Johnson AUS 2:22:36 Nuta Olaru ROU 2:24:33 Kate O’Neill USA Debut Adriana Pirtea ROU Debut Jess Ruthe NZL Debut Linda Somers Smith USA 2:30:06 Liz Yelling GBR 2:30:44 The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has produced some of the greatest performances in marathon history with its fast, flat course and reputation for recruiting the world’s top talent. Over its 29-year history, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has hosted four world records, six American records and numerous other national records. In 2006 alone, four women posted new records for their countries (Australia, Russia, Ethiopia and Mexico). For more information on athletes and the race, visit www.chicagomarathon.com. About The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon will celebrate its 30th anniversary on Sunday, October 7, 2007 as 45,000 participants advance to the start line, embarking on the culmination of 45,000 personal journeys. Along with the massive field of recreational runners, the 26.2-mile course will welcome a full field of world renowned professional athletes drawn to the flat, fast, urban setting and the potential to break world and national records. The professionals will compete for prize money and points in the World Marathon Majors series which will crown its first male and female champions with $500,000 each at the close of 2007. Since the inception of its charity program in 2002, The LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon has generated more than $27.5 million for a variety of charitable causes including $9.5 million in the 2006 event alone. Registration for the race opened on January 1, 2007 and closed when it reached capacity on April 18. Website: www.chicagomarathon.com. Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest