http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29070.html
Friday 8 April 2005 Milan is set to celebrate the 34th edition of its famous Stramilano half marathon race on Sunday 10 April, a race which will feature a fierce battle between Tanzania and Kenya. This popular Italian race was highlighted in the past by marathon World record holder Paul Tergat who began his legendary road racing career with six consecutive wins in Milan between 1994 and 1999 and a famous World record of 59:17 set in 1998. The Italian record was also set at the Stramilano by Rachid Berradi, an Italian of Moroccan origin, who won surprisingly in the northern Italian city in 1:00:20 in 2002 beating John Yuda, Marco Mazza and Charles Kamathi. The 2005 Stramilano race on the flat Milan course promises to live up to its reputation as one of the fastest in the world. The course from Piazza Castello to the Arena Civica Stadium has been made faster than last year by eliminating a tough section which slowed the final time last year. This indicates that a final time under the 1-hour barrier is within reach of the top runners on Sunday morning. The young Kenyan Robert Kipchumba, World junior champion in the 10,000 metres in Santiago de Chile, winner of the junior World cross country race in 2000 and a 27:25.55 performer in Brussels 2001, returns to Milan to defend his 2004 Stramilano title which he clinched in 1:00:21. Kenya also sets its hopes on the in-form Wilson Kebenei Kiprotich who has recently finished third in an outstanding 59:27 on a downhill course at the Lisbon Half Marathon on 13 March in the race won by Paul Tergat in 59:10. Kiprotich ran 1:00:29 to finish third at last year's Stramilano. Not to be written off are other Kenyans in the field like Enock Mitei, who finished fourth at last year's Stramilano in 1:00:32, and Solomon Bushendish, a former 10,000 metres World junior bronze medallist in Kingston 2002 and a 1:00:42 performer over the half-marathon in Berlin in 2004. Joseph leads strong Tanzanian squad The 20-year-old Fabiano Joseph, two-time silver medallist at the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Villamoura 2003 and New Dehli 2004, leads a strong Tanzanian contingent which also includes the 2003 Stramilano winner John Yuda and the 2003 World Half Marathon bronze medallist Martin Sulle. Joseph, who also ran a PB of 27:32.63 in the 10,000 metres in Brussels in 2003 and finished runner-up behind Uganda's Boniface Kiprop at last summer's IAAF World Junior Championships in Grosseto, competes for the third consecutive year in Milan where he finished fourth in 2003 and sixth in 2004. Sulle finished third in 2003 and second last year in his PB of 1:00:29. Yuda, a two-time World Half Marathon bronze medallist in 2001 and 2002 and World cross country silver medallist in 2002, returns to the Milan race after his first attempt over the marathon distance in London where he finished ninth in 2:10:13. Morocco's Salah Hissou, World 5000 metres champion in Seville 1999 and a former 10,000 metres World record holder with 26:38.08 set at the Brussels Memorial Van Damme in 1996 will test his road racing ambitions in Milan. The two-time Italian cross country champion Giuliano Battocletti, who holds a PB in the half marathon of 1:00:47 set in Udine in 2002 (the third Italian fastest time in history) and finished third in the 2001 Stramilano, carries the best Italian hopes. The former 10,000 metres and cross country European junior champion Vasyl Matvichuk completes the line-up. Also a women's race For the second consecutive year the Stramilano will also feature the women's race. Hungary's Aniko Kalovics, the European cross country bronze medallist in 2003 in Edinburgh behind Paula Radcliffe and Elvan Abeylegesse, starts as the favourite against the Italian marathon specialist Tiziana Alagia, who returns to competition after her encouraging second place at the Rome Marathon on 13 March in 2:31:46. Kalovics will compete for the second time in 2005 over the half marathon distance after finishing third in The Hague on 19 March in 1:11:08. Italy is also represented by cross country and road race specialist Vincenza Sicari (PB 1:13:42), who was the best Italian in the long course in the IAAF World Cross Country Championships in St-Etienne/St-Galmier, and by Silvia Sommaggio (PB 1:12:14). Sicari starts as the favourite for the Italian half marathon army championships which are incorporated in the 2005 Stramilano. Until 2003 the Stramilano Half Marathon was scheduled on Saturday, the day before the non-competitive race. Last year the Milan organizers decided to rejoin the top runners race with the mass race in one day. The 50,000 amateurs will start at 9.00 on Sunday morning from Piazza del Duomo and will run 15km across the centre of Milan to finish in the Arena Civica stadium named after the late Milan sports writer Gianni Brera. The elite runners will start at 11.15 from Piazza Castello where the Castello Sforzesco and will cross the finish line in the Arena Civica stadium. Diego Sampaolo for the IAAF ENDS
