Press Release - The Ottawa Marathon - 5/29/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

        Kenyans and Ethiopians compete for top marathon spots
         First Canadian male finishes 11th, woman places 6th
 
May 29, 2011, OTTAWA – Under overcast skies this morning, a Kenyan man and 
Ethiopian woman took top spots trying out Ottawa Race Weekend's new 
marathon route along crowd-filled Ottawa-Gatineau streets.
 
No records were broken this year as Laban Moiben of Trento, Kenya ran 
2:10:17 in a sprint to the finish with Dereje Abera Ali of Briarcliff, 
Ethiopia, who trailed by only one second. No stranger to Ottawa, Moiben 
placed second in the 2010 Ottawa Marathon with 2:09:43.
 
Kebebush Haile Lema, from West Chester, Ethiopia was the first woman to 
cross the finish line in 2:32:14. Fellow Ethiopians Birkuktawit Eshetu 
Degefa and Radiya Adilo Roba followed quickly with times of 2:33:14 and 
2:36:58 respectively.
 
"There was some very stiff competition on the race course this year, with 
the top four or five men running in a pack for part of the run," said Manny 
Rodrigues, Elite Athlete Coordinator. "It was also great to see four 
Canadian women place in the top ten finishers."
 
Up-and-coming elite runner 24-year-old Lucas McAneney of Toronto was the 
first Canadian male to finish with a time of 2:19:51. Seven Canadian men 
finished in the top 20.
 
The first Canadian woman to cross the finish line was Calgary-born Emily 
Kroshus, with a time of 2:42:26. A total of 10 Canadian women placed in the 
top 20.
 
The 2011 Ottawa Marathon is host to the Canadian Marathon Championship. As 
the top male and female Canadian marathoners today, McAneney and Kroshus 
take home $5,000 each. The Championship is also the last opportunity for 
Canadian athletes to qualify for the 2011 World Championships and the 2011 
Pan American Games. Elite athletes can also register to qualify for the 
2012 Summer Olympic Games.
 
Record-breaking rain for the month of May threatened to be this year's race 
weekend story, but skies remained dry for the first two-and-a-half hours of 
the marathon before rain began, cooling down temperatures as runners 
continued to make their way to the finish line.
 
RESULTS – MEN
Laban Moiben (Kenya)                 2:10:17
Dereje Abera (Ethiopia)              2:10:18
Dino Sefir Kemal (Ethiopia)          2:10:32 
Silas Sang (Kenya)                   2:10:57
Hosea Rotich (Kenya)                 2:11:46                 
Hillary Kimai Kipchirchir (Kenya)    2:13:01
Abdisa Sorri (Ethiopia)              2:13:27
Towfik Abilshikur (Ethiopia)         2:14:59
Dereje Yade Woldegiyorgis (Ethiopia) 2:15:58
Kennedy Kemai (Kenya)                2:17:35
 
RESULTS – WOMEN
Kebebush Haile Lema (Ethiopia)       2:32:14
Birkuktawit Eshetu Degefa (Ethiopia) 2:33:14
Radiya Adilo Roba (Ethiopia)         2:36:58
Irina Mashkantseva (Russia)          2:38:04
Gladys Asiba (Kenya)                 2:38:20
Emily Kroshus (Canada)               2:42:26
Lanni Marchant  (Canada)             2:49:13                              
Myrium Grenon (Canada)               2:49:38
Jill Gamble (Canada)                 2:50:33
Heidi Bretscher (USA)                2:51:31



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