Press Release - Milan City Marathon - 11/13/08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

            Milan Wants To Move Its Marathon Up The Scale, 
                  Italy's All-Comer Record Targeted 

Famous for fashion, the Scala Opera House, the Cathedral or in sporting 
terms the two football giants (AC and Inter) Milan is lesser known for its 
marathon so far. But this is what organisers of the event intend to change. 
Compared to the prominent synonyms of Italy's second biggest city ,La 
Marathona di Milano' is still a very young child with plenty of potential 
to develop for the future. When the Milan City Marathon will be started for 
the ninth time on 23rd November a field of about 6,000 runners is expected 
to run the classic distance. Among them will be a number of world-class 
athletes who will go for fast times. In the men's race the Milan City 
Marathon should confirm its position as Italy's fastest marathon. Online 
entries for the event will be still accepted at: www.milanocitymarathon.it 
Late entries will also be possible on the days before the race. Information 
is available on the web page.

"It is our target to break the Italian all-comers record in the men's 
race," announced Federico Rosa, who is the Elite Athlete Coordinator of the 
race. That mark stands at 2:07:45 and meanwhile is seven and a half years 
old. Ethiopia's Semretu Alemayehu had established the record by winning the 
Torino Marathon in 2001. Milan's course record is just 13 seconds slower. 
Benson Cherono (Kenya) had clocked 2:07:58 two years ago. Chasing top times 
next week it will be helpful for the elite runners that the flat course was 
slightly altered and thus is said to be even faster than before. Start and 
finish of the race are now both located at the Piazza Castello in the 
centre of the city. This will also suit the fun runners.

After a fine marathon debut in warm weather in Vienna this spring Duncan 
Kibet will be one of the favourites in Milan. The 30 year-old Kenyan had 
clocked 2:08:33 for second place in Austria. Featuring a promising personal 
best of 60:22 in the half marathon Duncan Kibet should have the potential 
of running sub 2:08. One of his rivals will be the silver medallist of the 
World Championship's marathon in 2005. Few will remember the name of 
Christopher Isegwe, who caused a major surprise in Helsinki three years 
ago. The Tanzanian ran a personal best of 2:10:21 in that championship race 
but then failed to finish his next two marathons in 2006 (Melbourne and 
London). After not competing at all in 2007 Christopher Isegwe has run two 
10 k races this autumn and now comes back to the marathon.

The experienced Danilo Goffi will be the main Italian contender in Milan. 
The 35 year-old is the silver medallist of the European Championships in 
1998 and features exactly the same personal best as Duncan Kibet (2:08:33). 
While that PB is ten years old Danilo Goffi more recently took the Torino 
Marathon (2:11:13 in 2005). Portugal's Helder Ornelas, who had won the 
Milan City Marathon in 2005 with a personal record of 2:09:59, will be 
another European runner to watch.

The women's race will see the return of the defending champion Pamela 
Chepchumba. The 29 year-old Kenyan had established her personal best in 
Milan a year ago: Clocking 2:25:36 she achieved the second fastest winning 
time in the history of the race. Little more than a month ago Pamela 
Chepchumba showed fine form, when taking a bronze medal at the World Half 
Marathon Championships in Rio. In Milan she will be up against Olivera 
Jevtic (Serbia). The 31 year-old is an experienced marathon runner who has 
a slightly faster PB than Chepchumba: In 2003 Jevtic had won the Rotterdam 
Marathon with 2:25:23. She was sixth in the Olympic marathon in 2004 and is 
the silver medallist from the European Championships in 2006. Anna Incerti 
carries the Italian hopes in Milan. The 28 year-old has shown an impressive 
performance in the Olympic Marathon, when she came in 14th and improved her 
personal best to 2:30:55 in the tough Beijing conditions.

More information is available online at: www.milanocitymarathon.it

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