FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
James Boitt Switches for Cool Victory in the ING Georgia Marathon
Three Athletes Three-Peat in the Half Marathon
ATLANTA, March 29, 2009 – After days of drought-relieving rain left Atlanta
with cool and windy conditions on Sunday, James Boitt felt like this might
be his day. Boitt, a Kenyan living in Peachtree City, Ga., switched from
the half to the full marathon on race day and went on to win the ING
Georgia Marathon with a time of 2:22:16, for his first major marathon
victory. The combo distance running event sold out with 15,000 runners and
wheelchair athletes registering for the third annual ING Georgia Marathon &
Half Marathon. Complete race results are available at
www.inggeorgiamarathon.com.
"I switched to the marathon today because I felt like I could be fast,"
said Boitt, a native Ethiopian who notched his second marathon victory in
the state of Georgia in the month of March after winning in Albany. "I was
happy that everybody did not start too fast in the first 10 miles. I laid
back for a while at the 20-mile mark, then I was really strong at the end
and took the lead for good at mile 24." Boitt closed with a strong enough
sprint to nearly catch the police escort at the finish line, beating second
place finisher (Ethiopia) by 34 seconds.
Serkalem Abrha of Ethiopia came out on top in the women's field of the ING
Georgia Marathon with a time of 2:41:31, edging out second place finisher
Albina Gallyamova of Russia. "This was a hard race for me," said Abrha, who
won the ING Hartford Marathon in 2008. "But I was very confident when I was
leading, so I felt very good once I got to the front."
Kenyan Janet Cherobon, who lives in Rome, Ga., took victory for the third
straight year in the women's open division of the ING Georgia Half Marathon
in 1:14:49. Cherobon's pace was fast enough to finish in the Top 10 overall
in the Half Marathon. Patrick Cheruiyot of Kenya was the overall winner of
the men's Half Marathon with a time of 1:05:18.
"I like this course very much, especially the hills which are very good for
me. It's definitely a home course advantage for me," said Cherobon. "I love
this race and it was perfect conditions today for a fast race."
"The weather often writes its own story for us in this race and this year
is no exception as days of heavy rain left the area just in time for the
start," said Michael Hughes, race director ING Georgia Marathon & Half
Marathon. "The runners were blessed with cool conditions that were just
right for fast times over our beautiful, but challenging course. The
participation of everyone, from the runners to the volunteers to the
spectators, was a fantastic and energetic way to kick off spring in
Atlanta."
The wheelchair half marathon saw a third straight championship for both the
men's and women's divisions. Krige Schabort (men's open division) and
Amanda McGrory (women's open division) successfully defended their titles
from 2007 and 2008, further cementing their domination of the event.
Schabort, who resides in Cedartown, Ga., finished in 49:14, setting a new
race record. McGrory, from Champaign, Ill., finished with a time of
1:05:36.
"I may be a little bit different than other racers because I actually
prefer the hills," said McGrory about the challenging race course. "It's a
difficult course, but it is definitely one of my favorites."
The ING Run For Something Better program, also in its third year in
Atlanta, sported a field of 1,500 middle school children finishing the
Final Mile of a half marathon along the same course. This year, students in
26 local middle schools (Atlanta Public Schools, Fulton County Schools and
a Decatur Middle School) ran 13.1 miles over nine weeks in their physical
education classes.
The urban marathon racecourse starts and finishes at Centennial Olympic
Park in downtown Atlanta and in-between takes runners through the most
interesting areas and historic neighborhoods of Atlanta and the city of
Decatur. Adding to its popularity, the ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon
boasts an incredibly high completion rate of more than 98 percent for its
first three years, which reflects the determination of the runners as well
as the course experience itself.
Race Highlights
15,000 Total Entrants
11,998 Total Starters
11,918 Total Finishers
99.3 Percent Finishing Rate
Total Prize Purse: nearly $25,000
Age of youngest marathoner: 17
Age of oldest marathoner: 77
U.S. states represented: 50 (plus Washington D.C. and the territory of
Puerto Rico)
Countries represented: more than 32
Number of volunteers: more than 2,000
Temperature at the start: 44° F (cloudy)
Temperature at the finish: 49° F (cloudy)
1,500 schoolchildren from area middle schools finished the Final Mile
as part of ING's Run for Something Better
The 2010 ING Georgia Marathon & Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, March
28. For more information, please visit www.inggeorgiamarathon.com.
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