Posted by: Joe English | November 24, 2008

Races: Kibet and Incerti win 2008 Milan Marathon

MILAN, ITALY — Duncan Kibet and Anna Incerti won the Milan City Marathon today. 30 year-old Kenyan Kibet broke the course record, finishing 2:07:53.

Elias Chelimo and Leonard Mucheru took second and third with 2:08:39 and 2:10:05. Despite the almost freezing weather conditions with temperatures of 3° Celsius at the start windy conditions during the race all three Kenyans clocked personal bests on the fast Milan course.

28 year-old Italian Anna Incerti took a surprise victory with a big personal best of 2:27:42, beating the pre-race favorite Pamela Chepchumba of Kenya. Chepchumba, the defending champion, finished second with 2:28:34.

Ethiopia’s Merima Denboba took third place with 2:29:57. It was the first time since the inaugural race that the Milan City Marathon has been won by an Italian runner. In 2000 Lucilla Andreucci won the women’s race as well.

A record number of 5,875 runners from 61 countries registered for the marathon.

In the men’s race a group of six runners reached the half way mark in 64:02 minutes. Behind the two Kenyan pacemakers Elijah Keitani and Benson Cherono (who had been Milan’s course record holder with 2:07:58) there were fellow Kenyans Duncan Kibet, Leonard Mucheru, Elias Chelimo and Marocco’s Rachid Kisri. At 30 k (1:31:26), just before the pacemakers dropped out, Kisri lost contact to the group. So the three Kenyans Kibet, Chelimo and Mucheru, who are all managed by Federico Rosa, were left at front to battle it out. It was Mucheru, who first lost contact just after the 35 k mark (1:46:47). He had been unlucky because of a toe nail problem. The nail came off during the race so Mucheru was running with some pain. But he still managed to achieve his goal by taking third place with 2:10:05.

The wind had been especially hard from 25KM to beyond 30KM, which led to a slower pace at this stage of the race. But with about six kilometres to go Duncan Kibet surged ahead, now running kilometre splits of well under 3:00 minutes. The fastest one was the 37th k with 2:52. “I had felt a slight problem with my muscle in my leg at around 28 k. So I was not pushing too hard at that stage of the race. I was more careful then. But it got better so that I could run faster again,” Duncan Kibet said. Because of his great speed in the final kilometres he still managed to break the course record by five seconds, which had seemed out of reach at 35 k. Additionally it is a personal best for Duncan Kibet. In his first marathon he had been second in Vienna this April with 2:08:33. “I am very happy to have won this and to have broken the course record. I think I have the potential to further improve in the marathon”, said Duncan Kibet.

While Duncan Kibet had always been in the first group and in control it was a different race for women’s winner Anna Incerti. Right from the start the Italian chose a slightly slower pace than the two leading women. But defending champion Pamela Chepchumba, who had company with Merima Denboba (Ethiopia), did not run as fast as expected and so their lead at half way was just twelve seconds. 1:14:01 was the split time for the two while Anna Incerti reached this point in 1:14:13. The Italian crowd favourite, who had been tipped to become Italy’s next great women marathoner before the race in Milan, then reached the leaders at 23 k. “Before the start I never had thought that I could win this one. But when I caught Pamela I realised that she had slowed and that I might have a chance,” said Anna Incerti. It was soon after 30 k, when Merima Denboba was dropped. The Ethiopian finished third with a personal best of 2:29:57. Anna Incerti then broke away just before the 40 k mark. Breaking 2:30 for the first time she achieved her biggest success in her career so far. Both winners earned prize money of 20,000 Euros. “I found it hard to run in the wind and I got problems at 39 k,” explained Pamela Chepchumba why she was unable to defend her title in Milan.

2008 Milan Marathon Results
Men’s Results:
1. Duncan Kibet Kirong (Ken) 2h07’53”
2. Elias Kemboi Chelimo (Ken) 2h08’39”
3. Leonard Mucheru Maina (Ken) 2h10’05”
4. Rashid Kisri (Mar) 2h11’53”
5. Benjamin Kiprotich Korir (Ken) 2h13’17”
6. Musundeki Ikoki (Tan) 2h13’32”
7. Ali Mabrouk El Zaidi (Lib) 2h13’33”
8. Oleksandr Kuzin (Ukr) 2h13’43”
9. Christopher Isegwe (Tan) 2h16’52”
10. Dadi Ourge Bedane (Eti) 2h18’16”

2008 Women’s Results:
1. Anna Incerti (Ita) 2h27’42”
2. Pamela Chepchumba (Ken) 2h28’34”
3. Merima Denboba (Eti) 2h29’57”
4. Ivana Iozzia (Ita) 2h37’32”
5. Bizuhane Beha Kiflegiorgis (Eti) 2h40’03”
6. Christina Holth (Nor) 2h43’55”
7. Veronica Vannucci (Ita) 2h13’33”
8. Francesca Tassi (Ita) 2h47’10”
9. Sisay Measo (Eti) 2h47’10”
10. Silvia Luna (Ita) 2h48’02”

Source: Milan Marathon
Running Advice and News
http://www.running-advice.com


Leave a comment

Categories