Press Release - Marathon Niedersachsen (Hannover) - 3/20/12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Olympic Champion Reuben Kosgei Intends to Make Major Step in the Marathon

Reuben Kosgei finally wants to make a major step in the marathon. Kenya's 
Olympic Steeplechase Champion from Sydney 2000 will run the TUI Hannover 
Marathon on 6th May and hopes to significantly improve his personal best. 

The elite fields look strong enough to break the course records on the 
very flat course. The TUI Marathon Hannover is Germany's newest IAAF 
bronze label road race.

For the first time the TUI Marathon Hannover will feature an athlete of 
the calibre of Reuben Kosgei. The 32 year-old, who also was World Champion 
in the Steeplechase in 2001, had run his first marathon attempt in Vienna 
in 2009. In warm conditions he did not finish the race. In the autumn of 
that year he had a second go at the distance and had more success. In 
Florence he finished second with 2:11:22, beaten by just one second.

Coming to his third marathon Reuben Kosgei is said to be preparing with 
much more intensity than before. "We really hope that he can significantly 
improve his personal best in Hannover," said Christoph Kopp, who is the 
Elite Race Coordinator of the TUI Marathon Hannover. 

There will be strong oppostition for Reuben Kosgei in Hannover. The 
fastest in the field will be Nixon Kipkoech Machichim. The Kenyan ran 
2:08:22 when placing fourth in the Toronto Marathon in 2010. This year he 
has already competed in the Mumbai Marathon, where he placed fifth in 
2:11:37. Three more runner with personal bests of sub 2:10 will be in the 
field on 6th May: Kenyan Edwin Kutto, who is the brother of the reigning 
World Marathon Chamapion Abel Kirui, has achieved 2:08:57 in Eindhoven 
last year. Amos Matui (Kenya/2:09:35) and Botoru Tsegaye 
(Ethiopia/2:09:57) are the other two. The two-year old men's course record 
from Yussuf Sangoka (Kenya) stands at 2:08:52.

In the women's race the course record will be the target as well: Last 
year's winner Georgina Rono (Kenya) is the holder of this one with 
2:31:19. Ethiopia's Fatuma Sado will be the favourite on 6th May. The 
winner of the Hamburg Marathon in 2011, who has run 2:28:01 in that race, 
intends to run the first sub 2:30 time in the history of the TUI Marathon 
Hannover. Her strongest rival could be the experienced Leah Malot (Kenya), 
who has a personal best of 2:29:17. Halima Hassen Beriso 
(Ethiopia/2:32:42) and Natalya Puchkova (Russia/2:33:02) could also play a 
part.

More information about the TUI Marathon Hannover is available online at: 
www.marathon-hannover.de

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