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May 25, 2008 - OTTAWA – Under a beaming sun and in front of thousands of spectators, Asmae Leghazoui of Morroco captured the overall women's title and a new course record at the ING Ottawa Marathon with a time of 2:28:43. The previous record, established by Lioudmilla Kortchaguina in 2006, was 2:29:42. In their debut marathons, Giitah Macharia and Tara Quinn Smith captured the men's and women's Canadian titles. New Canadian Macharia completed the ING Ottawa Marathon with a time of 2:16:54, while Quinn-Smith of Toronto finished with a time of 2:33:57. David Cheruiyot, the 2007 marathon champion, captured his third title with a time of 2:10:59, just 26 seconds short of the course record he established last year (2:10:33).
"A new course record, new and returning champions, great weather for a run and we couldn't have asked for a better turn-out," says John Halvorsen, Race Director of the Ottawa Race Weekend. The Weekend welcomed 32,873 participants in seven races overall.
"It was exciting to watch the performance of Canadian marathoners, many debuting at our race," says Manny Rodrigues, elite athlete coordinator. "It bodes well for the future of Canadian marathoning." With her time, Quinn-Smith is eligible for selection to be on the Canadian team participating in the 2009 World Cup in Berlin. The Ottawa Race Weekend is one of the organizations contributing financially to send athletes to the World Cup. In addition, Montrealer Louis-Phillipe Garnier captured his second consecutive Master championships with a time of 2:29:28.
RESULTS (MALE)
David Cheruiyot (Kenya) 2:10:59
Solomon Molla (Ethiopia) 2:11:04
Vincent Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:11:54
Francis Bowen (Kenya) 2:12:21
Chala Lemi Demie (Ethiopia) 2:13:01
Alfredo Arevalo Reyes (Guatemala) 2:13:19
Enock Mitei (Kenya) 2:15:04
Frim Kipchoge Kiplagat (Kenya) 2:15:21
Stephan Joly (Switzerland) 2:15:38
Edward Kiptum (Kenya) 2:15:52
RESULTS (FEMALE)
Asmae Leghazoui (Morrocco) 2:28:43
Elza Kireeva (Russia) 2:33:45
Kebebush Haile (Ethiopia) 2:33:47
Tara Quinn-Smith (Canada) 2:33:57
Yeshi Esayias (Ethiopia) 2:35:27
Anna Pichrtova (Czechoslovaquia) 2:39:44
Niclole Stevenson (Canada) 2:41:03
Jemena Misayauri (Peru) 2:42:56
Tabitha Kibet (Kenya) 2:44:20
Gladys Asiba (Kenya) 2:45:10
RESULTS MASTERS (MALE)
Louis-Philippe Garnier (Canada) 2:29:228
Boris Dzikovski (US) 2:40:41
Troy Cox (Canada) 2:43:35
RESULTS MASTERS (FEMALE)
Liz Maguire (Canada) 2:55:05
Stephanie Hodge (Canada) 3:03:02
Colleen Berry (Canada) 3:05:21
RESULTS TOP 3 CANADIANS (MALE)
Giitah Macharia (Canada) 2:16:54
Matthew McInnis (Canada) 2:16:58
Stephen Drew (Canada) 2:18:10
RESULTS TOP 3 CANADIANS (FEMALE)
Tara Quinn-Smith (Canada) 2:33:57
Nicole Stevenson (Canada) 2:41:03
Suzanne Evans (Canada) 2:48:29
OVERALL PARTICIPATION
MDS Nordion 5K: 7,239
MDS Nordion 10K: 8,418
ING Family 2K: 2,329
ING Ottawa Marathon: 4014
ING Ottawa Half Marathon: 9,673
Nortel Kids Marathon: 1,196
Kiptoo and Emebet take MDS Nordion Crown
In the most exciting finish ever recorded at the MDS Nordion 10K, Julius Kiptoo of Kenya kicked it at the finish to beat Emebet Bacha of Ethiopia by 0.15 second and win both the men's race and the gender challenge with a time of 28:37.0. Bacha was the women's champion with a time of 32:42.1. In the gender challenge, women were given a 4 minutes 05 seconds head start and the first – male or female – to cross the finish line were awarded an extra $5,000 (US). Eric Gillis (29:33.5) of Nova Scotia and Kathy Tremblay of the Montreal area (Pierrefond) (34:46.7) were the only Canadians to crack the top 10.
ABOUT THE OTTAWA RACE WEEKEND
The Ottawa Race Weekend, Canada's premier running festival, combines competition, participation and fundraising to make a distinctive contribution to the health of the community. The 2007 Ottawa Race Weekend welcomed over 29,600 participants in six races, including the ING Ottawa Marathon and the MDS Nordion 10K. It is run by a volunteer Board of Directors.
Tara Quinn-Smith (5F) ran a debut 2:33:58 marathon at the ING Ottawa Marathon Sunday, placing 4th female and top Canadian. (Photo: RunnersWeb.com)
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