Press Release - Bogota Half-Marathon - 7/29/11

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

                    Bogota Barnburner Half on Sunday

Defending Champion Deriba Merga of Ethiopia will face a stern challenge 
from the world's fastest marathoner Geoffrey Mutai in Sunday's Media 
Maratón de Bogotá, South America's only IAAF Gold Label Road Race event.
 
Merga ran away from the field last year, taking off on his own at 4 km and 
running solo to a course record 1:02:31 win.  But he isn't likely to get 
away from Mutai so easily.  Mutai is undefeated on the road this year, 
winning the Boston Marathon in April in an astonishing 2:03:02, the fastest 
time ever recorded for a marathon, then returning to Boston this June to 
win the inaugural BAA 10K in 27:19 and then capturing the historic 
Castelbuono 10K in Italy on Tuesday of this week over a field that included 
both the Virgin London and ING New York City Marathon Champions, Emmanuel 
Mutai and Gebre Gebremariam.
 
Challenging both in a strong international field will be four-time Bogota 
champion Isaac Macharia and 2011 Rotterdam Marathon champion Wilson Chebet, 
both of Kenya.  Add 2011 Bay to Breakers 12K champion Ridouane Harroufi of 
Morocco and USA Half Marathon champion Mohamed Trafeh to the mix, and the 
course record from last year will be under serious threat.
 
On the women's side,  Shewarge Alene of Ethiopia is back to try to defend 
her title, but will face opposition from both her Ethiopian team mates and 
a strong Kenyan contingent.  Mare Dibaba has the fastest half marathon best 
in the field at 1:07:13, and is coming off a win in her last race, the 
Yangzhou Half Marathon in China.  But Kenyan Peninah Arusei has run almost 
as fast at 1:07:48, and has a bronze medal from the 2010 IAAF World Half 
Marathon Championships in Nanning, China and won the Paris half Marathon 
this year.
 
But both will be challenged by Joyce Chepkirui of Kenya.  Chepkirui is 
coming off a course record wins in the Lago Maggiore Half Marathon in Italy 
April and the Goteborg Half Marathon in Sweden May, and then a 30:43, 
world-leading, 10K in  Appingedam, Netherlands just two weeks ago.
 
The race will broadcast live in Colombia on the Caracol TV and is available 
worldwide  as a live webcast beginning at 10:15 AM Sunday, EDT a this web 
address:  http://www.caracoltv.com/senal-vivo

Men Bibs
1. Deriba Merga(ETH)
2. Issac Macharia(KEN)
3. William Naranjo(COL)
4. Geoffrey Mutai(KEN)
5. Jason Gutierrez(COL)
6. Marlinson Dos Santos(BRA)
7. Stephen Mokaka(RSA)
8. Juan Carlos Cardona(COL)
9. Constantion Leon(PER)
10. Mo Trafeh(USA)
12. Wilson Chebet(KEN)
16. Ridouane Harroufi(MOR)
19. Abderrahim Bouramdane(MOR)

Women Bibs
61. Shewarge Alene(ETH)
62. Emily Chebet(KEN)
63. Yolanda Fernandez(COL)
64. Yulia Gromova(RUS)
65. Gladys Tejada(PER)
66. Erika Suarez(COL)
67. Peninah Arusei(KEN)
70. Joyce Chepkirui(KEN)
71. Atsede Baysa(ETH)
72. Mare Dibaba(ETH)
 
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