New course, new bonus and amazing fields for EDP Lisbon Half Marathon - PREVIEW

Lisbon – The EDP Lisbon Half Marathon, one of the IAAF Gold Label Road Races of 2008, will face important changes when the 18th edition will be held this Sunday.

To give the athletes the opportunity perform well and achieve world class times, the organization provided a change in the start of the race. The elite athletes will therefore start from the north side of the Tagus River, at sea level, which makes the course totally flat.

As in previous years, the mass race of almost 30,000 runners will start from the south side, crossing the river by April Bridge and then join the rest of the course of elite runners at the end of the bridge.

The race, who counts 23 performances under the one hour time, also improved the motivation of elite runners offering a prize of 50,000 euros for breaking the World Half-Marathon record.

And in order to attain the highest standards, the organization has put together a very strong field led by his majesty “king” Haile Gebrselassie. The Ethiopian, World Marathon record holder (2.04.26), who ran (and won) this year’s Dubai Marathon (2.04.53), has a personal best of 58:55 at Half Marathon and is able to run close to his best time in Lisbon.

To strengthen the field race organizers can count on Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot (Half Marathon personal best of 59.21), who won the 2007 Chicago and Boston Marathons. An experienced athlete in Lisbon, Cheruiyot was five times on the podium, 2nd in 2005, 2006 and 2007 and 3rd in 2003 and 2004, but he never did win the race!

Moroccan Jaouad Gharib (pb: 59.56), the World Marathon champion in 2003 and 2005, 3rd in last year EDP Lisbon Half Marathon is also likely to be a tough challenger.

The African challenge will be completed by Kenyans Luke Kibet (pb: 60.43), Osaka’s World marathon champion; Charles Kamathi (pb: 60.22), the 2001 World 10,000 m champion; William Kiplagat (59.50), winner of 2005 Seoul marathon; Jonathan Maiyo (60.10), first in last year Breda half marathon; Silas Sang (60.20), first in 2007 Seville and Torremolinos half-marathons; and the Tanzanian Fabiano Joseph (59.56), 2005 world Half Marathon champion (silver medallist in 2003 and 2004).

Salina Kosgei back to winning ways?

In the women’s event the front lead is Salina Kosgei (personal best in half-marathon: 67.52). The Kenyan returns to Lisbon trying to repeat her victories from 2005 and 2006, something she couldn’t achieve last year when she was third.

This year she will face American Deena Kastor (67.34), the Athens Olympic Games Marathon bronze medallist, and Ethiopian Berhane Adere (67.32), the winner of this year’s Dubai Marathon (and winner of Boston marathon in 2006 and 2007).

But there are other strong athletes like Pamela Chepchumba (68.06), last year’s World Half-Marathon Championships bronze medallist, winner in Lisbon in 2006; Margaret Okayo (67.23), winner of New York and Milan Marathons in 2003; the Ethiopian Magarsa Askale (75.55), winner of the 2002 Paris and Dubai Marathons and the American Kate O’Neill (71.47), USA half marathon champion.

Portuguese runners

In the Portuguese pack, a special mention goes to Eduardo Henriques (61.41), the winner of last year’s European Clubs Cup Road Race, and this year’s Portuguese cross country champion, at the age of 39 (40 on 24 March), who will face other Portuguese great athletes such as Luís Jesus (60.56), Paulo Guerra (61.53), or Luis Feiteira (63.55), in men field, and Fernanda Ribeiro (68.23), the European, World and Olympic 10,000m champion.

António Manuel Fernandes for the IAAF