http://www.iaaf.org/news/Kind=2/newsId=29144.html
Saturday 16 April 2005 The 109th B.A.A. Boston Marathon on Monday 18 April 2005 will be highlighted by the return of the defending champions, the Kenyans Catherine Ndereba and Timothy Cherigat. WOMEN – number four for Ndereba? Ndereba's attempt to take the women's race title for an unprecedented fourth time (2000, 2001, 2004 her previous wins) is of course the headline attraction. Ndereba, 32, won her third title last year, eight months after claiming a World Championships gold medal. She is the second fastest woman in history, her African record coming in 2001 when she won the Chicago Marathon (2:18:47 PB). Ndereba is now one of the all-time greats of the discipline, with three Boston victories (+ a second and a sixth), two Chicago wins (+ a second place), and two New York and one London second place finishes, as well as a World Championship gold and an Olympic silver to her credit. One of only five women to have broken 2:20, the Kenyan ace has three such clockings on her career CV, which is the same number as Britain's Paula Radcliffe the World record holder, a remarkable feat considering that none of the other three women have run sub-2:20 more than once. One of Ndereba's stiffest previous opponents, Margaret Okayo, who beat her to the Boston title in 2002 is in London this weekend to defend her title in that rival race where she will face another Ndereba nemesis Radcliffe. But the absence of this duo should not give any impression that the defending Boston champion will be unopposed. In particular Ndereba will face two other high profile national record holders, Russia's 2003 Boston winner Svetlana Zakharova (2:21:31 PB) and Ethiopian Gete Wami (2:22:19 PB). The Russian, 35, who finished ninth in the 2003 Worlds and last year's Olympics, won the Chicago Marathon in 2003, though her PB stands thanks to her fourth place in Chicago in 2002, the year in which she also finished second in London (2:22:31). Wami's illustrious track pedigree needs no repeating but her marathon best which she set on her debut in Amsterdam now dates back to 2002. Italian Bruna Genovese (2:25:35 PB - 2001), the tenth-place finisher at the Olympics, who won the Tokyo Marathon last November in 2:26:34 is another name to look out for, as is Romanian Nuta Olaru, 34, who was also in form last autumn taking second in Chicago (2:24:33). However, the closest challenge could again come from Elfenesh Alemu of Ethiopia, who finished second to Ndereba last year and was also behind the Kenyan in third in 2002, which was the year that Okayo beat them both. Ndereba and Alemu had another battle at the Olympics last summer when in the scorching heat and humidity of the Greek capital, Ndereba took the silver while the Ethiopian finished just out of the medals in fourth. Alemu has a consistent record of quick marathon races, with a victory in Tokyo in 2003 (2:24:47), last year's Boston runners-up spot (2:24:43) and a fourth place in Osaka in 2000 (2:24:47 – NB same time as Tokyo), all in the region of her current personal best of 2:24:29 which she set in London in 2001. NOTE. National record holder Oliviera Jevtic of Serbia and Montenegro, a sixth-place finisher at the 2004 Olympics, has had to withdraw due to a calf injury. Just like in 2004, the elite women will hear the gun separately. The group of approximately 60 will start at 11:31 a.m. For the second year in a row, the top female finishers are expected to reach Copley Square before the winner of the men's open division. MEN – visa problems deny Cheboror Kenyan Robert Cheboror, the 2004 Boston runner-up who would have been the fastest entrant in the men's field this weekend with a personal best of 2:06:23 - the third fastest performance in the world of 2004 - has not been able to travel to Boston in time due to problems with the issuing of an US-visa. Cheboror only received the permission that his P1-visa was granted by the US Authorities on 15 April (20:00 CET). In 2004, Cheboror caught up with the lead pack at the 18-mile mark only again to be dropped by countryman Timothy Cherigat shortly after, and eventually finished a distant second (2:11:49), with Cherigat winning in a time of 2:10:37. Cheboror whose personal best came when winning in Amsterdam last autumn was to have been one of ten elite starters on Monday with bests of sub-2:10. The fastest in the Boston field is now Kenyan Wilson Onsare, whose PB of 2:06:47 came when placing third in the 2003 Paris City Marathon. The 28-year-old has run four marathons in his career and has so far finished third on 3 occasions and fourth in another. Moving away from pure times, Boston has recalled the defending champion Timothy Cherigat (2:09:34 PB), and 2003 winner Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot, who was a late addition this week to the elite field of 32 athletes. Following his gutsy victory in 2003 (2:10:11 PB), Cheruiyot dropped out of last year's race after running 25 miles. Reinforcing Kenya's stellar contingent will be Benson Cherono, 20, a fifth-place finisher in New York last autumn (2:11:23) which was his debut. There is also Benjamin Kipchumba, the winner of last October's 2004 Nairobi Marathon (2:11:50), who just a month later went on to second place in Milan in a personal best of 2:09:23. A talented group of contenders representing 12 countries will also include Mohamed Ouaadi of France (2:07:55 PB), national record holder Pavel Loskutov of Estonia (2:08:53 PB) and Australian Andrew Letherby (2:12:45 PB). History on their side In vying for the Boston men's title, the Kenyans will have history on their side, having collectively won 13 races out of the last 14. The last laurel wreath that did not make a trip to Nairobi was claimed by the Seoul Olympic Champion Gelindo Bordin of Italy all the way back in 1990. USA's Alan Culpepper, the host nations main competitor who rounds out the elite group of sub-2:10 starters (2:09:41 PB), will need to reach deep in order to upset the heralded field. Bill Rodgers will be in attendance alongside a number of legendary champions, whose achievements will be recognised by the B.A.A. Rodgers will provide on-air commentary for WCVB-TV's television coverage of the race. Weather This year, the weather is expected to be a bit kinder to all in attendance, saving runners the curveball of a surprising heat wave akin the one that swept Massachusetts on 19 April 2004 and pushed the temperatures up to 29C. The forecast for Monday: 18C and partly cloudy with a slight chance of rain. Denis Fedulov and the IAAF ENDS
